At Bagh-e-Gul Dawood – Kashmir’s first exclusive chrysanthemum garden – Vicky watches his six-year-old son lollop about. Around him stretch rows of vibrant chrysanthemums – red, pink, brown, yellow, and white – their sweet, lush scent filling the air.

“This is beyond my imagination,” Vicky, a tourist from Uttar Pradesh, says in awe. “Kashmir is beautiful but here you feel at peace. It’s a great escape from the ruthlessness of city life.”

On Saturday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will officially open Kashmir’s latest tourist spot – the Bagh-e-Gul Dawood at Cheshma Shahi. Cradled between the bluish Zabarwan mountains and the shimmering Dal Lake, the terraced Bagh-e-Gul Dawood – or Chrysanthemum Garden – stands next to Srinagar’s other main attraction, the Tulip Garden.

A project considere

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