Srinagar, Nov 25: With the beginning of winter, the demand for traditional “Kangri” or fire pot rises and the village Okai in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district prepares at least 5000 pieces every day to meet this demand.
Locally known as “Kanger” or “Kangri” or Firepot is an earthen pot woven around with wicker filled with hot embers used by Kashmiris beneath their traditional clothing called “Pheran” or inside a blanket to keep the chill at bay during the winter months.
“Kangris” are woven in different areas of the Kashmir valley, but village Okai produces at least 5000 kangris every day”, artisan Manzoor Ahmad Shakhsaz told UNI.
All men, women and young ones of the village are engaged in this profession keeping ancient craft of the valley alive and earning their livelihood, he said.
Artisan Manzoor said “earlier there were only 30 Shakhsaz families associated with the profession of making kangris to earn livelihood but with the passage of time the entire village has adopted this work”.
He said the materials for making “kangris” including twigs and clay pots called “Kundal” are transported from different areas and then prepared in our homes. He said there are families who make the required items in the making of “Kangri” on their own.
He said in the process of making “Kangris”, the shoots are first softened by keeping them in water for a long time, and then they are dyed in different colours before using them to produce multicolor kangris.
The profession of making “Kangris” is not new to the residents of Okai but it is the profession of their forefathers on which their livelihood depends, Manzoor said.
Manzoor said at least one thousand villagers of Okai are associated with the profession presently to earn their livelihood. He said the wholesalers come to use and buy these “Kangris” to sell them in the open markets.
Okai is not only a village where most of the people wove “kangris”, there are other places including Char-e-Sharief, Bandipora and Anantnag where popular brands of “Kangris” are being produced every year and people purchase them happily.
Charari Sharief town is the most famous for a peculiar kind of “kangri” called “charar kangir”. Anantnag is also another major producer.
Manzoor urged the government to promote the “Kangri” art, adding that a scheme should be introduced to promote it like other handicrafts of the Kashmir valley.
He said “if the government makes schemes for us too, this profession of ours will also be developed in a big way”.
Another craftsman said there is no need for using electric gadgets or gas for warmth just to use the kangri by putting coal in it. He said it is not too dangerous, while the risks of heating electronic devices are also high.
Businessman Mohammad Ramzan said , “I have been involved in the business of buying and selling kangris for many years and am earning my livelihood satisfactorily”. However, he said by the passing time the demand for “kangris” is decreasing.
Ahead of the winter the “Kangri” finds its place in almost every household in the Kashmir valley.
Amid several kinds of electronic gadgets available in the markets besides “Hamam’s” made in the houses to provide warmth, the “Kangri” is still being given the first preference in Kashmir traditionally.
This traditional fire pot is not only available in Kashmir valley presently, but it has found its customers on famous and recognized on-line business centers of Amazon, Flipkart and other marketplaces. Not only in India “Kangri” has reached several foreign countries where Kashmiri people are residing according to sources.
