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Srinagar in Autumn: Harud and the Chinars
‘Harud’ is what the Kashmiris call the season of autumn. It captures a special place in the hearts of the residents. The Chinar tree is the state tree of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Tall leafy chinars act as indicators of seasons. The trees become barren in winter. The leaves are green in summer. And during autumn the leaves turn amber before finally turning into a fiery red. Thus, almost every week of harud is a picture worth saving. Chinar is known as Bouin in the Kashmiri language. It is said that the tree was brought to Kashmir from Greece via Iran. I remember seeing chinars…