Bollywood actress travels solo to explore Kashmir

Srinagar: For years, Dr. Sarmista Dhar, an Assam-based Bollywood actress traveled to many places in India and abroad to shoot films and promotional videos.

Kashmir, which she had only seen in films and pictures, was a dream destination that she wanted to explore.

What prompted her to plan an immediate solo trip to Kashmir were the pictures and videos of wild tulips in the saffron fields of Pampore, which she had seen on the internet.

 “I was spellbound and couldn’t resist the beautiful wildflowers in the saffron fields of Pampore. I wanted to click pictures of the beautiful landscape of Pampore. So, I booked a flight to Kashmir and straight away went to get my pictures clicked by a professional photographer Imad,” she said.

From the valleys of Pahalgam to other offbeat places, Sarmista traveled solo for 10 days to experience the beauty and local life in Kashmir.

 “I realized that Kashmir was way much more beautiful than it looks in pictures or videos. I stayed with locals in a homestay and enjoyed every part of my trip. I traveled solo to many places including the northeast but didn’t enjoy it as I did in Kashmir,” she said.

Like many people from rest of the India, Sarmista was also earlier worried about her safety in Kashmir. “This trip was a kind of an eye-opener for me. I was also worried about my safety since everything wasn’t good in the media about Kashmir for a long. But I must tell you that there can’t be any secure place for tourists like Kashmir,” she said.

PHOTO by IMAD CLICKS

Sarmista is now planning to visit again Kashmir during winter to witness another facet of the valley. “I heard that Kashmir looks entirely different in winter. So, I am again making a solo trip to Kashmir coming winter to stay here and enjoy nature,” she said.

Sarmista said she will explore the offbeat places of Kashmir during winter to document them. “I will click pictures and videos of these offbeat places so that more people come and explore Kashmir,” she said.

Apart from films , she has been a known face in various commercials on Television.