“Winter in Kashmir is the best time to heal and recharge”
By Atif Khurshid Wani
As 2021 came to end, everyone is set to mark the beginning of new resolutions. Since many people greet each other with wishes, messages and often set out for celebrations at one or the other place. This winter with metrological department predicting snow in the first week of January in Kashmir. The winter wonderland is all ready to lay white carpet for one and all. Winter, the coldest and often the darkest of seasons, puts life to a standstill in Kashmir. Who doesn’t love couching up with a blanket or curling by the fireplace or carrying the mobile firepots “Kangir”? For many of us, snow days were the best as a kid. How could you not love building snowman, sledding, and making snow angels? As an adult, it’s much easier to instead get annoyed with the chores a snow day brings, like having to shovel the driveway or stay off the roads. But why focus on the negative when we can throw on our snow boots and go out to enjoy the beautiful snowy weather? I am a winter born “Teeri Kokur” who lives in the southern part of Kashmir on the wedge of a mountain range. No matter where we go, for one or the other reason, there is surely something nostalgic about the place we call home. For a Kashmiri, it is not just a place where we eat, meet family, or enjoy the snow with dangling icicles, it is an emotion wherein stolen sugar and milk from the kitchen mixed with snow makes the choicest homemade cream bell. Kashmiri mornings are often full of activity. The banging of utensils in the kitchen with chickens dancing in the courtyard is a well-calibrated alarm for anyone like me. The children chorus and chatter of the women go on like unstoppable doorbell discussing imaginary winter night’s ghost sounds. It is not that men talk less but men in Kashmir villages have set places for all the ubiquitous claptraps which they call discussions. They start with America, Japan, China, Pakistan, and end with Suli Kak. The first get together the site is the baker’s shop, who keeps on pulling out fresh “lawasa” from the ferocious oven after several rounds of dough slapping. The stories go like, “America chui Cheenas khocxan, vice-versa” “Gupnan chuni gassi kihin” et cetera The pink salty tea is served, and all assignments of the day are planned as if this is the end of the world. The priority is to melt the icicles developed in water supply lines. Until it melts, the water supply for the day goes off. Half of the stored firewood and haystacks are burnt in this process with millions of curses thrown at the winter and the pipelines. On the way to coaching institutes which feels like a second home with Kangir, Pehran, and some hidden eatables, everything around looks desolate, quiet, and devoid of warmth. Rarely, yawning stops unless he/she has taken a bath which usually is not the case. All look phenotypically the same with red faces and hanging nostrils, cleaned at a speed of 30 rubs per minute. Some of you may not even dare to think about having a pot filled with red-hot charcoal inside the dress. Sounds absurd, isn’t it? But this is what KP (Kangir/Pehran) is all about- Ferociously/friendly. Every coaching institute has a coordinator who is soft during summer while turning a blind eye during the winter. He is meant to collect money holding the utmost authority. Most of the time classes will go on non-stop and it hardly bothers anyone since non-stop classes lead home at 3:00 PM. I remember a friend of mine asking me “Can’t our classes start earlier” that would have landed us home at 1:00 PM, And as a “Teeri Kokur” I often responded with a cold shoulder to disapprove his ill suggestion. This was all just for evening cricket. Playing cricket has always been a favourite sport of every Kashmiri. Some play on the frozen surfaces of lakes and rivers, some turn rice fields into temporary cricket fields while some jump into the orchards. All don’t have the luxury of cricket grounds. Families sit for the dinner in kitchen-cum-drawing room, sitting around a yellow tablecloth which is printed with poetic verses of Urdu eulogizing the hospitality. The water jar and empty bowl are brought for washing hands and usually, it begins with the family’s head. Mother surrounds herself with plates to fill each of them with warm rice diffusing vapours and then served with different mouthwatering recipes.
Kashmir is an open exhibition of charm and beauty. Picturesque and enchanting, Kashmir is cradled high in the lofty Himalayas and hailed all over the world for its incredible natural beauty. Surrounded by mountain peaks, glistening lakes, and spectacular Mughal gardens, it has inspired poets through centuries. Snowfall just transforms Kashmir into white-carpeted heaven. The delight of witnessing Kashmir’s winter is an experience indescribable. If the idea of experiencing mother nature from close quarters appeals to you, this region on earth embraces one and all. You can camp on the banks of a frozen river and sip hot “kehwa” whilst gazing steadily at the captivating clear sky. This may be a fantasy for many outsiders, but this is what Kashmir is: surreal and beyond description. From the sound of snow thud, frozen lakes, and an unfathomable calling, Kashmir surprises everyone. Lakes and pools during winter are always covered by the thick sheet of ice that makes it a perfect place for skating. Fire is winter’s fruit. Many tools are kept around for the purpose of heating. These include Kangri and Hammams. Modern equipment are also kept available but electricity is something that vanishes with the last autumn sun. People remember power cut schedules more than their marriage anniversaries and birthdays. But that doesn’t help. Who cares? Hammams, a hollowed-out floor of a room having an opening beneath with a limestone slab on top, is by and large the preferred place. This Mughal innovation was initially built-in mosques but now many people have this at home also. Kangri for one, Hammam for many. Once you are in Kashmir during winter you can also take great pleasure in one traditional mutton recipe known as “Harissa” served with “Czout”. Kashmir is the best place to heal and recharge. In an ideal world, I’d love to spend every minute of my life at my home in Kashmir. Winter wonderland is awaiting many of you to discover new things about Kashmir and Kashmiris.
Atif Khurshid Wani is a Research Scholar Lovely Professional University, can be reached at atifkhurshid61200216@gmail.com
