Description

Sequence of footage shot in 4K at 23.98fps on Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir, India. The floating market here every morning at the crack of dawn, Kashmiri vegetable producers use their canoes (hikaras) to proceed to their floating gardens located across the wetlands in and around the Dal lake, harvest some vegetables and then take these freshly harvested products for sale to a designated spot within the lake known as ‘Gudher’ (literally meaning ‘Gathering’). Around 4:00 to 5:00 AM, the Gudher, just a still and empty body of water a few hours ago, comes alive with the hustle and bustle of canoes carrying vegetable merchants advertising their wares, local early risers looking for an opportunity to buy fresh vegetables at a cheaper price than the street markets, tourists visiting to witness the only floating market in India and the wonders that it exhibits and a few vendors selling Kashmiri tea or ‘Kahwa.’ Merchants can be seen wearing long-sleeved sweaters to save themselves from the bitter early morning chill, while tourists are seen sipping Kahwa offered by the canoe drivers they typically hire to guide them through the Dal lake experience. While the colorful canoes gathering at one place on the crystal-clear water of the Dal makes for a stunning landscape, this is further beautified by the presence of a small group of boats near the center of the Gudher selling flowers like roses, water lilies, daisies and lotus blossoms. The canoes regularly brought by the vegetable traders feature tomatoes, turnips, carrots, radishes, water chestnuts, leafy vegetables and nadru (lotus stem, a famous delicacy in Kashmir) etc.

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