Syed Batool Andrabi
JAMMU: With temperatures dipping to a record low in the winter capital, Kangri’s popularity and sales are travelling from Kashmir to Jammu this year. The brisk sales highlight both the challenges of a harsh winter and of electricity supply. At the same time, for some, they symbolise a reconnect to a long-lost tradition.
The Kashmiri Kangri is a traditional firepot that keeps people warm during the severe winter months, even when temperature dips to as low as minus 20. It is a portable heater that Kashmiris keep in their pheran, a long woolen cloak. The Kangri is a pot filled with glowing embers and encased in handmade wicker baskets that are carried as a personal warmer. Kangri has always had a huge demand across Kashmir, but it is for the first time in the last few decades that Kangri is selling like hot cakes in the local markets of Jammu. Many shops in the main city market – Raghunath Bazar – are selling Kangris.
Chilling Cold and Power Woes
This winter, while Kashmir witnessed abnormally higher temperatures, Jammuites had to suffer bone-chilling cold with day temperatures not rising above 12-13 degree Celsius. Jammu is reeling under severe cold wave. Jammu experienced extremely low temperatures between December 31 and January 11, with the highest recorded at 12°C on December 31 of 2023. The average temperature throughout January stood at 8°C.
Though the temperatures were warmer for a few days last week, mercury is dipping yet again, signaling that cold weather will persist for some more time.
Winters are often harsh in Jammu, where people in recent decades have relied on electronic gadgets but this year Kangris have become popular. Introduction of smart meters, high electricity tariffs and long power curtailments have compelled people to explore alternative methods to brace for the severe winter.
Many residents of Jammu said that frequent power cuts rendered the electronic gadgets useless. “By the time, a room is heated, the power goes off, leaving us in instant cold,” a local resident said while shopping for a Kangri.
Excited First-time Users
It is an effective and economical heating arrangement in the modern era when electronic heating gadgets are available. In the absence of electricity or load-shedding, it does not disappoint people and keeps them warm in the harsh winters.
“The recorded temperature dip has led people of Jammu to buy and sell Kangri,” said a local resident.
“I know what a Kangri is since my childhood but had never used one before. Ever since I started using it, it has become an addiction, I would say. Since the day my mother brought a Kangri home, I have been taking it to my bed every night and it feels so good,” said Ajay, who was born in Jammu in a migrant Kashmiri Pandit family.
“My parents worry a lot, they feel anxious that I keep a Kangri in the bed. They admonish me from doing this but I still prepare the Kangri late in the evening to have it with me at bed time,” Ajay told the Kashmir Times.
While talking to a buyer who was buying Kangris from the city market, Fozia said, “We are basically from Kishtwar, we too are from a cold region but we don’t make such arrangements at our place. We move to Jammu every year in the winters so that we can escape the chilly winters of Kishtwar.”
“Jammu has always had milder winters compared to our place but this year, Jammu has recorded its lowest temperature and for the common people, the Kangris have become the saviours, enabling us to beat the unbearable cold weather conditions,” Fozia added.
“My friend suggested that I should buy a Kangri from here. I am trying it for the first time,” she revealed.
Amit Gupta, a local resident told the Kashmir Times, “I saw Kangris in the city market a week ago and it took me less than a minute and I decided to buy a Kangri. The shopkeeper told me to light a fire in it and keep it under a blanket to keep it warmer. I went home with a Kangri and my wife made Kangri, we both sat under a blanket and it worked like magic.”
“My wife insisted that I should bring her a separate Kangri. That is why I am here again, to buy her a new Kangri,” Amit said, outside a shop selling Kangris.
Brisk Sales
Vickey, a shopkeeper, excitedly talks about the brisk sales. It is attractive both for its traditional craftsmanship and its utility. “People from different walks of life come to buy it for its heritage value and also because it is a cost-effective heater,” said Vickey, who sells Kangris in Raghunath Bazar.
“Demand for Kangris in the bustling markets of Jammu is a new thing for us,” Vickey added.
Another shopkeeper who sells Kangris, told the Kashmir Times, “The weather nowadays has made us sell Kangris. The Kangris are brought here and sold by Kashmiri hawkers. We buy it from them and sell it here in the city markets.”
“Each day I sell more than 10 Kangris,” said Mukeet, a Kangri seller, who is selling Kangris for the first time. He states that despite the invasion of modern technology, Kangris have made their share in the market and are contributing to be a source of livelihood for hundreds of people involved in this trade. Some small general provision stores have lined up Kangris outside their shops. Some hawkers have set up vends in the markets and the main city bus stand.
Bilal Ahmed, a wholesaler near Jammu’s Bus Stand, told the Kashmir Times, “We saw weather taking turns in Jammu, we started taking orders for Kangris from local markets of Jammu, especially from the city market. To our surprise, this business is touching heights.”
“The demand has increased to this extent that I ordered a truck full of Kangris and sold it to different shops in Jammu 15 days ago. I hear that every Kangri has been sold. Shopkeepers are placing more orders,” Bilal says with a broad smile.
Learning the skills of making a fire
Ilyas, a Kashmiri residing in Jammu, said: “My Jammu based friend recently brought a fire pot and called me over, asking for help with the Kangri. He wasn’t familiar with the process, so I joined him at his home. Together, we filled the earthen pot with coal, mixed a proper proportion of sawdust with ashes, and placed the mixture on the coal. Afterwards, we lit it.”
“It’s crucial to ensure the fire doesn’t surpass the brim to prevent the entire Kangri from burning,” he cautions. That is what many first-time users of Kangris are now learning.
“I came shopping to the city market and saw these beautiful pots on the display. I was fascinated and thought of buying one. The shopkeeper guided me to light the fire in it less than its brim. I don’t know if I can do it properly, but I am very excited to try this Kangri. I hope nothing goes wrong, after all it’s all about fire,” said Pummy Sharma, who was buying one for the first time.
Connecting with a forgotten tradition
But for many in Jammu, Kangri is not a novelty. It is something that phased out of the market due to availability of modern gadgets and faded even from memory in the last two decades.
Anita Pandit, an elderly Kashmiri migrant woman, recalls that in the 1990s when they were displaced, Kangris were used in Jammu by some people. “Our influx made it even more popular,” she says.
“Despite the migration of Kashmiri Pandits to Jammu in the decade of the 90s, the tradition of using Kangris continued and served as a token of love. The elder generation, deeply connected to their land, culture, and tradition, continued using Kangris in Jammu, especially when electricity was scarce. However, with the advent of technology, even we transitioned to electronic gadgets, leaving the Kangri behind.”
“This year, we are once again going connecting with our roots through the Kangri. But even other communities are recognizing its benefits,” she says.
For the displaced Kashmiri community in Jammu, the Kangri also means connecting to their roots.
Rakesh Wantoo, is a Kashmiri Pandit migrant. His childhood was spent in the Valley and later in Rajasthan where the family was displaced in the 1990s. “I used Kangri and wore a ‘pheran’ during my childhood in our home. However, when we migrated to Rajasthan, where I was brought up, we remained distanced from its cultural endure.”
Wantoo resides in Janipur and lives with his wife, who hails from Rajouri, and their three daughters who have little interest in Kashmiri culture. “Two of them are presently pursuing their studies in Bangalore and Canada,” he says. “But my youngest daughter who lives with us has taken a fascination for the Kangri ever since I brought one home,” says Wantoo excitedly.
He adds, “she’s curious and wants to hear more about it….. from whatever memory I have, I share anecdotes from my childhood about Kangri and she further relays this information to her sisters over a phone call.”
“Kangri is the ultimate weapon against the harsh cold; it is indispensable for staying warm during winters. Even with advanced heating equipment, Kangri holds a unique significance and cannot be replaced. Its importance has stood the test of time and will continue in the future,” said Rakesh Wantoo, as he talked endlessly about the charm of the Kangri and the electricity outages during severe winters.
The Kangri is driven by need but it is also evokes nostalgic memories for many.
As Mehak Bhan, summed up, “The presence of Kangris in Jammu’s markets symbolizes a profound connection to our roots and a lasting love for the motherland.
—–
Have you liked the news article?