Now, enjoy DJ parties at houseboats on Dal Lake

SRINAGAR - The Shikaras (Kashmiri gondolas) and houseboats have been the main attraction in the picturesque Dal Lake in Srinagar, a beauteous town set amidst snow-capped mountains, pine forest and verdant meadows of Kashmir Valley.

With an increase in tourists’ inflow, houseboat owners are introducing various new facilities to woo tourists and make them prolong their stay here. They provide quality food, good transport, and comfortable accommodation.

To make tourists’ stay in the Kashmir valley more enjoyable and fun-filled, some local houseboat owners on Dal Lake have started holding dance parties.

This year, some houseboat-owners have even chosen to entertain tourists with ‘DJ nights’.

Local people say that it’s a revival of an old local tradition as per which the tourists would dance to various forms of music, including Kashmiri, played on houseboats till two decades ago.

“Such scenes were a routine, when foreign tourists used to visit here before 1989, when the situation was normal. Now, when the normalcy is returning, we have made a small attempt to keep the traditions alive,” said Tariq Ahmad, a houseboat owner.ourists are delighted with the new feature of enjoyment.

“It hardly matters whether you are staying at a five-star hotel or a three-star but it’s really different when you are on a houseboat…DJ nights on shikaras (Kashmiri gondolas) and houseboats…it’s really different,” said Chetan Mehta, a tourist from Mumbai.

The houseboats are aimed at providing wholesome entertainment to tourists. By Afzal Bhat (ANI)