TRAVEL FEATURE - INDIA LEIGH WILKINS
SHERA ' S WATER PALACE
Amongst the mist blurring my awareness a voice echoes through the hills , across the waters . A male voice , deep and thoughtful , recites an unknown chant , it ’ s authoritative and yet warming . I stir a little as I realise this is not a dream and the voice is not one but many .
My watch tells me it ’ s 4:03am . I lie in bed , confused by my surrounds , enough light penetrates the room to highlight the old-world features , ornate carvings , thick curtains , deep carpets . The voices continue emphasising the dreamlike state . I ’ m comforted by the warmth of the room ’ s features and the voices singing in the distance , all unique , slightly out of time and key of the others .
Something electronic crackles to life , the way only old public address equipment can . A municipal display of throat clearing begins and a voice booms in the near distance , the words are those of the many other voices , yet old and tired . There ’ s little passion with this voice , it ’ s a laborious task .
My watch indicates five minutes has passed . The nearby unknown entity coughs and mutters something before continuing with the mantra . It occurs to me that this is Azaan , the call to prayer ( salah ), the many voices are those of the muezzin starting the day as the first hues of daybreak warm the horizon .
It ’ s an interesting wake up call , one that I should ’ ve expected as our home for the next few days sits on the waters of Dal Lake , the jewel of Srinagar , the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir . Dal itself is Kashmiri for ‘ lake ’, no point saying , “ lake lake ”.
Our home is in fact a houseboat constructed , as are many others on the lake , in the traditions of the Mughals who once ruled this area of northern India . Unsurprisingly
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