On Finding Story When Travelling – The Floating Post Office

On Dal Lake in Srinagar, the city’s floating post office sits in a traditional Kashmiri houseboat, gently moored near the lakeshore. You step onto the wobbling gangplank, surrounded by clusters of ornate flat-bottomed shikaras, and suddenly the act of mailing becomes a small adventure.

A woman sends a brightly-coloured postcard, a man holds a parcel tied with string waiting to pass it over the counter, swaying slightly as the water laps against the wooden side of the boat. Outside the air fills with the earthy wetland scent of the lake and grey herons wade in the shallows. Time slows, and even a mundane task transforms into a story worth noticing.

Here, a simple letter becomes a bridge - between people, place, and story.

Photos: ndtv, carrentalsrinagar, Uber