'We Decided Not To Cancel': Woman Shares Serene Shikara Ride At Dal Lake After Pahalgam Terror Attack (Watch Video)
Following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, many travellers were left uncertain about continuing their journey in Kashmir. However, Bengaluru-based interior designer Vinita Chaitanya chose to stay and continue with her trip as planned. She went ahead with a quiet sunrise shikara ride on Srinagar’s Dal Lake, sharing a heartfelt and peaceful video that is now winning hearts online.
Vinita, who often posts about interiors, travel, and nature on her Instagram, uploaded a beautiful video on April 24. In it, she's seen gliding through the calm waters in a traditional shikara, just days after the April 22 tragedy that shocked the nation.
Check out the video:
In her detailed caption, Vinita opened up about the heavy emotions surrounding the days leading up to the ride. She spoke of the pain and sorrow she felt throughout Srinagar and the atmosphere of silence that had settled in. Despite the circumstances, she followed through with the booking made in advance and chose to explore the lake as originally planned.
She expressed, "Soulful Shikara ride this morning.... We had booked this Shikara ride before we landed here in Srinagar.. and the past two days, the atmosphere here has been of great loss and depression and an uneasy calm .. we went for a drive with our local driver yesterday , late afternoon, when the traffic had started moving here ……and felt huge sense of loss amongst the locals .. and much anger and helplessness and heartbreak.."
"And last night we decided not to cancel the shikara booked. It was a lovely sunrise... and yes , there were only a couple of tourist boats out... The flower boats are my favourites... and then the kahwa tea vendors and the guys with trinkets and leather goods… some cash (like I said, so smart) and lots of humour was exchanged. I think though that we gave them a tiny bit of joy, and hope. And for us – smiles and laughter was exchanged and we lost ourselves in their world for a beautiful hour.” Vinita stated.
The video captures more than just scenic beauty, it shows Vinita interacting with the few vendors and locals on the boat. She moved through quiet canals, passed floating markets with colourful blooms, and sipped kahwa offered by local sellers. The lake, usually bustling with tourists, had only a handful of boats that morning.
Netizens reaction
Vinita's video has garnered supportive comments from netizens, many of whom appreciated her decision to continue with her visit and engage meaningfully with locals during a difficult time.
One person commented, "Thank you for being there and giving the people of Kashmir hope… that kindness still exists." Another added, "Good on you to have decided to keep the booking and have real conversations with locals. We need to see more of this."
Netizens reaction
One used expressed, "I’m so glad you decided to keep your shikaara booking and carry on with the itinerary as planned @vinitachaitanya ❤️ the locals need to feel the love , tourists need to feel safe and life needs to carry on in Kashmir else terror wins "
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