Srinagar, March 29- The UPA Chairperson, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi inaugurated
the first Kashmir Tulip Festival and dedicated to the people of Jammu
& Kashmir the Asia’s largest tulip garden named after the former Prime
Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi here today.
The garden located at the foot of the Zabarwan Hill overlooking
the famous Dal Lake is conceptualized and designed by the Chief Minister,
Ghulam Nabi Azad who monitored its development on regular basis.
Former Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, Defence Minister, A. K.
Anthony, Union Minister for Water Resources, Saifuddin Soz, Mrs. Shamim
Azad, ministers, legislators, representatives of travel trade, members
of the civil society and senior officers were present.
Mrs. Gandhi in her brief but lucid speech made on the occasion,
described the Tulip Garden as a marvel which would attract tourists and boost
tourism in the Valley. She said with this initiative and other
development activities being carried out here the economy of the State would
continue to look up. She said the atmosphere in Kashmir was more
peaceful and there was much less tension in the air and prayed for complete
peace and normalcy in the State.
Feeling nostalgic about her family’s intimate relationship with
Kashmir, Mrs. Gandhi recalled that Indira Gandhi loved nature in its
different manifestations like streams, meadows, snow capped mountains and
flowers, especially the flowers of Kashmir. She said Kashmir was not only a
place for holidaying for her but the bedrock of her life. She recalled
the lyrical description of beauty of Kashmir in the letters exchanged
between Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter and said that it reflected
their joy at the sight of cherry and almond bloom. She said Kashmir
used to be a regular holiday destination for Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira
Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi and the sheer magic of the beauty
of Kashmir lessened their tensions of politics and governance. She said
that today she herself had the feeling of the breathtaking beauty that
the Tulip Garden had turned out to be. She also alluded to the fond
memories of her own and her children’s visits to Kashmir with husband and
former PM, Rajiv Gandhi.
The UPA Chairperson said that Kashmir was the natural habitat and home
of tulips, adding that it grew here in wild 1000 years before it was
sent to Europe from the Valley. She said the tulip was in great demand
in Netherlands and a single bulb of the flower would sell at the price
of a house. She said the tulips had tremendous potential for employment
and called for the cultivation of typical local varieties which she
said were in good measure available in Kashmir.
Mrs. Gandhi said that tourism was the mainstay of Kashmir’s
economy. She said during the last 20 years this industry suffered badly but
hoped that the initiatives like the Tulip Garden and the massive
development activities going on here would help improve the economic profile
of Kashmir. She said her heart went out for those innocent people and
men who served the country and lost their lives during the past two
decades. She called for redoubling efforts to ensure complete peace and
development in Jammu & Kashmir. She said combining the first Kashmir Tulip
Festival and launch of the Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden was a fantastic
idea. She profusely complimented Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad for
conceptualizing, designing and laying out the wonderful tulip garden and
said she would love to visit here next year when tulips would be in full
bloom again.
Mrs. Gandhi also planted a sapling of Magnolia-Soulangia (tulip
tree) in the garden.
In his welcome address, the Chief Minister said that he had
envisioned this garden two and a half years ago and developed it to advance
the tourist season in Kashmir by two months. He said the season normally
started in May and there was not much for the tourists to enjoy here
in March and April. He said by laying out this garden tourists could now
come and enjoy tulip bloom two months ahead of the beginning of the
normal tourist season. He asked the tourism department officials to
publicize the Tulip Garden throughout the country to attract maximum number
of tourists. He said lighting arrangements had been made to also allow
night viewing of tulip bloom.
Giving an idea of the development of the Tulip Garden, Mr. Azad
said that in December 2005, as many as 30,000 tulip bulbs were sown in
the garden and extended to 3 lakh bulbs in December 2006. He said the
garden was further extended by sowing 12 lakh bulbs last winter, making it
the Asia’s largest tulip garden. He said there was plan for further
extension to 20 lakh bulbs next year. The garden, he said, had been
developed in terraces, three of which had already been laid out while two
more would be laid next year. He said while he would not like to compare
the garden with Shalimar and Nishat Gardens but the Tulip Garden would
be double the size of the Mughal Gardens by next year. He said the
people of Jammu & Kashmir and tourists visiting the Valley would be
benefited by this facility. He thanked Mrs. Sonia Gandhi for accepting his
invitation at short notice to dedicate the garden to the people.
The Chief Minister also presented a picture of the Tulip Garden
and a papier machie table to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and a shawl to the Defence
Minister as souvenirs.
Earlier, the Chief Minister along with his ministerial colleagues and
legislators warmly received Mrs. Gandhi on her arrival at the airport.
The UPA Chairperson returned to New Delhi in the afternoon.