Calls it ‘perfect escape for an introvert
Srinagar, Oct 29 : Indo-Canadian actress Lisa Ray is currently holidaying in Kashmir and has expressed her love for the picturesque locale, which is known as Heaven on Earth, due to its stunning landscapes and sense of peace.
Lisa took to Instagram, where she shared several pictures from her getaway. The photographs had moments of the actress on a houseboat, the Dal Lake and the popular Kashmiri Kahwa tea, which has a blend of green tea leaves, spices, nuts, and saffron, to name a few.
She wrote: “The mood is festive, Diwali is around the corner and all I can think about is Kashmir.
There’s a lot of noise right now. Kashmir is not only a perfect escape for an introvert like me from the season’s material and noise stresses but it’s also a region i’ve been yearning to visit for years- after all the mountains ARE my spiritual home.”
Lisa revealed that she goes to the mountains to “recharge and to find Soul-utions”
“Through what Jane Fonda calls active remembering: time in Soul-itude to reflect on what you’ve lived through: the hard and good times, joys and sorrows. And also to girdle up for big social festivals like Diwali. I need time to prepare so I can be the girl who does both – puts her best social face forward while secretly pining to leave the party early.”
The actress, who made her acting debut in 1994 in the film “Hanste Khelte” alongside Rahul Roy, asks herself as to why she has not ever been to Kashmir.
“How have I never been to Kashmir before, considering I’ve criss crossed the depth and breadth of India from Kanyakumari to Patna, Thiruvannamalai to Bikaner? It’s a mystery. But I believe the destination calls when you are ready.”
“The first part of my Kashmir sojourn began on Dal lake @sukoon_houseboat a sensitively restored traditional Kashmiri houseboat. Sukoon means peace but it is also a transformative process on the path of Sufism: love without barriers. (Fair warning- you will become addicted to the Kashmiri kehwa tea!)”
The actress revealed that she arrived in Srinagar from Delhi with an eye infection and over stimulated nervous system.
“But on docking in a quiet corner of Dal lake – @sukoon_houseboat is a homage to Kashmiri craftsmanship blended with modern amenities- I felt myself surrender to the embrace of nature and Kashmiri hospitality. Eye drops were fetched from the market as I settled onto the sun terrace.”
“With misty views of the Zabarwan mountain range, I reserved my peaceful perch to take high tea and observe life on the lake: shikharas and floating markets drifting by, families calling to each other, birds taking flight. At sunset, surrounded by a floating lotus garden, I also floated away on Sufi sounds, the wild beauty and an intoxicating perfume of something soulful and eternal, the mystery itself,” she added.
“How can a place where peace has been fragile, yet embody such profound tranquility? And just like that, the Kashmiri takeover of my mind and spirit was sealed.”
Lisa was seen in the web-series “Four More Shots Please!”, which followed the story of four unapologetically flawed women (two in their 30s and two in their early 20s) as they live, love, make mistakes and discover what really makes them tick through friendship and shots of tequila in millennial Mumbai. It stars Sayani Gupta, Bani J, Kirti Kulhari, and Maanvi Gagroo.
On the professional front, Lisa was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the white blood cells known as plasma cells, which produce antibodies in 2009. A year later, she announced that she was cancer-free, after a stem cell transplant. (Agencies )
