Kashmiri villagers keep the tradition of the kangri alive – the wicker enclosed personal fire pot – despite the health risks and many urbanites turning to cheap electric heaters to keep them warm in winter.
Winter brings with it a familiar sight in the snowed-out valleys and mountains of Kashmir.
Men and women emerge bundled with what looks like a wicker basket, often tucked into their clothes, but what is really the secret to their warmth: their own personal fire pots, called kangri.
It used to be a ubiquitous site throughout the valley, but more urbane Kashmiris have been opting for cheap and easy electrical heating devices in their homes as a way to stave off the biting cold.
But not the villagers. They are keeping the kangiri tradition alive.
About six inches in diameter, the kangri is a small clay pot encased in a wicker basket with a handle.
Filled with charcoal embers and most often carried by men, who tuck it under their flowing, knee-length pheran (woolen cloaks) to keep warm in the long winters when temperatures can fall to -20 degrees Celsius in the mountains.
A pot can hold about 250 grams of charcoal and the fire lasts hours under a pheran.
The origin of kangri is not known.
Some Kashmiri historians believe it is indigenous, while others say it was imported from central Asia around 600 years ago. Some even believe it came from Italy as it resembles a medieval Italian earthenware brazier called scaldino.
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But long, long ago Sufi saint Sheikh Nooruddin Wali (1377-1440) made note of the Kashmiri people’s deep love of the kangri. This love did not wane in the centuries that followed.
The kangri is indeed an indispensable part of Kashmiri culture. But it’s also true that excessive and improper use causes squamous cell skin cancer
But in the last few years modern electric heating devices and better winter clothing have taken primacy in the cities and towns.
Bashir Ahmad Shaksaz, 55, a kangri-maker of Seer village in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, is feeling the pinch from cheap electric warmers.
“The demand for kangris is dipping. It’s not easy to make a decent living out of this trade that my father taught me. I’ve kept my sons away from it as wickerwork in Kashmir is slowly fading away,” he said.
But the kangri is also known to have its disadvantages and common sense precautions should be taken.
Not only can improper use be a fire hazard, but excessive use of the kangri can cause a type of squamous cell carcinoma that, according to medical practitioners, is only found in Kashmir. Kangri cancer patients tend to use the personal fire pot for 5-6 hours a day, 3-4 months a year.
“The kangri is indeed an indispensable part of Kashmiri culture. But it’s also true that excessive and improper use causes squamous cell skin cancer which is more dangerous than any other skin cancer and happens in the lower part of the body due to its constant exposure to heat,” said Dr Ishaq Nabi, a Kashmiri surgeon, working in Uttarakhand.
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He thinks educating Kashmiris about how to use the pot in limited doses would help keep the tradition alive without hurting those doing so.
“As the kangri is still an effective and reliable way to beat the chilling cold of winter, especially in far-flung areas of Kashmir, it’s necessary to run awareness campaigns and programs to highlight the health demerits of Kangri,” he said.
But in the countryside people’s first choice remains the cost-effective, eco-friendly and durable kangri, produced and sold solely in Kashmir at Rs 100 to Rs 400 apiece depending on the design.
Some come with intricate and colourful thread work, mirror work, and sequins.
A kangri is known for its outer shell made of willow wicker reeds that grow abundantly in the wetlands of north Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
These reeds can reach eight feet in height and are harvested during autumn, just before demand for the fire pots swells.
These then go through a multi-layered process of scraping and peeling to get rid of the bark, soaking, boiling and drying before these are ready to be woven around a bowl-shaped clay pot.
Peeling is mostly a women’s job. It is not an easy one, but it has some perks.
Parveena Bano and her 16-year-old daughter Snowber Bilal peel willow wicker twigs under an open sky for two months every winter. It’s a 9-to-5 job, come sun or snow.
“It’s tough and it hurts,” said Bano, 45, of Gogjigund village, showing her blackened hands lined with calluses and scars from knife cuts.
What keeps them going is the opportunity to socialise with fellow women at work and help bring in more money for the family.
“Back home in the evening, my mom does household work and I study,” said Bilal, a school student.
The twigs are boiled in large vats for at least six hours to increase their tensile strength, without doing so the twigs won’t be malleable enough for weaving. They are then bundled and placed upright in the sun to dry.
“Boiling and peeling are exhausting, time-consuming and a test of patience,” said Bilal Ahmad Dar, who oversees the community boiling chamber in Gogjigund.
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The sun-dried twigs are sometimes dyed before they are sold to wicker craftsmen, who also make other items besides the kangri, like baskets and vases. The craft is called kaeni kaem, or shaakhsazi, and it is part of Kashmir’s heritage.
The kangri-makers buy the earthen pot, known as kondul, from potters, who are another class of craftsmen under threat in Kashmir.
The lead image at the top shows shopkeeper using Kangris during winter in his shop (Photo by Aamir Ali Bhat)
Aamir Ali Bhat is a journalist and independent researcher based in Kashmir. He writes on human rights violations, politics and the environment.
