To relive the scenes from 1981 Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Silsila, hundreds of locals and tourists on Wednesday thronged the country’s largest blooming tulip garden in Srinagar, which opened in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic that had kept people indoors.

Long rows of flower beds at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden, located at the foothills of the Zabarwan range and spread over 20 acres, is home to 15 lakh tulips of 68 varieties.

“I have seen a tulip garden in the famous song, Dekha ek Khwab, from Silsila. The stark resemblance and the expanse of the garden have made us relive those beautiful scenes from the movie,” Nisha Rawat, a tourist from New Delhi, accompanied by her husband, said.

The song was shot at the Keukenhof tulip gardens in The Netherlands. It had received rave reviews not only for the lyrics but also the scenic beauty dotted by hundreds of tulips. The iconic images finally have a lookalike backdrop at the Srinagar garden, attracting honeymooners and local couples equally.

Hundreds of locals and tourists visited on day one of its opening. J&K Chief Secretary A.K. Mehta, who threw open the garden, said tourists visiting Kashmir were the highest-ever so far compared to any season, whether COVID-19 or before. “We are expecting a further increase in the footfall of tourists in Kashmir,” he stated.

On the banks of Dal lake

Last year, around two lakh tourists visited the garden. The traffic department has reworked the routes to tackle the rush at the garden located on the banks of the Dal lake.

“A tulip garden for the Jammu division will also be developed over 40 kanals of land at Sanasar. It will be completed at the earliest,” Sheikh Fayaz Ahmad, Commissioner Secretary of the Floriculture, Gardens and Parks Department, said.

The tulip gardens are emerging as favourite tourist spots in Kashmir. “Besides the Mughal gardens, the tulip garden is making its way into the itinerary of tourists travelling to Kashmir,” Niyaz Ahmad, a tour operator, observed.

A series of musical and cultural events are planned at the garden.