Tag: Wazwan

Highway Closure Triggers Mutton Crisis in Kashmir — Over 150 Weddings Postponed, Livestock Deaths Reported

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Highway Closure Triggers Mutton Crisis in Kashmir — Over 150 Weddings Postponed, Livestock Deaths Reported

A Roadblock Beyond Asphalt By: Javid Amin | 08 September 2025 In Kashmir, the closure of the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) is nothing new. Year after year, heavy rains, landslides, and fragile mountain terrain interrupt this vital supply line. But the closure in September 2025 triggered a crisis unlike any before. This time, the Valley was not just cut off from supplies; it was cut off from culture, tradition, and cherished moments. With over 150 weddings postponed, hundreds of livestock stranded, and more than 400 sheep dead inside halted trucks,…

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The 21-Course Curse: Kashmir’s Lavish Weddings & The Shocking Rise Of Instant Divorce – Can Tradition Be Saved?

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The 21-Course Curse: Kashmir's Lavish Weddings & The Shocking Rise Of Instant Divorce – Can Tradition Be Saved?

Kashmir Marriage Crisis: Lavish Weddings, Rising Divorce & Islamic Solutions | Social Change By: Javid Amin | Srinagar | 12 July 2025 The majestic valleys of Kashmir, often called “Paradise on Earth,” are echoing with a dissonant sound: the clatter of extravagant wedding festivities swiftly followed by the hushed, painful whispers of divorce papers filed within weeks, sometimes days. Beneath the surface of vibrant phirans, glittering jewelry, and the intoxicating aroma of wazwan, a profound social crisis is fracturing the very fabric of Kashmiri society. This isn’t merely about changing…

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Exploring Autumn in Thomas Moore’s ‘Lalla Rookh’ – A Journey Through Poetry

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Exploring Autumn in Thomas Moore’s 'Lalla Rookh' - A Journey Through Poetry

Embracing Autumn’s Bounty in Kashmir By: Javid Amin As autumn blankets the picturesque region of Kashmir, a season of plenty and preparation unfolds. This season, often referred to as the “queen of all seasons” in Kashmir, brings a multitude of changes and traditions. Harvest Season: Farmers gather grains while nomads descend from highland pastures with their herds of sheep and goats. The landscape undergoes a transformation as chinar leaves turn from yellow to crimson, and grapes, apples, and walnuts ripen. A Season of Plenty: Kashmir’s autumn is marked by a…

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Wazwan: The Pride of Kashmir, or Just a Symbol of Inequality?

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Wazwan: The Pride of Kashmir, or Just a Symbol of Inequality?

The psychological impact that such standards of hosting weddings in Kashmir create has been beautifully depicted in a recent Coke studio song By: Romana Majeed  Probably everyone has heard of the word wazwan and knows what it is. Literally speaking waze means cook and wan means shop but wazwan in real is the ultimate banquet in Kashmir which is served on special occasions. It is the ultimate feast in Kashmir that is prepared on important occasions. It is the pinnacle of Kashmiri culinary art. When Timur invaded Hindustan in 1398, he took with him chefs (Waze) from the land of Samarkand (Uzbekistan).…

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Valley Vignette: For the love of Wazwan

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Wazwan is a cuisine denoting cultural pride of Kashmir, which people proudly identify with Last week, Bollywood director Vivek Agnihotri, who was in Kashmir for the shooting of his film, took to micro-blogging site Twitter “to bring about a change” in a traditional Kashmiri cuisine “Wazwan” from non-vegetarian to vegetarian food. “Nobody knows how to make a vegetarian Wazwan in Kashmir. But I am here to bring about change. #TheKashmirFiles.(sic),” Aghnihotri tweeted while sharing a picture of having a vegetarian thali at a Srinagar hotel with a lookalike “mutton kebab”…

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