Floating vegetable markets, a major attraction on Srinagars Dal Lake

Sringars Dal Lake is famous the world over for its scenic location, the shikaras (boats) that float on it and for the promotion of aqua sports like water skiing. The Dal Lake is also famous for its floating vegetable market, the only one of its kind in India and the second in the world, the other being the rowing shops along the backwaters of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.

By Suhail Ahmed

Srinagar, Sept 24 : Sringar's Dal Lake is famous the world over for its scenic location, the shikaras (boats) that float on it and for the promotion of aqua sports like water skiing. The Dal Lake is also famous for its 'floating vegetable market', the only one of its kind in India and the second in the world, the other being the rowing shops along the backwaters of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.

Floating vegetable vendors are a prime tourist attraction in the Kashmir Valley, and this is reflected in the sales and annual turnover, estimated to be in the range of Rs. 35 crores.

These vendors have been selling vegetables on the lake for generations. Everyday, in the wee hours, farmers from different parts of the city board their vegetable-laden shikaras and float out into the lake and begin their sales pitch for their wares.

There are no permanent kiosks or shops on the lake. The floating market first attracted international attention in 1960, when a Japanese photographer featured it in a tourist guide that was published out of Japan.

Ghulam Rasool, the President of the Zamindar (landlord) Association, Dal Lake, claims that this floating spectacle has been flourishing for ages and is growing bigger as time passes by.

Around 10,000 kanals (around 1,250 acres) of land along the Dal Lake is being used for the cultivation of vegetables, Rasool adds.

"The main market is of lotus stems (Nadrus) and roots, both of which are in demand throughout the year. The annual turnover is Rs. 35 crores," notes Rasool.

"This is a very old market where the sale and the purchase of vegetables take place between 5 a.m. and to 7 a.m. everyday. Most of the vegetables grown on the lakeside and retrieved from the lake are sold in those two hours. The balance vegetables are taken to street markets. This market is famous. Many tourists come here and click photographs of it," said Ghulam Mohiuddin, a floating vegetable market vendor.

Seasonal vegetables like bitter gourd, tomatoes, brinjals, capsicum and Nadru are available in the market at reasonable rates, Mohiuddin adds.

Dal Lake is home to vast stretches of lotus plant. Lotus flowers not only balance the wetland ecosystem, but also lend a special kind of beauty to the lake.

Local customers and tourists throng this market in large numbers, the former to buy fresh Nadru and other vegetables, and the latter to get a feel of Kashmir's unique culture and life.

"It's a colourful market. I have never seen a market over water anywhere. It's good to see such a thing," said a foreign tourist.

"It is a very beautiful and an interesting market. I don't know who is buying and who is selling these vegetables, but to see the activity, is very interesting. I have seen a similar market in the Mekong Delta, but nowhere else," said another foreign tourist.

Presently, thousands of Kashmiris are dependent on the cultivation of vegetables and the trading of produce.

The vegetables are supplied not only to markets across Srinagar, but also to the Supply Corps of the defence services and other paramilitary security agencies deployed in the Kashmir Valley.

ANI