The Star Who Left Her Mark on Kashmir

A mountain pass, weary soldiers, and a Bollywood star: how Sadhana became part of Kashmir’s geography.

- Vikas Thakur

There is a peculiar honour in having a place named after you. Kings and generals have long claimed it. Surveyors and engineers, too. Mount Everest, the world's tallest peak, bears the name of Sir George Everest, India’s first Surveyor General.

But the places I find most fascinating are those named for women whose fame rested in charisma, beauty, and the power of being remembered.

In the remote reaches of Kupwara, Kashmir, lies a pass known as Nastachun, which translates to “nose-cut" pass. The name alone hints at danger.

At three thousand meters above sea level, it has guarded the gateway to Karnah Valley since memory, claiming lives and limbs in harsh winters.

Since 1947, this valley has witnessed repeated battles between Indian and Pakistani forces, the mountains absorbing echoes of artillery and the hush of snow-laden winters.

In the wake of the 1965 war, Sadhana, one of Bollywood's most luminous stars, travelled to the pass. She came to meet soldiers, to lift their spirits in a place scarred by conflict.

The gesture mattered. It was enough to etch her name into the geography.