Srinagar, Nov 10: Singer Kumar Sanu, who says he waited 70 years to visit Kashmir, has called the Valley a “paradise in India” and urged tourists to come without fear.

Speaking exclusively to Brighter Kashmir near the Clock Tower at historic Lal Chowk, the playback singer said he had just spent time on Dal Lake and was now headed to Baramulla.
“It is so beautiful and peaceful here,” he said. “Everyone looks happy and smiling. I will want to come back again and again. We would like to see this paradise again and again.”
Asked what he would tell people who hesitate to visit Kashmir, Sanu said there was no reason for fear. He had just spent an hour and a half on Dal Lake in a shikara, he said, and found no atmosphere of fear anywhere.
“The Indian Army is firmly deployed here,” he said. “Don’t be afraid, just come to Kashmir. Your contribution to Kashmir’s tourism is important. I want to assure you there is no danger here.”
Sanu also shared a social media post about his Baramulla trip, where he visited an Indian Army camp and the adjoining Border Security Force (BSF) camp. Saluting “our brave soldiers”, he wrote that it is because of them that everyone is safe.
His visit comes as Kupwara hosts the first-ever Kashmir Got Talent, a competition meant to give a platform to emerging artists, particularly from the remote border district. Sanu and actor-producer Harman Baweja are among the prominent guests expected at the grand finale on November 11.
Auditions began on November 8 at Government Degree College, Kupwara. The event is being organised jointly by the Indian Army, the Kupwara district administration and production company Taha Film International. More than 350 participants had registered by November 4.
Besides singing and dancing, the competition features painting, drawing, calligraphy and traditional Kashmiri folk performances. Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Abhishek Sharma has said the district has considerable artistic talent but few platforms to nurture it, and that the initiative would benefit youngsters who cannot afford to travel to bigger cities.
The competition follows other cultural events organised in Kupwara, including an inter-college skit competition in September and the festival Jashn-e-Kupwara in June. Unlike the nationally televised India’s Got Talent, Kashmir Got Talent is a locally organised contest.