ROOFLESS BOATS IN KASHMIR

    
ROOFLESS BOATS  IN KASHMIR 

 One can see a variety of boats in lakes and rivers of kashmir. you can see a House Boat , A shikaara , a Doonga ( small version of a house Boat meant for a familiy. Previously Boatmen community locally known as Haanjis used to reside in Donngas.Every Doonga has a small living room and a kitchen ), Bahach( for carrying goods )and a roofless small boat known locally as Demb Naav.

 Since i grew up in Rainawari , i am pretty familiar with all of them. We were asked to go inside a houseboat by school authorities when these moving houses would touch inner side of Naidyaar bridge and get trapped underneath the bridge. The houseboat owners would come to the school and request for about 100 boys to be brought in so that the Houseboat sank in Canal waters of Rainawari making it easy to pass underneath the Naidyaar bridge. Lo! The boys would survey entire house boat . Eat from the kitchen and write funny words on its walnut wood carved walls . The Shikaraas would ferry tourists to Nageen lake while the Bahach would bring rations for the inhabitants from Government food and supplies Department . The Doongas were always there with Haanjis living in them .The small roofless boats or Demb Naav was a poor man's mode of transport in the lake . It was used to drop children to school , carry vegetables to the market from the lake , bring groceries from shops in the lake , carry the sick to doctor and bring fresh green feed from the lake for cattle .These boats were also used by residents of rainawari to collect beddings and utensils from their friends and relatives in the area during marriage or other functions .

This small roofless boat known as Demb Naav would frequently be engaged by us on daily rental basis on Holidays and taken to Dal lake for bathing and picnics . we would paddle it to the bathing ghats of Gagribal for swimming in the lake . Quite often We sank the boat in the lake . we would also jump from it to learn diving .Finally we would wash it clean and paddle it back to Rainawari. Many boys from Rainawari are used to these boats . Enjoy the views with a small poem ( In translation )of Faiz Ahmed Faiz :

A wish
Never do i believe in Miracles ,
but this wish i do nurture ,
that when death welcomes me in its lap
for my journey to the other world ,
it should grant me this permission once ,
I may be allowed to return from the grave ,
knocking at your door ,
i would like to Cry
"Should you need a consoler , Here i am ,"
And if you say No ,
I may return to the other world immediately .
( Faiz Ahmed Faiz )

( Text and Photographs by Autar Mota )
Sunday October 28^th , 2012 …Time 1.25 PM ..Good Afternoon )                                                                   



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