Srinagar, Aug 18: Nostalgic Kashmir, the photo exhibition of rare photographs has evoked massive response.
The exhibition started on August 8 in a bid to give a rare peep into life in Kashmir’s past over a century. All the photographs have been collected by the father-son duo.
Showkat Rashied Wani, who has been collecting photos since the early 90s is elated over the overwhelming response to the exhibition.
He said the exhibition has helped visitors travel through rare moments of Kashmir’s past. The exhibition will continue till August 27.
Wani said the exhibition showcases 40 different sections of the photography collection. Over 800 photographs give a glimpse of Kashmir's life between the 1850s to 1950s.
“People from different walks of life visited the exhibition in last ten days. There were students, traders, academicians, and others. I gave a walk-through to scores of visitors, and everyone was amazed to see different aspects of life in the past. It is literally a visual tour to our century-old history,” Wani said.
He said in addition to local visitors, there were many tourists from outside Kashmir and abroad who visited the exhibition.
“Many tourists also visited the exhibition and loved to be part of this exhibition. They learned many things about our history. There were tourists from various places like Mumbai and USA who were mesmerised by the collection of rare photographs. In addition to this , many student groups who were interested in old culture and fashion, visited the exhibition,” he added.
Wani said for decades, he, along with his son, Wasim Showkat, have reached out to different corners of the world to get these photographs and printed them over the years. He said the photos include some rare insights about historical places, art, culture, crafts, people, and religious places.
“Before we close the exhibition on the 27th of this month, I am sure more visitors will come and be part of this initiative,” Wani said.
