Tag: kashmir culture

Kashmir’s Bone Setters

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Till orthopaedics graduated as a key biological science, Kashmir, like many other societies, would get its bone corrections from the bone setters. Nidah Mehraj meets a second-generation bone setter who remains busy for most of the days
Ali Mohammad, Kashmir bone setter at work KL Image: Nidah Mehraj
In the early morning, a group of people gathered in the yard of Ali Mohammad, a vaatan gour, a traditional Kashmiri bone setter, in Aali Kadal. Popular among his clientele as Papa, he has set aside two rooms in his house for his patients. As patients wait, a few are coming out after getting ‘treated’ for their minor fractures and bone displacements.
Ali’s yard and his two rooms are huge spaces for people to know each other. As they wait for their turn, they start understanding each other and sometimes these conversations become life-long friendships.
Papa is revered by his patients and the residents of his locality. They believe they really have recovered after being treated by him. Ali Mohammad does not charge much. He asks for the bandages and herbal medicines, which do not cost more than Rs 200. Families with low incomes and those believing in the tradition are usually the most of the crowd at Papa’s home cum clinic.
“My knee got injured badly two months ago. I wasn’t able to walk, sit or stand properly, nor could I do any household chores. I went to a doctor who prescribed various medical check-ups and medication but I didn’t recover from them quickly,” said Shaista Bhat, 35, from HMT area of Srinagar. “Then I went to Papa and in two weeks, I could see a lot of difference. I’m sure I will recover properly this week.”
In the people waiting in the yard and the rooms, there were interestingly different cases including fractures, dislocations and herniated discs. Sharing problems with each other, some of them were very tense.
A lady was sitting in the room corner with her 5-year-old son in her lap. ” I am very scared for my son. He was playing and suddenly fell from his bicycle. His back is hurting and he has been in a lot of pain,” said Zubaida Aslam, 38, a Budgam resident. Papa revealed that kid’s scapula bone is broken. “Do not worry, he would be fine very soon.”
For most of the day, Papa remained busy with patients. To some, he was putting on bandages and to a few, he gave cryo-therapy and herbal medicine mostly for massaging.

30 Years
Ali Mohammad is in practice for 30 years now. He has gained a loyal following that is across Kashmir. People come to him for bone setting, herniated disc and herpes zoster.
“I met an accident in 2011 and survived injured. I got treated by a doctor quite nicely,” Shahid Akbar, 35, a resident of Shopian said. “However, my left arm hasn’t recovered properly. I could not raise my arm up, and if I do some work with it, it hurts. In winter, my arm gets completely numb and I can’t work with it. After visiting Papa, it recovered in just a few weeks and today is my last week of keeping bandages on it.
Ali worked constantly till 2:30 pm with only a short break for Zuhar prayers. In between watching patients, he would go from one room to another to check how his new patients are behaving during his treatment. He does ask people from far-away places to get in first so that they can reach home early. While examining the injuries of people or bandaging them, Papa cracks jokes.
A female paramedic technician busy in a X-ray of a patent.
Minutes before Papa could call a day, a couple rushed in. It was Nisar Ahmed, 55, and his wife, who had come from Ali Jan Road, near Eidgah. An ironsmith, an iron tool fell on Nisar’s hand and injured his left thumb. He has not been able to work for a month now. Papa bandaged his thumb and wrapped it in gauze, warning him to not work for a week till he is fine.
Papa was about to close the door when at around 3 pm, a 27-year-old man almost crashed in. “I was doing exercise at the gym and suddenly my Scaphoid bone got dislocated,” he said. Asking him to continue his exercise, the bonesetter told him he will manage his issue.
A Skill Inherited
Ali Mohammad Guri, 67, lives in Aali Kadal, downtown Srinagar, and has been setting bones since 1984. He was 22 when he learned the skill from his father, who was a cloth merchant and a part-time bone setter. Besides, he became a disciple of Pir Gayasuddin, a faith healer in Magam. Ali sees him as his teacher.
After the death of his father, Ali Mohammad took over. He continued working at his ancestral clothes shop as well.
“I set bones as a service to people. I just take the money for the unani medicines and bandages that I also have to buy,” Ali Mohammad said. Ali said he mostly treats fractures, bone dislocations, urinal infections, herniated discs, Herpes zoster (Mal-der), and some minor injuries. “I have worked for decades as a bone setter and now I’m experienced enough to tell by touching the injured part of another person, what is the matter with him and how I should treat him.”
Even after years of experience, he tries to stay careful while treating the injuries of patients. “Whenever a patient comes to me, I clearly examine his fracture and if I feel, I cannot cure him and he needs to go to the doctor. I tell them straight away, I cannot treat this, you have to visit the hospital for this. As I believe I can never challenge the medical field with what I do,” he said.
Ali doesn’t give any pharmaceutical medicines to his patients, but Unani medicines that he either buys or makes himself. As he has also learnt this process from his father. “I usually give my patients cryotherapy and herbal medicines to massage their tendons, ligaments and the areas where they are injured. And like any other bone setter, I bandage and gauze their injured part,” he said.
His Regrets
Ali believes if the traditional bone setting is not learned by young people, the skill may vanish completely in the coming years. “I tried to teach this skill to many young girls and boys without charging anything for it. But they didn’t want to learn it,” Ali said. “The ones who learned left the skill after two to three years because they didn’t want to practice hard enough. Now, I have been teaching this skill to my son, Bilal Ahmad, 33, for the past three years, who learns it while working at our clothes, shop as well.”
Papa is so engrossed with the art that he sometimes skips lunch or even breakfast. There have been instances when people with problems visit him at inappropriate times like late at night. ” I do scold them but I cannot let them leave without treatment,” he said.
“There are times when I feel sick and am not able to do any work. People from different areas still come to visit me and I cannot let them leave without treatment. But as I have devoted my life to this work and in the service of people, I cannot hesitate to do so,” he added.

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

April 9, 2023
Gurus: The Kashmir Drink

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A by-product in traditional butter making, buttermilk has been the most consumed drink in Kashmir for centuries. With machines taking over the skimming and the marketing chains renamed and rebranding the product, Gurus (Lassi) may not be as abundant as it once was, writes MJ Aslam
Milk, Butter Milk (Gurus), Lassi, Chatch). A glass of milk (left) and a glass of buttermilk (right). Buttermilk is thicker and covers the glass after taking a sip
Long before the making of Gurus (buttermilk) and Th’ain (butter) was found in created cultured cream or milk, there were traditional methods of preparing the same from unrefrigerated fermented milk. All societies in the East and West have used the traditional ways of making these delicacies for centuries.
Gurus was so vital to the Kashmir food that a lot of saying mentioned the buttermilk. One such saying suggests that Gurus (also called Lassi) should be given to a friend in autumn, while to an enemy in spring. The folklore believes that autumn Gurus is healthy unlike that of spring. Its nutritious value is linked to the quality of grass grazed by cows and goats in spring and autumn.
However, the fact is the Gurus was prepared in hot summers too when the milk, in absence of modern refrigerators, fermented automatically in earthen and copper pots. It was called Ban e Doud.
Then, Kashmir was rich in milk and milk products. The cowherds possessed a large stock of cows and goats. The Gujars in higher altitudes possessed buffalo too. They prepared Gurus. In the city, guoir families associated with dairy items of milk, curd, cheese and butter, too prepared Gurus for sale to the common people. Some village families who skimmed milk and made Gurus at their homes would often come to sell Gurus in the city.
The Process
Traditionally, Gurus means the milk that was left over after churning butter from unrefrigerated sour and fermented milk. Once the milk is ready for the process, it would take 30 minutes to 60 minutes till butter was churned from the milk in a big vessel like tchod.
Ordinarily, Gurus is buttermilk. Gurus is sour in taste. It is still popular and sold with added spices, mint, salt and sugar across most of the subcontinent as a refreshing fermented dairy drink. Its equivalent in the households of the Indian subcontinent is Chaash, which is prepared by beating curd with a churner or leftover of butter (Gurus) and taken with spices, a pinch of salt and mint. In Arabian countries, buttermilk with added ingredients of spices and salt is a favourite drink during the Muslim month of fasting, the Ramzan at Iftiari and Sehri times.

However, like many age-old valued traditions, the churning of butter from milk has disappeared from Kashmiri. Well, Gurus Mandun was an age-old tradition among Kashmiris and it was an elaborate process. The tools that were used for the process included an earthen vessel like tchod in which milk was poured. The milk was churned to Gurus and Th’ain in the vessel. It is a long wooden churner, De’on that is fundamental to the process. Gurus e De’on is a fine paddle chiselled out of a wooden log that has blunt wooden blades or wicker rings attached at one end – the one that stays in the milk vessel. Its other end is tied to a wall or a thum, a pillar in the kitchen, and in between is the Lam e Raz or Mandan Raz, a pull-push rope that the Gurus maker pulls for making the blade move. The grass or jute rope has attached two handles tied of wood or Pach-i-Adiji (bones of sheep or goat legs) for the right and left hand that is either made of grass or jute.
The vessel was fastened to thum with another rope for preventing it from slipping away during the process. De’on was held tightly with grip of hands by the churner, the Gurus-Gour. With back-and-forth movements of the Lam e Raz butter was churned from the milk with buttermilk left in the vessel. Churning was done at a steady and measured pace by the Gurus-Gour holding two ends of the Lam e Raz in his hands till layers of butter appeared, gathered and thickened at the surface.
The finest quality of milk gave a yellowish tinge to the butter with the pungent taste of the buttermilk. Then, the churner would remove the paddle and scoop out all butter leaving behind Gurus in the vessel. The handmade butter, Th’ain, was what Kashmiris knew in the past.
A Routine
Unlike Srinagar where the Gurus was skimmed by the professional Gurus-Gour families, in the periphery, almost every household had the equipment and enough milk to make Gurus. Apart from spinning wheel, almost every woman in Kashmir periphery would pick the art from the elders.
A traditional drink, Gurus is seen as a traditional coolant. Families making Gurus used to gift part of it to the neighbours. Till recently, even Kashmiri Hakims would advise Gurus intake to the patients. In certain cases, it was customary to dip some silver ornament in the Gurus before drinking it. The tradition goes that Gurus being sour in taste is helping digestion.
With Gurus consumed, the focus would remain on homemade butter. It was gathered in a separate bowl and compounded into soft Th’ain balls (manun) with a spoon. Th’ain was sold in the market in weighed quantities to the buyers. Besides local mustard oil, the Kashmiri womenfolk in the past used the traditional Th’ain for anointing their hair to strengthen and shine the hair strands. Folklore suggests using butter to keep the women’s head cool.
The Gurus may be out of fashion but its making has not ceased in Kashmir. Herders who take their sheep and cows to upland meadows are unable to take the milk down. They convert it into butter as they consume Gurus while grazing their herds.

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

April 4, 2023
Reviving A Route

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On two sides of the Pir Panchal mountains in Budgam live a community that shares ethos, language and heritage. For centuries, they have been marrying their wards and reaching each other by foot using the same route that traders and conquerors used in early medieval Kashmir. Now, they want a 10-km road that will end their centuries of crisis, reports Abul Aala Bukhari
Dumdum The lost watchtower of Tosamaidan. Till last century several such watch towers were seen and most of them are either in ruins or disappeared.
Raja Begum was born in Loran’s Barichaid belt, which is nestled in the Poonch peaks in the Pir Panchal range. Now in her old age, she is settled and married in Budgam’s Drung area for many decades. Interestingly, her son and daughter are both married in Loran.
The two villages inhabit the foothills of the same mountain range on two sides and the residents trek the distance within hours. Throughout history, they have been together in every crisis, a relationship that they have retained even today.
= The erstwhile Poonch principality, now a district, is a huge mountain territory. It literally surrounds most of Kashmir and is accessible from Uri, Tangmarg Budgam and Shopian.
Writing in 1897, De Bourbel detailed various treks that people could use in reaching Kashmir from Poonch. One was Poonch Baramulla through the 9135-ft Gajjan Pass, which was challenging and passed through Bitarh and Sakarala valleys and camps at Kahuta, Palan, Hillun, Gujan, Gaggerhil, and Bhunniar.
From Poonch, Gulmarg is accessible through Nilkant Pass, which almost takes the same trek but moves away from Hillun towards Dangar Allan, Pharpat Marg and then to Gulmarg.
Parallel to this trek, runs another route that connects Srinagar with Ferozpur Pass. It takes off from Mandi (Koondah) , moves to Gurgi Upper, reaches Banabali Nag, and then to Magam via Gerozpur pass. From Gurgi Lower, another route takes off for Srinagar that touches Shinamani, Dunwas, Aripanthan, Soibug and Srinagar.
The closest to Srinagar continues to be the Tosa Maidan access. This trek used to take off from Mandi in Poonch, cross Sultan Patri and land in Tosa Maidan. Running parallel to it is another trek that passes through Doodh Pathri.

There are two formal roads between the two areas – one through Uri, which is defunct because Haji Pir pass is inaccessible to the two sides, and the Mughal Road, which is operational for many years now. Laid in the early forties, the 46 km road connecting Uri with Poonch through the strategic 9000-feet Haji Pir Pass was operational till late 1947 and later for a few months after the 1965 war as well. After India wrested the strategic Haji Pir Pass from Pakistan in 1965, the road was used by Mrs Indira Gandhi and convoys would use it from Uri to Poonch. But Tashkent restored the status quo ante and the road was closed again.
Besides, Poonch is easily accessible from Tangmarg and Tosa Maidan. This accessibility has helped the people living on either side to have relations with each other. Begum is only one of the many hundred women who are settled in Kashmir.
All these tracks were always guarded for any entry or exit. These were the border checkposts. These were called Dumdums in medieval Kashmir and in certain cases were multistory towers. Though most of them have crumbled and disappeared, the ruins of a few are slightly intact. Trekker and mountaineer Mehmood Shah, who is also a brilliant photographer, has captured at least two such Dumdums -one in Hirpora (Shopan) and another at Danwas (Tangmarg). The Danwas watchtower was undone by time but the one at Hirpora had still a perfect base.
Ruins of a watch tower at Danwas, Upper Tangmarg. Pic Mahmood Ahmad
There are scores of women from Poonch who are married in Drung and other adjoining Kashmir areas and vice versa. The familial relations connecting many villages in north and central Kashmir with Pir Panchal’s villages comes even when the proposals of successive governments to revive traditional routes could see the light of day.
In summer, Begum said she goes to her parent’s home via China Mar Gali in Tosamaidan, an access that takes barely five hours on foot. In winter, however, if she requires going, it takes her a long time to use the Mughal Road and if it is closed, it requires three days to reach Poonch via Jammu.
Begum said the marriages are solemnised across the villages on both sides as people of the same castes live on both sides. “Due to our social norms, we don’t marry outside our community and that is why we marry among our people across the mountains,” she said.
These marriages have been taking place in a vast belt on either side. Brides from Poonch can be seen in Khag, Zubjan, Brass, Satrun, Beerwah, Arizal, Raithan, and various Khan Sahab areas. Girls from these villages also settle on the other side of the mountain range. These relations have made the administrative division unimportant. Poonch falls in the Jammu division and Budgam is a Kashmir region district.
“My father was a contractor and was working in Poonch where he married my mother in Sonpha,” Maqbool Ahmad, Raja Begum’s son said. “Later he came with his wife and settled in Kashmir; Now I am married in Poonch and so is my sister.” He said marriages take place because people share the same caste and the same culture. “They also speak the Kashmiri language.”
For Maqbool and many others, the preference is the Poonch side bride rather than Kashmir. “There are only two factors responsible for this,” Farooq said, “one is our shared cultural heritage and another is simple marriage.” He said the marriages are taking place from both sides. “It is not a one-way affair and it is not linked to resources,” he added.
= Athamsham Butt said that three areas of Poonch – Loran, Sawjikm, and Mandi – have more than half of the population having Kashmir origins. Their elders migrated to Poonch for trade and business and settled there. All these areas speak Kashmiri.
Ethnic Kashmiris marry in Kashmir. In their weddings, they have almost everything that happens in Kashmir but these marriage ceremonies are less expensive, simple and devoid of mouth-watering Wazwaan.
Most of the weddings, however, avoid moving on foot. These baraats choose Mughal Road instead. For most of their life later, they usually move on foot because it is cheap and a huge time-saving.
Still perfect watch tower on Mughal Road near Hirpora Shopian Image Mehmood Ahmad
Off late, the people living on the two sides of the mountain range have been seeking s road link that would connect Loran and Budgam via Tosamaidan.
In 2015, the Mufti Sayeed-led BJPDP government started work on a road in the Tangmarg area of Baramulla which would connect with Loran in Poonch. However, the work on the road couldn’t be completed. The responsibility of constructing this road was given to the Border Road Organisation (BRO). The work was started with much fanfare but to date, only 12 kilometres were completed out of a total of 38 kms.
Shah Mohammad Tantray, a former PDP lawmaker from the area said that in 2018 he enquired about the progress of the project which led to his “disappointment” when he was informed that the work has been stopped.
“The men and machinery of the construction company also fled away.”
Tantray alleged that post August 5, the union government has stopped construction works undertaken by the previous coalition government across Jammu and Kashmir.
The previous government, Tantray said, had conducted an aerial survey for a cable car project aimed to connect Loran with Tosamaidan. “The Tosamaidan and Loran are just 2.5 kilometres away as per the aerial survey. It just takes five hours to walk on foot. It is just a mountain separating Loran from Tangmarg.”
Poonch resident, Ahtesham Butt said that the work on Loran to Tangmarg road and adjacent areas of Tosamaidan was started but was suddenly stopped due to reasons unknown.
“Locals thought that this road would provide employment opportunities to young educated people along with boosting tourism,” Butt said. “If this road comes up, people wouldn’t opt for the Mughal Road.”
In its vicinity lies the alpine meadow of Tosa Maidan.
Shabir Ahmad, a local resident of Sutran Budgam said a road from Tosamaidan to Loran is shorter than the one being laid to connect Loran via Tangmarg. “This road is barely 10 kms from Tosamaidan to Loran and its stations in between are Damdam, Kadlabal, Habas, Gartar, Damsar, Bandarsar, and Sultanpathari areas,” Ahmad said.
There has not been any spade work on the link connecting Budgam with Loran. In September 2007, when the Mughal Road was being implemented, the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said there is a much shorter road that must be taken up. Talking to a huge gathering in Poonch’s Loran, Azad said he has asked his Roads and Buildings department to go for a quick survey of the 42-km Loran (Poonch) Arizal (Budgam). “It is the shortest road link between Kashmir and Poonch,” he said.
Returning Home: Tosa Maidan pasture is visited mostly by locals from Beerwah, Khag and some adjoining areas of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district. People from these villages spend nine months in a year in meadow rearing their cattle, apart from getting firewood.
This road that the people are so keen to have properly laid and developed is not a new route between Poonch and Kashmir. It is actually one of the oldest that conquerors and traders used for centuries. This route was used by Mehmood Gaznavi more than once to capture Kashmir. He failed every time.
During the Shah Miri rule, Sultan Fathe Shah ran for life to Poonch using this route. Later in the 15th century, Yousef Shah Check returned home from Delhi using this trek.
It was a trade route too. It was a formal entry point into Kashmir. Till the1960s Salt was transported into Kashmir from this route. Some people still know this trek as the Nun Wath, the Salt Road.
Javid Ahmad Farash, a resident of Lassipora Drung said that there is a structure erected at Tosa Maidan whose ruins can still be found there. That, he said, was the custom post having a seven-story building. All the entries and exits used to be recorded there and taxes were also paid, he said.
In 1964, the Tosa Maidan meadow was leased to the Army on a 50-year lease for use as an artillery firing range. Before the lease came up for renewal on April 18, 2014, the lease was terminated, and the Tosa Maidan meadow is open to visitors since May 30, 2016. Now, it is a busy picnic spot for most of the summer.

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#Reviving #Route
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 29, 2023
Artists Displayed How Timely and Better Tankha Binds Families

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by Maleeha Sofi
SRINAGAR: It is something that is basic to almost everybody – Tankha, the salary. It is always a matter of concern for everybody working for the government or private sector. This was the theme of the fourth play in the ongoing Theatre Festival Kashmir 2023. The play is written by Rashid Gamgeen and presented by Dilshad Cultural Forum.
A group photograph of artists who performed the theatre play, Tankha (salary) in the Cultural Academy’s Theatre Festival in Tagore Hall in March 2023. KL Image: Bilal Bahadur
As the curtain raised, a farmer offered greetings to everyone. The man was worried about the barren land and chose to work on it to make it fertile again. A woodcutter, a Hindu, and a Sikh joined him.
Everyone asked him about what he was doing there and shared it. They all mutually intend to follow the path of brotherhood to bloom the barren land and they dance together. This segment was the opening and the actual play followed later.
Tankha revolves around a family of four, Mohammad Amin, Maimoona, and their two kids Zamrooda and Tariq. The scene starts with a small house set up and a lady – Maimoona ranting about the miseries she faces all the time with respect to her work, lack of resources, and inability to live a better life. Her husband, Mohammad Amin who works on an honorarium basis returns from his work and questions her behaviour. She complains about his little salary of Rs 3000, jammed salary of two months and not fulfilling any of her demands. They get into an argument while both of them complain about their problems.
In another scene, an office with some clerks is shown where Mohammad Amin works. All of them have faced the same issue in their homes. They talk about the debt, load of work, less salary, corruption, and apart from all this the misunderstanding that people have about them having huge amounts of money. They even consider business is better than their job.
At home, when Mohammad Amin offers prayers and asks for respite from debt, a voice responds to him saying that might is right and he should not follow the right path always. He gets scared about this suggestion and asks him where the voice is coming from. The voice replies, “I am your soul.” This scene somehow shows a person’s fight with himself to follow the righteous path at a time when choosing the wrong one can resolve your problems.
The debtors frequently visit Amin’s home asking for their money. The couple assures them of returning it soon. As soon as Amin gets his salary of two months, he distributes it among the debtors and the rest to his children for some school activities. The whole salary goes into it and the couple gets into the argument again. Maimoona has to attend her brother’s wedding and she demands certain things for it.

Mohammad Amin fell ill and had a high fever. His wife doesn’t believe it at first, but later on, seeing the condition worsening, she believes. Amin gives her the money and things she demanded. Maimoona was shocked after knowing that Amin had sold his watch and scooter. He had done it out of love for her wife as she used to fight and cry over the issue. She feels bad about it and the couple gets emotional.
The play shows the efforts put in by such employees to meet the ends of their families. He suggests his children opt for government school instead of private but they refuse by giving the reason that everyone goes to private schools. His wife also timely compares herself to neighbouring ladies and their lifestyle. It shows the reality that people instead of focusing on rightly managing their lifestyle compare with other people and add to the miseries.
The play is written by Rashid Gamgeen, presented by Dilshad Cultural Forum, directed by Dilshad Mustafa, assistant direction by Akash G.M Bahar, and set designed by Saleem Yousuf. The cast line included Mukhtar Ahmad as Mohammad Amin, Shahida Alvi as Maimoona, Ghulam Mohammad Bahar as Bilal, Mohammad Yousuf Dar as Akram, Ali Mohammad Mir as Hilal, Aamir Ahmad Malik, Tasaduk Hussain, and Sajad Hussain as debtors, Mohammad Yousuf Ganie as Dervish, Ghulam Hussain Hak Nawaz as his assistant, Shazia Akhter as Zamrooda and Munawar Ali as Tariq.

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#Artists #Displayed #Timely #Tankha #Binds #Families
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 9, 2023
Chakdar, Kardar Returned On Stage To Revive Kashmir’s Pre-47 Memories

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by Maleeha Sofi
SRINAGAR: It was the return of the last two centuries on stage when a group of artists staged Chakdar Pather in Tagore Hall. Pather is basically a fold theatre that usually as satire and comedy as part of the process.
The play opened with a band of four people welcoming the guests to Shehnai, Surnayi, Nagar, and Dhol beats. The music was energetic to light up the stage. A group of dancers join in and entertain the audience more through the funny movements than the ‘dance’ itself.
In the next scene, two men Boud Maskhar (senior joker) and Loukut Maskhar (junior joker) started attacking technology, the digital world, and the zee generation. They hint at doing the play Chakdar Pather, which starts in the next scene.
The play was based in Kashmir’s nineteenth and twentieth centuries when most of the land was the ruler’s property and distributed to his family, friends and the bourgeoisie.
The stage was set up in a paddy field with the peasants working. The hard work of peasants was beautifully expressed in a song sung live by Sajad Maqbool Mir. The play exhibited the struggle of peasants to cultivate crops and the meagre income it generated for them.
Kashmiri artists staged a Chakdar Pather, a theatre play based on Kashmir’s feudal days, at Tagore Hall on March 4, 2023. KL Image: Bilal Bahadur
It showed how some peasants were on the verge of suicide because of paying taxes to Chakdars (land contractors). They had to toil throughout the season, but it did not generate enough money to run a family. Their families would often sleep without meals and some of them lost their lives to hunger.

The play shows a Kardar – Ram Chandar and his accountant – Somnath calculating the land given to Kaashtkars and the taxes they paid in the past year. If someone did not pay, they would take back the land and give it to someone else who would pay better. They would visit the village once in a while to check on the peasants and collect taxes. They were shown beating those who failed to pay the whole amount and praising those who paid them. Kardar was so affectionate towards Chakdari that he considered it over God and his own life.
Then, Kardar’s used to be the bridge between the peasants and the land contractors appointed by the despotic rulers.
The whole play presented a serious issue with a tinge of comedy through dialogues and actions, which kept the audience hooked. There was not any gap left to feel the other way about it. Sajad Maqbool Mir played the rabab in the background, which also helped the audience to stay hooked to the stage.
As the peasants suffer, the play goes on to show, they plan to complain to their leader about it and they do so. The leader gives them all the support needed and encourages them to speak against it. They plan a strike. Soon, all of them visit the Kardar. The leader demands a one-fourth share of the income generated through the crops as the peasants work hard. Kardar, who seems to be afraid of the leader, agrees to their demand.
The play was written by Reshi Rasheed, and its design and direction were done by Ramzan. The character of Boud Maskhar is played by Mehraj ud Din Bhat, Loukut Maskhar by Aashiq Hussain Sheikh, Jamal by Mushtaq Ahmad Dar, Ramzan by Nisar Ahmad Bhat, Rajab Ganaie by Javed Ahmad Shah, Leader by Ishfaq Ahmad Bhat, Ram Chandar by Ghulam Rasool Lone (Founding Member of the theatre group), Somnath by Master Abdul Samad Mir and other Actors (peasants) by Mohammad Maqbool Bhat, Mohammad Ramzan Lone, Abdul Majeed Dar. The singer in the play is Sajad Maqbool Mir.
Dhol is played by Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, Shehnai was played by Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, Surnayi is played by Abdul Khaliq Bhat, and Nagaar was played by Ghulam Mohammad Bhat. The dancer is Bilal Ahmad Bhat. Costumes were provided by Abdul Samad Mir, Light Direction by Aashiq Hussain Najar, Lights Operations by Tariq Ahmad Hajini, and Sound by Aijaz Ahmad. The stage was set up by Trilok Singh Bali, Mohammad Amin, and Suhail.

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#Chakdar #Kardar #Returned #Stage #Revive #Kashmirs #Pre47 #Memories
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 7, 2023
What Is Kashmir’s Wartav and Guli Myiuth?

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by MJ Aslam
Wartav takes two shapes in the Kashmiri community: cash and kind. It can be either or both on given occasions depending upon the proximity and mutuality among the relations.
Wartav in Kashmiri connotes two different meanings operating in two different contexts. In one context, it is used as a verb and in another context, it is a noun.
As a verb, Wartav indicates a behaviour, conduct, how one conducts oneself, acts in a given task or assignment or manages an arrangement or how one deals with or treats others through one’s conduct and behaviour. It is more than equal to Urdu and Hindi word Bartav which means one’s salook with others. You can capture so many sentences in your mind of the verbal use of Wartav. To exemplify, one should always Rut Wartawun with all; it depends upon the host how he will distribute the goodies Chiz Wartavin at the marriage of his son and so on.
As a noun, Wartav is a socio-cultural custom of giving presents to each other on auspicious occasions of weddings Khandar, betrothals and engagements[ Nikkah Nishani, laying of foundation-stone of new house Ka’in Di’un, job-appointments Nokri Lagun, exam-passing matric, graduation or another exam/imtihan pass Karun, entering a new house Navis Makanas Manz Achun, setting up some business Kahn Business Shore Karinand such like.
Wartav takes two shapes in the Kashmiri community: cash and kind. It can be either or both on given occasions depending upon the proximity and mutuality among the relations. Under Shariah Law, it is called Hibba Bil Iwaz, a returnable gift. The basic purpose of making Wartav right from the olden days, which used to be invariably in cash, was mutual funding. To help out each other financially, the host who had to incur a lot of expenditure on arrangements for the wedding of his son and daughter was financially helped by cash-wartav.
The said purpose of Wartav has not diminished from the Kashmiri society but with the passage of time, it has taken new shapes under new traditions, more of a farce competition among show-offs or neo-rich in recent times with respect to the traditional concept of Wartav in the society. To iterate, people do give Wartav on weddings and other auspicious occasions to each other both in cash and in kind. The amount of money in cash Wartav is determined by the factors like the economic status and mutuality of Hi’uin Du’iun in their relations, friendships and other acquaintances. I have been told that in rural Kashmir Wartav is identified with the term Hi’uin Du’iun which is near to the meaning of Hiba Bil Iwaz.

The kind Wartav comes in the shape of gold ornaments, called Sone Vas, of gold-pound, gold coins, rings, chain pendulums, earrings, bangles, bracelets, tie-pin and buttons, for the bride and the bridegroom. Iterating, it is returnable gifts mostly with additions to the original under social traditions.
Wartav in Kashmir is also called Guli-Myiuth. Guli means hands, while Myiuth means kiss. Hence, it means kissing on the hands, and forearm, a gold ornament-like bracelet fastened on the forearm of a bride at a wedding by relations and other close friends.
While doing Watav, it is customary to kiss the hand or forehead of the bride or bridegroom by the wartav-giver and it appears that the term Guli Myiuth has come into use by the juxtaposition of the two terms side by side. It needs a mention here that Gui-Myuth is different from Athe-Myiuth. The latter is referred to as a lady who is very skilled in the preparation of tasty dainties and dishes and we say, she has Athe-Myuith. Guli-Myuth finds mention in some old Kashmiri marriage songs called Wanwun.
The Pohh Custom
In rural Kashmir, there was a custom of giving rice on marriage occasions as Wartav which was like a mutual-funding in a highly impoverished Kashmiri community of the olden days. This custom prima facie had roots in a Brahman tradition of Kashmiri Brahmans, Bataas, which is and was called Pohh-Bog.
MJ Aslam
From the times of spiritual transformation of the overwhelming Kashmiri community from Hinduism to Islam in the fourteenth century, several pre-Islamic traditions remained intact among the majority community. Pohh was one such tradition. Here cooked rice and fish were offered to an imaginary tutelary Devta of the house on a Tuesday or Saturday of the dark month of Pohh by Kashmiri Brahmans.
Etymologically, Pohh Rasm among rural Kashmiri Muslims had roots in Brahman Rasm of Pohh–Bog to Devis and Devtas who were considered as protectors of their households by Kashmiri Brahmans. The rural Kashmiri Muslims’ custom of Pohh was related to marriage occasions only but, obviously, like many other traditions of Musalmans of the valley, it was adopted over a period of time under the cultural influence of Brahmans.
(MJ Aslam is a published author and a columnist. Ideas are personal.)

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 2, 2023
How The Greed and Materialism Undo Relationbships?

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by Hurmat Altaf.
“The worker picked up Pakhom’s spade, dug a grave, and buried him—six feet from head to heel, exactly the amount of land a man needs.”
(Leo Tolstoy, How Much Land Does a Man Need?)
A Kashmiri Bakarwal bridegroom Mohammad Farooq, second right, watches as his relatives argue about the amount of Mahar which is a mandatory required amount or possession paid by the groom to the bride at the time of marriage and is often money or anything agreed by the bride such as jewellery, home goods, during a wedding ceremony at a temporary camp on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Friday, May 31, 2013. Bakarwals are nomadic herders in Jammu Kashmir state, who wander in search of good pastures for their cattle. (KL Image: Special Arrangemnet)
The old Kashmiri proverb Mulan Droth Tah Patran Sagh brings my entire concept to fruition. The literal meaning of the famous saying is “a sickle for the roots, but water for the leaves.”
Owing to the ambiguous nature of literature, this proverb could be interpreted in enormous ways. A simple interpretation is that ‘you love the offspring of a person you dislike or hate’. The symbolic interpretations of the saying are related to the concepts of relationships.
In other words, close relations are left behind and mundane relationships are given importance. Besides, it could be interpreted as emphasising the trivial aspects of life, such as materialistic possessions, while ignoring the important ones. This proverb somehow befits the condition of our contemporary society, where people seem to forget the significance of all the worthwhile things around them.
With the advent of modernity, our society witnessed major changes, be it in the form of lifestyle, change in daily routines, or any other, followed by an increased gap between in-person meetings, miscommunication, and an increase in broken relationships (of any sort). However, we might have observed that over the years everyone has become so engrossed with their busy schedules that they don’t even have a spare moment to spend time with their loved ones, thus resulting in miscommunication and eventually broken relationships.
Having said that, have we ever considered what the root cause of all of the aforementioned events is? What makes a person so hardhearted that he is willing to end long-term relationships? It consists solely of three elements: greed, materialism, and jealousy. Greed means to have the desire for things more than one has in possession; materialism, on the other hand, means an excess want of materialistic things; and eventually, jealousy is the product of these two elements.
Cowries are small sea shells that in ancient were a form of currency. A huge quantity of this currency of the bygone era are protected by people living in Kehribal area of south Kashmir. Pic: Special Arrangement
We are overtaken by greed in such a manner that one such model is that in almost every family there is a conflict between siblings regarding a piece of land, property, or anything related to the same without even comprehending the fact that excessive desires can lead them to lose everything, including precious relationships. By this, I am reminded of a quote: “The worker picked up Pakhom’s spade, dug a grave, and buried him—six feet from head to heel, exactly the amount of land a man needs.” (Leo Tolstoy, How Much Land Does a Man Need?)

However, we live in a society where we must deal with these pressures, but that does not mean that we will betray our own blood and believe that by doing this agonising act against them, we will live a prosperous life.
Materialism is yet another matter of concern, the best example that I can specify in it is that of the lavish marriages we observe nowadays. In present times, marriage rather than a union of two beings on a simple basis has become more than that of a show-off in order to demean those who are devoid of material wealth, therefore leaving behind our roots.
It is quite unfortunate that in order to ensure the happiness of one’s daughter in her to be home, these materialistic things will prove how she will be received, or for that matter, treated, over there. As the saying goes, marriages are made in heaven, but due to these luxurious expenses one perceives at the moment, it seems to be what Eunice de Souza has said, “Marriages Are Made.”
Additionally, still after all these extravagances in marriages, we come up with ample cases of domestic violence, brutal killings of daughters-in-law, and many related ones. As Naseem Shafaie has rightly said in one of her notable works: “…Will they awaken her on gentle, mellow sounds? Or, will they, I misgive, snatch her sleep away?” thus materializing the condition of women in our worldly-minded society. Hence, materialism is working at all levels in our society, and we are under its clutches.
Another factor that is the end product of greed and materialism is jealousy or envy, which has engulfed almost everyone these days. If a person successfully attempts his course of action in life, followed by achieving great things through hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm, he is despised by his own kin, and the irony is that everyone will act quite jovial at face value while using illicit means to stop him prosper. Envy makes a person go to any extent without even considering their conscience.
Hurmat Altaf
Christopher Marlowe, in his splendid work, Doctor Faustus, considers Envy as one of the seven deadly sins. Envy is personified in the play and says, “I am Envy, begotten of a chimney-sweeper and an oyster-wife. I cannot read, and therefore wish all books were burnt; I am lean with seeing others eat – O that there would come a famine through all the world, that all might die, and I live alone; then thou shouldst see how fat I would be!.”
Therefore, these things are inherited in a human being, and he cannot altogether deprive himself of them, but I believe that there is a possibility for one to move beyond these things to some extent and value relationships more than anything else.
Otherwise, one is left with repentance and nothing else. Furthermore, these are things that lead a society slowly and steadily towards degradation. As the saying goes, “This is the way the world ends, Not with a bang but with a whimper.” (TS Eliot, The Hollow Men).
(The author is pursuing BA Honours in English from Cluster University Srinagar, Kashmir. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of TheNewsCaravan.)

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 13, 2023
Kashmir’s Sweetmeats, Candies

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Kashmir is famous for its multicourse mutton cuisine, the Wazwaan. That, however, never means that there are no candies and sweetmeats endemic to Kashmir, writes MJ Aslam
Technology has completely taken over and now the cell phone is almost a bank and a wallet. That is perhaps why financial institutions must be highly sensitive towards the apps they produce and ask people to use. This photograph taken by a TheNewsCaravan scribe on Friday, April 30, evening shows a vendor selling phereni for Iftaar. He would accept the payments digitally. Imagine, if the app does not operate. What will be the consequences for this young man?
Kashmir has remained famous for its food. It is as true with vegetable-based preparations as it is with non-vegetarian cuisine. There is a basket of candies and sweetmeats too.
Halwa
Everyone knows about Halwa. The sweetmeat was originally made of honey, camel’s milk, cashew nuts, and many other ingredients and brought from the Persian Gulf, via Bombay, in saucers to United India in the nineteenth century. Before that Halwa was unknown in India. Now, there are varieties of Halwa known all over India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Arabia, Persia and other parts of the world.
Historically, its origin lies in Persia (Iran), where it spread initially to Ottoman Turk Empire, Arabia, the Middle East and then to India.
Halwai is the one who prepares and sells the sweetmeat. Both terms have origins in Persian-Muslim food traditions. With the passage of time, Halwai became a term to denote the maker and seller of all kinds of sweetmeats or simple sweets.
In Kashmir, Halwa tradition must have reached towards the end of the nineteenth century as Halwa and Halwai were the names now known in Kashmir. However, it was non-Kashmiri Muslim Halwais from other parts of India who by 1980 started introducing and setting up their shops of Halwa-Paratha outside Kashmir shrines.

Some local Muslim Monje Ghier copied it from them. Monj e Gour makes and sells vegetable fritters and fried snacks called Monjgir Soda in Kashmiri’s common parlance. A variety of items like Nadir Monji, Alve Pakode, Gunde te Palki Pakode, Til e Kareh, Til e Goji and Monjgir Gade, are prepared by dipping lotus-stem-pieces [Nadru], slices of potatoes, onions and spinach, chickpeas, the kernel of water chestnuts and fish, respectively, in spiced-batter and then deep fried. Paratha is also deep-fried in mustard oil. The confectionery items prepared and sold by Monj e Gor are Khand e Gazri, Lala Shangrum and Busrakh.
Phirini, Pulav
Like Halwa, Phirni, an after-meal-dessert, a sweet pudding of condensed milk with Soji mixed with dry fruit like raisins, almonds, cashews, and pistachios, sprinkled with rose-water, has also Persio-Turkish origin. Muslims prepare other rich and aromatic sweet dishes of Pulav, mixed with almonds, and raisins and strewn with ghee and saffron.
Nabad, Honey
Sugarcane does not grow in Kashmir. Sugar was exclusively imported from erstwhile united Punjab up to 1947 but it was among the costliest imports to Kashmir. Kashmiris were fond of sugar. From Kashmir, Punjab sugar was sent via Leh to Changthang, Lhasas and then to Yarqand and Kashghar. It came in two forms brown colour sugar, which was called Batas, and white colour sugar which was called Nabad. Brown sugar is the shakar in Persian and Khaa’nd in Punjabi. But, in Kashmir, over decades, Khaa’nd became Khand, which is invariably used for white sugar crystals used by people.
Common sugar is known to Kashmiris, though originally when its import began to Kashmir in the nineteenth century from Punjab, it was called Nabad or Nabat. And, with the passage of time, Nabad denoted crystallised sugar into a big round ball.
It was mainly white loaves of Nabad that were consumed by Kashmiris in Kahwah and some food items. Nabat is a Persian word meaning sugar. Its modified Kashmiri version is Nabad. Nabad, as we know and understand in Kashmir, is sugar crystallized in an earthen pot or a copper container like No’ut and then carved out as a solid sugar ball in a semi-round shape, bigger than a football. It was done by Halwais or Monje-girs who supplied it to dry-fruit sellers and grocers for sale. Pieces of Nabad are called Kuza or Kuze.
It may be noted here that the small earthen dishes or pots in which sugar was crystallised and manufactured into what is commonly known as Nabad Nut were removed preparatory for the purpose of easy transportation of Punjabi sugar to Tibet and Central Asia via Leh. In Kashmir, however, Nabad No’ut retained its place in marital and betrothal gifts that were exchanged by the families of bride and bridegroom at the time of what was commonly known as Nabad-Nishain.
A Kashmiri sweetmeat seller, Halwaie, busy selling the fresh baked Paratha and Halwa. These sweetmeats are usually consumed in tons around the shrines on special festivals and occassions. KL Image: Bilal Bahadur
The tradition was that the Nabad No’ut was carried by a middleman on his head while the boy’s mother and close female relatives followed him to the girl’s home. At the girl’s parental home, the mothers of the boy and girl would exchange Nabad-Kuze with swearing in sacred words of giving and taking young couple as husband and wife. Since this odd custom conflicted with the set procedure of Nikah Khawani in Islam, the tradition of Nabad-Nishain has disappeared from Kashmirian society since.
It may be noticed that Khand, Misri, Shakar and Gur are all different varieties derived from sugarcane.
Lawrence had suggested to the then Dogra government, an alternative to the sugarcane plants of cultivating sugar maple and beetroot sugar in Kashmir but the suggestion could not materialize. What people used in making Kahwah and food items like Pulao, Halwa, Phirni, etc, in the past, when sugar was not imported to Kashmir? They used honey!! The oldest known method of honey-making was adopted by Kashmiris. Even when sugar was coming to Kashmir in the past, many people resorted to this oldest known procedure of homemade honey as an alternative to sugar.
What was that method? In the past, houses were built of wood and mud. A round hole was dug inside-out in the wall of the house in which a tube 14 inches wide and 22 inches long of baked clay (pottery, earthenware) lined with a plastering of clay mortar, which was worked up with the husk of rice or with thistle-down, was inserted in the wall-hole. The outer side of the orifice of the hole was covered with a red pottery-ware disk (like Anuit) with some openings in it for the bees to enter the tube. On the mouth of the tube inside the house, a similar pottery plate was tightly fitted with plaster of clay and husk. When the comb was fit to be taken, the house owner would burn some grass near the orifice from outside causing the bees to come out and the owner collected the honey from the tube inside by removing the pottery dish from it.
Gulkand
Gul, rose petals, Kand, sugar or honey. Gulkand is the conservation of Kashmiri rose petals or candied Kashmiri roses (Kashur Gulab). Non-Kashmiri roses are not used in their formulation. In Kashmir, it was and is made of native heart-captivating, pink, elegant, scented rose petals mixed with sugar. In place of sugar, honey can also be mixed with rose petals to prepare the herbal formulation of Gulkand. Sugar and rose petals are pounded together in a traditional way for making Gulkand.
There is no historical record that it was exported from Kashmir to Punjab, Leh, Yarkand or Central Asian countries in the past. However, according to a late Kashmiri author in “his unpublished work”, Gulab Singh laid out Gulab Bagh of rose trees at Srinagar with the purpose of manufacturing Gulkand and exporting it to Punjab where sweet jams were in much demand those days, he writes.
The cited area that skirts the Kute Kol in North-West is Gulab Bagh in the larger part of which in the Bakhshi-regime came the formal Food and Supplies Department, though it was used in the Dogra period also what was known as Shali-Store. Shaheed Gunj PS was also built on part of it. Then, a ground in the backyard of the Food and Supplies Department [now Consumer Affairs Department] embracing the Kute Kol in the North-West was used for sports like football matches between departmental-football teams of Kashmir like Food and Supplies Department, SRTC/Transport, KMDA, Forest Department, Kashmir University and so on, during Bakhshi, Sadiq, Qasim, period till the early 1980s.
Recently, after reading down of Article 370, the said football ground from Mandir side of Chota Bazar on Kote Kol has been converted into an FCI food-supplies-store. But Gulab Singh having ever intended making of Gulkand is imaginary though on record, he had laid out this garden. This author could not find it from the “primary Persian source” anywhere the late writer has referred to and quoted in support of the claim that Gulab Singh Dogra wanted to prepare Gulkand of the roses of the Gulab Bagh: albeit, the garden was laid out by him. The Gulab Bagh in question should not be confounded with the commonly known Gulab Bagh of Alestaing (Ganderbal).
Kashmiris, both in rural and urban areas, prepared Gulkand at home for family consumption. Once prepared and packed in glass jars or bottles, it could be consumed for a long period of time. The pottery or earthenware jars are not good for keeping Gulkand as the moisture of the candied jam will be absorbed by the earthenware jar, squeezing juice from the pulp and making it dry and hard. So pottery and plastic jars and bottles are not used for Gulkand keeping and packing. Once prepared and put in jars, it goes on for years and years. This sweet rose-candied jam remains fresh and eatable for years. With honey, it becomes very powerful for body heat during cold seasons. Obviously, due to the availability of roses in summer, it is prepared generally in summer. It is still produced with Araqi Gulab from roses in Kashmir and sold in markets.
The origin of Gulkand is traced to Yarqand where it was very largely manufactured and it is known there by the same name as Gulkand. Kashmir had commercial and cultural relations with Yarqand and other Central Asian countries over centuries.
Gulkand must have been brought to Kashmir by the local and Yarqandi traders in the past. Huge commerce was going on between Central Asia and Kashmir for hundreds of years. Yarqand Sarai at Safa Kadal and Kaka Sarai near SMHS, Srinagar (on the latter site a private hospital has been built recently) are extant examples of the trade centres and commercial connections between Central Asia and Kashmir.
The Rose Atr
It may be noticed that otto /ottar of roses was introduced in the Indian subcontinent by Empress Nur Jahan in cooperation with her mother, Asmat Begum. Muslim rulers greatly improved upon the production of perfume-making in India. Otto of roses was a special fragrance used by nobles and common people alike as it is a rich Islamic tradition connected with Muslim religious rituals, festivals and worship.
The maintenance of rose gardens for distillation of rose water (Arqi Gulab) or rose-otto (Atri Gulab) or Gulkand requires constant care by the cultivators from the time of planting rose trees or rose-cuttings from nurseries to the time of harvest when roses are plucked in lakhs for the said purposes. The rose trees come into flower at the beginning of March and continue so through April and May.
MJ Aslam
In large rose gardens for the aforementioned objectives, flowers are plucked early morning by the gardeners engaged by the owners-cultivators in large bags and baskets which are then sold to the contractors (thakidars) for the said purposes.
Regular watering, pruning and high-quality manure feed for rose cultivation are absolutely essential for an industry of rose jams, rose water and rose ottar or for any medicinal and cosmetic purpose. Nothing of these sorts is mentioned about the Srinagar’s Gulab-Bagh in the Persian chronicle referred to by the late Pandit author in his “unpublished monograph” copy whereof is lying with me.

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 13, 2023
How Kashmir Tradition Honours A Mother and Helps Her Rejuvenate After Childbirth?

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by Ifra Reshi
SRINAGAR: Modern science may take its time to establish the importance of herbal baths for postpartum women but Kashmir has used the bath for centuries is helping mothers to heal and bounce back to life. Rooted in tradition, the bath, after 40 days of the birth is a special occasion that honours a mother for giving birth to a life.
Loaseh Gasseh: The herbal mix that goes into the making of special fragrant and curative water that women use for bathing after 4 days of childbirth. KL Image by Ifra Reshi
“A mother carries her baby for nine months during which she goes through a lot of changes mentally and physically,” Raja Begum, herself a mother, said. “The bath is part of a set of practices that have passed on across generations and it helps in rejuvenation and healing.”
In Kashmiri, a postpartum lady is called Loase or Loaseh. Exactly 40 days after childbirth – normal or C-section, a mother is supposed to take a bath with Loaseh Aab (aab means water). It is a special water that is prepared by boiling Loaseh Gasseh in water for an hour or two, usually in a copper pot.
Tradition treats a mother like a patient for 40 days. She is served specially and given a lot of nutritious food. Apart from Koshur Kokur (courtyard chicken), they used to be fed with a lot of Haund (dandelion leaves), Lisseh – in certain cases, Vopul Haakh, which are vegetations having medicinal properties.
Normal practice is that the husband or her in-law brings, Peaw, a special visit to her, which brings in a lot of food items, besides clothing, warmers, beddings and – in certain cases, gold. This is seen as an occasion of celebration. Traditionally, the mother stays with her parents after the delivery. It is almost mandatory in the case of first birth unless the situation dictates otherwise.
Forty days later, the family gets ready for the bath and it changes the status of the mother. Now she can move around, go home, and get into the routine.
Almost in every society, such cultural rituals exist but in the case of Kashmir, the tradition is mixed with serious curative and healing efforts of the mother.

“It was my first experience of being honoured as a new mother,” Maroofa Majeed, a first-time mom, said. “The process was amazingly restorative and for the second time in my adulthood, I felt important and honoured – the first time was when I got married and the second time when I gave birth to the child.”
“I remember my mother being very cautious and excited about the day preparing the bath, steeping the herbs mixed with water in a big traditional copper pot and left for boiling on a traditional mud burner outside the house and then pouring into a big tub,” Nasreena Trumboo, another first-time mother, said. “She took a fistful of herbs and scrubbed and massaged my whole body for 20 minutes.”
It is just not a bath, it is literally a procedure that induces healing and rejuvenates the body.
An early twentieth century Kashmiri mother with her child
“The herbs used in the postpartum bath are part of Kashmiri folk medicines and not the Unani Tibb. It relaxes internal organs, balances the muscle tune, detoxifies and gives restoration to the body of postpartum women,” Dr Ayoub Sofi, Incharge Medical Officer Ayurveda, Yoga ad Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) unit SMHS said. “In fact, the tourists and foreigners who come from far distances also take this medicinal herbal bath in Kashmir for relaxation and rejuvenation.”
The Loaseh Gasseh is a huge mixture of herbs, shrubs, leaves, wild fruits and roots together. These are sourced from different areas. Some of the items are cultivated in Doda, Gurez and Kishtwar areas. Many others are sourced from mainland India.
Practitioners believe a function of herbal medicines in bathing is to increase the involution of the uterus.
Sofi, however, regrets that the people bring these herbs from Bohru shops, people selling the herbs or herbalists, and take a postpartum bath at home without having proper awareness regarding the usage and benefits of all herbs. The pouch of the Loaseh Gasseh must contain a balanced mix of all the items that have been used traditionally. It includes various antiseptics and astringents that help heal and rejuvenate.
Normally, the Loaseh Gasseh has the following items:
Calendula, (Marigold, Jaffer): Anti-inflammatory properties that soothe and heal tissues.
Comfrey, (Black Wort): Heals bruises and sprains.
Sage leaves (Tej patta, Bargi Tej): Anti-inflammatory properties and also relieves muscles.
Liquorice, (Shangar): Repairs and reduces the number of bacteria on the skin.
Curuma, (laedri Gandri): An antiseptic having antioxidant properties that soothe joints.
Taraxacum, (Dandelions, hand): It has detoxifying properties, reduces scars and heals skin.
Adiantum Capillus-Veneris, (Persioshan, Hansraj): Antifungal properties, supports immunity to fight infections.
Kasni, (Kasun Posh, Chircory flower): Healing properties for skin and eliminate toxins from the body.
Banafsaha, (Sweet violet): Relieves skin irritations.
Unab, (Bray Mewi, Jujube fruit, Chinese date): Reverses the effects of ageing, has antioxidant properties, and fights and prevents cell damage.
Sapistan, (Lasora): Helps in relieving and relaxing pain.
In certain cases, even sea salt is also added to the water for its therapeutic uses.
This photograph put on social media in early 2023 shows a mother carrying her baby as the medicine drips into his veins. While it demonstrates the crisis of the public health infrastructure (it apparently taken in the casualty of a hospital in Anantnag), the photograph explains the costs that the mother pays in nurturing life.
Tradition suggests that the water needs to be boiled in a copper utensil for one to two hours and used when it is lukewarm. The boiled herbs are also used to scrub the body.
The herb collection costs not even a fraction of what eventually goes into its preparation. Normally, after the bath, women are supposed to take rest in a warm bed and have good meals. Since the water they use for bathing is aromatic, these women feel scented for many days.
In certain cases, like that of Kashmiri Pandits, the bath would be performed after 11 days only.

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 12, 2023
How Kashmir Tradition Honours A Mother and Helps Her Rejuvenate After Childbirth?

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by Irfa Reshi
SRINAGAR: Modern science may take its time to establish the importance of herbal baths for postpartum women but Kashmir has used the bath for centuries is helping mothers to heal and bounce back to life. Rooted in tradition, the bath, after 40 days of the birth is a special occasion that honours a mother for giving birth to a life.
Loaseh Gasseh: The herbal mix that goes into the making of special fragrant and curative water that women use for bathing after 4 days of childbirth. KL Image
“A mother carries her baby for nine months during which she goes through a lot of changes mentally and physically,” Raja Begum, herself a mother, said. “The bath is part of a set of practices that have passed on across generations and it helps in rejuvenation and healing.”
In Kashmiri, a postpartum lady is called Loase or Loaseh. Exactly 40 days after childbirth – normal or C-section, a mother is supposed to take a bath with Loaseh Aab (aab means water). It is a special water that is prepared by boiling Loaseh Gasseh in water for an hour or two, usually in a copper pot.
Tradition treats a mother like a patient for 40 days. She is served specially and given a lot of nutritious food. Apart from Koshur Kokur (courtyard chicken), they used to be fed with a lot of Haund (dandelion leaves), Lisseh – in certain cases, Vopul Haakh, which are vegetations having medicinal properties.
Normal practice is that the husband or her in-law brings, Peaw, a special visit to her, which brings in a lot of food items, besides clothing, warmers, beddings and – in certain cases, gold. This is seen as an occasion of celebration. Traditionally, the mother stays with her parents after the delivery. It is almost mandatory in the case of first birth unless the situation dictates otherwise.
Forty days later, the family gets ready for the bath and it changes the status of the mother. Now she can move around, go home, and get into the routine.
Almost in every society, such cultural rituals exist but in the case of Kashmir, the tradition is mixed with serious curative and healing efforts of the mother.

“It was my first experience of being honoured as a new mother,” Maroofa Majeed, a first-time mom, said. “The process was amazingly restorative and for the second time in my adulthood, I felt important and honoured – the first time was when I got married and the second time when I gave birth to the child.”
“I remember my mother being very cautious and excited about the day preparing the bath, steeping the herbs mixed with water in a big traditional copper pot and left for boiling on a traditional mud burner outside the house and then pouring into a big tub,” Nasreena Trumboo, another first-time mother, said. “She took a fistful of herbs and scrubbed and massaged my whole body for 20 minutes.”
It is just not a bath, it is literally a procedure that induces healing and rejuvenates the body.
“The herbs used in the postpartum bath are part of Kashmiri folk medicines and not the Unani Tibb. It relaxes internal organs, balances the muscle tune, detoxifies and gives restoration to the body of postpartum women,” Dr Ayoub Sofi, Incharge Medical Officer Ayurveda, Yoga ad Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) unit SMHS said. “In fact, the tourists and foreigners who come from far distances also take this medicinal herbal bath in Kashmir for relaxation and rejuvenation.”
The Loaseh Gasseh is a huge mixture of herbs, shrubs, leaves, wild fruits and roots together. These are sourced from different areas. Some of the items are cultivated in Doda, Gurez and Kishtwar areas. Many others are sourced from mainland India.
Practitioners believe a function of herbal medicines in bathing is to increase the involution of the uterus.
Sofi, however, regrets that the people bring these herbs from Bohru shops, people selling the herbs or herbalists, and take a postpartum bath at home without having proper awareness regarding the usage and benefits of all herbs. The pouch of the Loaseh Gasseh must contain a balanced mix of all the items that have been used traditionally. It includes various antiseptics and astringents that help heal and rejuvenate.
Normally, the Loaseh Gasseh has the following items:
Calendula, (Marigold, Jaffer): Anti-inflammatory properties that soothe and heal tissues.
Comfrey, (Black Wort): Heals bruises and sprains.
Sage leaves (Tej patta, Bargi Tej): Anti-inflammatory properties and also relieves muscles.
Liquorice, (Shangar): Repairs and reduces the number of bacteria on the skin.
Curuma, (laedri Gandri): An antiseptic having antioxidant properties that soothe joints.
Taraxacum, (Dandelions, hand): It has detoxifying properties, reduces scars and heals skin.
Adiantum Capillus-Veneris, (Persioshan, Hansraj): Antifungal properties, supports immunity to fight infections.
Kasni, (Kasun Posh, Chircory flower): Healing properties for skin and eliminate toxins from the body.
Banafsaha, (Sweet violet): Relieves skin irritations.
Unab, (Bray Mewi, Jujube fruit, Chinese date): Reverses the effects of ageing, has antioxidant properties, and fights and prevents cell damage.
Sapistan, (Lasora): Helps in relieving and relaxing pain.
In certain cases, even sea salt is also added to the water for its therapeutic uses.
Tradition suggests that the water needs to be boiled in a copper utensil for one to two hours and used when it is lukewarm. The boiled herbs are also used to scrub the body.
The herb collection costs not even a fraction of what eventually goes into its preparation. Normally, after the bath, women are supposed to take rest in a warm bed and have good meals. Since the water they use for bathing is aromatic, these women feel scented for many days.
In certain cases, like that of Kashmiri Pandits, the bath would be performed after 11 days only.

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 12, 2023