Being the Assistant Secretary to the Northeren Regional Electricity Board, Central Electricity Authority Government of India New Delhi, I was asked to make arrangements for the Board meeting to be held in Srinagar Aug 1983. Since very senior officers of the rank of Chairman of nine state Electricity Boards of the Northern Region were scheduled to attend the meeting, it was decided to send me to see that all the logistics were up to mark and the conference succeeded without any hinderence. Having the conference in Srinagar, the Board members were keen to visit the highly attracted tourist place along with their wives at the peak summer.
So I got a chance to see Srinagar twice in the month of August of 1983, once for making arrangements and again during the Conference meeting. I could never visit Srinagar again.
I found the people of Kashmir very warm and cooperative right from the Chief Secretary of the State, Power Secretary, to the Hotel management where the Board members were to stay. One afternoon was set aside for doing shopping, the liasoning staff saw to it that we got maximum discounts even from fixed rate shops of the Government as allowed to staff.
Mr Bhan an influential Executive Engineer was made in charge to liason on behalf of the J & K Government. A Punjabi speaking Suprintending Engineer Mr Khan gave a free hand to Mr Bhan who did an outstanding job to coordinate food and transport arrangements. Mr Khan was sophisticated and often met us in the evenings to get the feed back. Elegant looking couple Mr and Mrs Khan on one of the evenings invited us for a dinner when Mr and Mrs Bhan and her two daughters also joined. The warm Kashmiris made this Board Meeting look like a family function.
To illustrate an example I remember a unique incident, as due to paucity of time we were not able to visit Chashme Shahi. Mr Bhan said no problems and arranged his staff to get Chashme Shahi reopened in the mid of the night. The Electricity department being in charge of all the lights, it was easy for them to put the lights back on. Thanks to the electricity staff help that we could enjoy this major tourist attraction inspite of tight schedule.
A couple of engineers became so friendly and they insisted for having dinner with them but our official engagements were thoroughly booked for dinners and lunches. They however were glad to offere us coffee on one evening. They also forced us to collect Saffran as a gift (Zafran) being cultivated by them in their ancestors agriculture land in Pampore.
Saffran is such a rare commodity which is only grown & produced in Pampore area of the state in the entire country. It is about 11 kilometer from Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Srinagar -Jammu highway.
They asked us to halt our car on the highway near Pampore and a person promptly would hand over two small plastic boxes of 2X3 inches size for two of us. It would be worth mentioning that the saffron in that plastic box is still stocked in my refrigerator in San Ramon and we continue to use the same for our household every now and then. We use it rather lavishly in sweets and religious Tikkas. Thanks those gentlemen whose names I have forgotten but not the loving affection they bestowed on me. I feel sad that I am not able to repay them back.
Cascading water fountains in Shalimar Garden, Srinagar. Mr and Mrs Rakesh Nath are also seen the background.
It was beginning of the Jean Era in 1978
Before leaving for office. My favorite shirt incidentally matches my work which involved Computer integrated Power System studies. The lines depicted different Transmission lines at various Voltages and Grid Station shown in the shape of a rectangle.
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