For Kashmiris, a walking heater keeps chill at bay
SRINAGAR, JAN 24: Ever imagined carrying a pot filled with red-hot charcoals inside your
dressing? Sounds risky, but this is what Kashmiris do to fight off freezing winters. Kangri - a Kashmiri equivalent of Spain's brazier - has been in
use in the disputed Himalayan state since centuries. Kangri, formerly called Kanger, is a pot filled with red-hot charcoals which Kashmiris carry
inside their traditional long, flowing robes, called phiren, to keep them warm in chilly winters. If not in phiren, then Kangri is carried inside
blankets.
About 6 inches in diameter, Kangri heats up, at times, to 150 °F (66 °C). Kashmiris say it's an effective and economical heating
arrangement. "It's much cheaper than oil-, gas-, and wood-fired heaters. All you need is 250 grams of charcoal to ignite Kangri," says 64-year-old
Wazir Muhammad Mughal, a Mirpur-based migrant from Srinagar, the summer capital Jammu and Kashmir. Mughal, a broadcaster by profession, says that
Kangri can also be kept in the bed under the quilt or blanket. "But for those who have never used Kangri, carrying it inside phiren can be risky,"
he says.
Kangri's popularity :
According to Mughal, the use of Kangri has declined since the beginning of the struggle against the
Indian rule by Kashmiri people. "This is because Kangri restricts your movement and allows you to use only one hand," he adds. Other than that,
phiren-wearing is discouraged at public and private offices, resulting in the decline in Kangri use.But Fahed Iqbal Durrani, a young man from
Srinagar, says that this portable heater is still popular among the Kashmiris."At present, at least 50 per cent of the people in Kashmir Valley use
Kangri. It is also used in Kishtawar and Baderhwah, in Jammu region, and Leh and Kargil, in Ladakh region," he says.Durrani claims that Kangri is
also in use in parts of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan region, including Neelam, Leepa and Rawalakot valleys, Poonch and Skardu.
Historian Waseem
Khalid says Kangri is synonymous with winter. "For us winter means Kangri. When temperatures dip to sub zero, we fill our Kangris with burning
charcoal and use it inside our phirens," says Khalid, who lives in Srinagar's Mehtab Bagh neighbourhood. "The thing I like about Kangri is its
portability. You can take it anywhere".
[State Observer]
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