Samreen Tak
Kashmir – ‘paradise on earth’ is aptly known for its beauty all over the world. Kashmir not only attracts people from different corners of the world for its scenic beauty and majestic mountains but also for its unique Kashmiri cuisine.
Kashmiri cuisine in its entirety is the magic of handmade spices and its authentic aroma attracts a person sitting miles away.
Kashmiri cuisine known as Wazwan is derived from two words, ‘Waze’ means a cook, and ‘Wan’ means a place where the cook cooks varieties of delicious, mouth-watering dishes.
The number of dishes goes from 7 to 36 dishes made of mutton, chicken and Kashmiri dry fruits. Wazwan is supposed to be made on special occasions like weddings, ceremonies and other gatherings. The head chef Waza is assisted by several other cooks from his own team. They are often seen wearing white attire during the making and serving of Wazwan.
The preparation of Wazwan is considered an art and is learnt usually through heredity. Wazwan in itself has a significant place in Kashmiri culture and heritage. The preparations of marriage ceremonies begin almost a week ago with the prep of the feast. The Waza along with his skilled team is hired weeks or months before the occasion.
Two or three days before the commencement of the wedding, the process of cooking is started. Mutton is minced on a stone continuously for a day and night with a wooden hammer and the whole of Wazwan is cooked on firewood.
The origin of Wazwan dates back to the 14th century when the Mongol ruler Timur invaded India in 1348 during the reign of Nasiuddin Muhammad of the Tughlaq dynasty. He brought skilled cooks from Samarkand to Kashmir.
Wazwan is a unique and inseparable component of Kashmiri culture. The culture of Kashmir is diverse and highly influenced by Persian as well as Central Asian cultures. The people of Kashmir consume Wazwan voraciously.
In these tiring times when the whole world is fighting the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the discussion about Wazwan must take our attention to the livelihood of cooks and the loss of jobs.
The Waza profession is rarely taken by youngsters as a career choice in the valley and that proves to be a privilege for those who are already adept in this business. But this privilege does not seem to last for long.
Kashmir has gone through a dreadful turmoil when last year in August, the special status under Article 370 was scrapped and the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories- UT of Jammu and Kashmir and UT of Ladakh.
The valley is under complete lockdown. In this quagmire, the economy of Kashmir is witnessing the worst downfall in the history of a decades-long conflict. As the valley was under complete lockdown, officiating marriage ceremonies or other social gatherings was hardly possible, and here came the risk of earning a livelihood for Wazas and others in this profession.
The month of August with its pleasant kind of weather is often considered the best for marriage ceremonies in the valley, and the summer season is known as the wedding season in Kashmir.
It is the peak season where Waza makes the best use of his skill. Unfortunately, the conditions since 2019 brought no fortune for these people. The chefs and their associates are seen in a search for jobs these days where the valley’s unrest marked a year and Covid-19 hit the whole nation.
The Kashmiriyat spoke to the well-known Gull Waza from Dialgam village of District Anantnag. Gull Mohammed is known for his ability to prepare nearly three dozen dishes at a single wedding.
“Struggling with the financial problems in order to make both ends meet is what I’m doing. This Covid pandemic is hitting everyone in one way or another but talking about my profession, I lost my source of income, 22 people used to work with me under my supervision. And among them a few have already left this job and are searching for other means, rest of my associates are selling their ancestral properties to pay debts”.
When asked about the business in the pre-Covid era, Gul Mohammad stated “earlier people used to hire us for large gatherings of around 1000 guests, now the situation has changed. People prefer small gatherings of 50 guests at maximum. In these small gatherings, people like to serve mostly tea and snacks which makes the space for earning lesser and hits huge losses at us. In one month I used to work almost for 15 days, now I hardly get any work for months”.
“The situation has completely changed for us from 2019 August, since then we are facing a major setback in terms of economy. Kashmir valley was already under lockdown, with the onset of Coronavirus we are left with nothing. Many of my associates switched to daily-wage labor work in order to secure the necessities of life”, further added Gul Mohammad.
“These people neither hope for any miracle to happen nor do they wait for the situation to get normal again for even if the pandemic gets over with time, the unrest in the valley would continue to halt the economic spheres.”
Wazwan- often considered as a point of pride in Kashmir is slowly moving to its decline given the situation. Because of lesser incomes and the loss of jobs young people are least interested in taking up this profession. Looking beyond the realms of culture, heritage and ethnicity, people associated with this business inherit only one skill and that is cooking Wazwan. These people are in dire need of some kind of assistance or incentives from the Government.
The losses suffered are often compensated by taking loans from banks which take years for them to pay back. The amount adds further misery to their lives.
Talking with the Gul Mohammad gives us a profound insight into the Wazwan business with which our society is least bothered.
The richness of our heritage and largely marriage ceremonies are incomplete without these skilled chefs, and the due glorification of Wazwan depends entirely upon these dedicated chefs.