The first museum dedicated only to Kashmir is being built near Niagara Falls, and a Kashmiri couple living in Western New York will display Kashmiri art, history, and culture there to emphasize the diversity, history, and peaceful traditions of Kashmir.
The Kashmiri-American couple Dr. Khurshid Guru and Dr. Lubna Guru hope to establish a new nonprofit museum in Western New York. The Center for Kashmir, the first museum in the world devoted to Kashmiri culture, will soon be located in the city.
According to the center’s Chief Operating Officer Ali Muzammil, “There are exhibits in other regions of the world that may have a corner someplace, but not a specific space for Kashmir.”
The director of the institution is Guru, who also chairs the department of urology at Roswell Park. He and his wife Lubna, a pediatrician in Lockport, moved to Western New York and have called it their home for the past 17 years after completing their education at the University of Mysore in India and their residency at the Vattikuti Urology Institute, a component of Detroit’s Henry Ford Health System.
Guru wanted to find a place to display his collection of items that symbolize Kashmir’s art, culture, and history, similar to other members of the Kashmiri Diaspora.
Guru explained to Niagara Gazette that “we were seeking for a place to give or a venue for the collecting, and a lot of other diaspora of Kashmiri heritage wanted to engage with that.”
As a 501 (c) (3) public charity, The Center for Kashmir seeks to act as the world’s central hub for the art, history, and culture of the South Asian Himalayan region. With a population of over 1.5 billion people in South Asia as a whole, the Valley of Kashmir has long been admired by both locals and tourists from across the world.
A distinct culture, excellent artists, fine craftsmanship, and the finest wool (cashmere) pique the interest of those with a desire to learn more.
A museum and public library are the Center for Kashmir Vision’s first two establishments. Its website describes it as a venue for free and intercultural thought exchange as well as a platform for local people and for historians, anthropologists, and students to learn more about the Himalayan region.