Maria (00:00.828)
Hello, welcome everyone to Kashmir Exist Podcast. Today's episode is gonna be Kashmir culture. And with me, I have my beloved friend, Teyshi She was born and raised in Kashmir and she's gonna teach us a little bit about the culture. Welcome Teyshi

Teyshi (00:21.186)
Hey Maria, thank you so much for that lovely introduction. Always a pleasure to speak to you. Yes, and I'm delighted to be here to help us all learn something about the very little known culture, about the very little known Cushmere Valley.

Maria (00:36.808)
I'm very excited. Actually, I'm very grateful that I got to know you because now I'm going to know more about this beautiful place. One of my first questions that I have for you is that what is the primary language spoken in Kashmir Valley?

Teyshi (00:44.408)
Thank you.

Teyshi (00:53.614)
That's a really great question because language is very indicative of ethnicity and indigeneity. so indeed, because Kashmiri heritage has been around since Neolithic times, we have our own language and it's called Kashmiri. So in Kashmiri, it's called Gershir. That's how we say the language or the people. It's as old as Sanskrit. It's 5,000 years old.

And it's unlike any of the other languages spoken in South Asia. So, you know, the other languages may be Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi. There might be other languages, so many languages in South Asia, but none of them are really like Kashmiri. And in fact, you know, if you are not from Kashmir Valley and you're not a native, you will not be able to speak or understand that language. So yes.

We do have our own language called Gursher in the valley. We also of course speak Urdu because it's widely spoken in South Asia along with Hindi and of course English, but yeah, we have our own language.

Maria (02:06.202)
We are so lucky to have you here, that you are a native from Kashmir Valley. Can you say something in Kashmiri for us?

Teyshi (02:13.868)
We'll keep it simple, but I you know you could when you meet someone when you greet someone you could say doi cioware And you're literally asking if hi, you know are you okay? How are you so?

Maria (02:28.069)
Thank you, Tessy, for teaching us that. Another question that I have for you is about the traditional dress for women and men in Kashmir. Can you talk a little bit about the traditional clothing?

Teyshi (02:44.319)
Yep, so yeah, again, just like its own language, part of its other culture is the dress that we wear in Kashmir. And both men and women to this day wear something called a perron. This perron is like an A-line kind of tunic which goes down below the knees. It has a V-neck. For women, it's normally embroidered. Men, it's not embroidered.

they have loose sleeves as well. It's worn really for comfort but also for warmth so that in the winter months with the heavier material used for making the parent it helps to keep people you know warm against the sort of harsh weather as well. And again if you are wearing it to a more you know auspicious occasion like a wedding or some kind of celebration then

The Perron can be very ornate, can have some really, you know, expensive embroidery, gold and silver. Men, you'll usually see that wearing day to day, very paired back, very muted. It could be grey, you know, could be brown, usually checked patterns they seem to wear. But yes, the Perron is the traditional outfit or dress in Kashmir Valley.

Maria (04:06.898)
Thank you for describing in detail. can't imagine in my head and it looks, it sounds beautiful. Another question for you that I have is about the dance. Which dance form is popular in Kashmiri culture?

Teyshi (04:24.233)
Well, you know, it's maybe a lot of people wouldn't know much about music, dance and that type of stuff in the valley, but certainly there is a group dance carried out by women and even girls. It's called Roof. It's spelled R-O-U-F. That's how it's spelt in English. I hope I'm personally pronouncing it correctly because I've never actually done this dance.

I've seen my mother do it from her, you know, college day sort of pictures. And I've been to weddings where other women are doing it. And if you can imagine women that are wearing, Peran, or they could be wearing some of the other sort of traditional dress that South Asians wear, like Kameesh, Alwar. And what they do is they get into a row with each other. They have their arms linked around each other. So usually you may see five, you know, women in a row.

and they're singing some sort of wedding celebration song and they are rocking back and forth from the back foot to the front foot and this is how it goes. It's very, it's actually very enticing to watch. It's very hypnotic. I feel like anyone could do it actually. It's not complicated because you're literally just rocking back and forth but there's so much heart in it. There's so much soul.

You know, my mum just sings her heart out and it kind of makes me feel very special about it. think it's great actually because it shows the sisterhood in the valley that this is a very, you know, all female dance and this is how women come together to celebrate each other as well.

Maria (06:05.5)
It sounds very special, Tenshi, and sounds very fun too. Another curiosity that I have is about Waswan. I hope that I say that correctly. W-A-C like zebra, W-A-N, Waswan. What is the significance in the Kashmiri culture?

Teyshi (06:27.759)
Well, that's not a bad pronunciation. In the Kershawd language, we tend to drag our vowels out, especially when it's an A. So it's was, one, it's very dragged out sorts of pronunciation. And really was one is just a kind of traditional multi-course Kashmiri meal. And it's very rich in flavor. It's usually mostly meat dishes as well. And it's considered a symbol of hospitality.

but mostly you'll see it being served in massive big celebrations like weddings and special occasions. I think it tells you how Kashmiris really celebrate things, but also the fact that we are big meat eaters in the valley. So even some of the Hindu Kashmiris and sometimes the sort of Hindu Brahmins don't usually eat meat in South Asia, but in Kashmir they do.

So I think the significance of it is it's a very Kashmiri thing to do and irrespective of which, you know, culture, or sorry, I mean religion that you're from, we eat the same basically, because we are the same people. And so it's a very, very, you know, posh dinner, if I can use that word. There's over 33 courses I should add as well. I personally love it. I've had it since I was, you know, very young.

And even though the food just keeps coming and coming course after course, you never get sick or tired of it. It's probably the most delicious food for me anyway. And when my mum comes back from Kashmir, she always brings me some back because she knows I love it so much.

Maria (08:07.656)
Well, Kashmiri culture is my kind of culture. 33 courses, that sounds amazing and delicious.

Teyshi (08:11.524)
It's more than 33, but yeah. Listen, I've never eaten all 33 or 33 plus, but I'll give it a go. I'll try. I will try my best.

Maria (08:16.687)
Wow.

Maria (08:22.429)
What about the festivals at the Chi? What are the main festivals celebrating in Kashmir Valley?

Teyshi (08:35.223)
What are the main festivals celebrated in Kashmir?

Teyshi (08:48.898)
So the main festivals celebrated include Muslim festivals, Hindu festivals, another festival. So we have stuff like Eid, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, the Shivratri, which is, I believe, a Hindu festival. I'm not too familiar with that one. We also have Nahroz. Nahroz is actually more Persian, and there are some people in the Valley like my family who celebrate it. Nahroz literally translated from Persian means new day.

Persian New Year. Now means new and rose means day. So now rose. And this really, you know, these festivals reflect the valley's blend of Islamic and Hindu traditions.

Maria (09:31.092)
very interesting. What about the Sufis? What role does the Sufis play in the Kashmiri culture?

Teyshi (09:41.823)
Yeah, that's a great question. Although, you know, we have majority Muslims in that region and then we have Hindus and Buddhists and other religion. We have Sikhs in the region as well. And within the sort of Muslim religion, there are Sufis. I'm not personally a Sufi, but the Sufi influence, that sect of Islam is very profound on Kashmiri culture. It plays a significant role.

and influences the region's music, art, and philosophy. Now many Kashmiris that are Sufis will visit shrines dedicated to their Sufi saints and consider Sufism a bridge of peace and spirituality.

Maria (10:24.44)
That sounds very special. Thank you Tesshi for sharing. Now, I always work in art and graph, especially with my daughter. So I found out that paper machete is a very special tradition in Kashmiri. Can you talk about it? What is the Kashmiri art of paper machete?

Teyshi (10:45.674)
Well, it's something that my family, especially on my dad's side, has heavily been involved with. My dad's side were very much involved with arts and crafts. know, everything from Kashmir, you know, rugs, carpets, to papier-mâché. So on my father's side, it's a very strong in that side of the family. Now, papier-mâché, it's just... Most people know it's the art of sort of layering on paper over paper with...

you know, with certain types of, well, in modern times, glue, and then you can construct something out of it. What you'll more commonly see is that it's used for decorative purposes. So you might get like a jewelry box or it could be an ashtray. There'll be so many everyday decorative items that you can make out of papier-mâché. And then finally, once it's created, it's got a lacquer over it.

like a black lacquer, very shiny, and then there's some beautiful artwork done on it, usually with gold paint and very bright paint. So you can quite often see the black lacquer and on top of that you'll see things like gold patterns, it could be leaves, it could be anything. Sometimes you might see certain images depicted on it like, you know, wildlife, but you usually will just be patterns and they're very

very bright vibrant colors. Like I say, you will see gold and silver on there quite a lot as well. you know, papermache itself, it's a beautiful sort of creative art where you can get decorative items from paper pulp and basically painted with the intricate floral designs that I mentioned. And again, it is known for its vibrant colors and patterns as an important cultural symbol of Kashmir.

Maria (12:37.28)
It is beautiful. I see it in pictures, I Google it and they are outstanding.

Teyshi (12:42.173)
Yes, it's my...I actually have a paper-mashi handbag.

Maria (12:47.85)
my God, I can't wait to see it. You need to share that with me.

Teyshi (12:49.404)
I have to...I will send you a picture. It's so nice, like really nice.

Maria (12:55.347)
I bet. What is Kangri? I hope that I said that right.

Teyshi (13:00.849)
Yeah, yes, kangri again the A is stretched out kangri is a kind of like, well basically with a gangri it's used to keep people warm again, so it's kind of like an earthenware pot, so if you imagine a clay pot almost, and then that is held in a design which is like a wicker basket design, and what happens is you put hot coals in it.

And so again, in the harsh winters, where it's cold, you could sit around it to keep warm. Now, a very traditional way to use a kangri in the winter is to sit with your perron over your knees, put the kangri underneath. I almost said it in an English way instead of a Kashmiri way, kangri, not kongri. Put the kangri under your perron and that keeps you warm. My dad used to do it when we were young.

because we were running around and playing and it was snowing outside. And of course you get feet and feet and feet of snow, so much snow because it's near the Himalayas. And we always just say, dad, dad, can we get in the parent? You know, to keep warm. So yeah, having the kangri, which essentially is a vessel for holding hot colds that help to keep people warm. People are known to walk around with a kangri even.

So imagine you were going around town or you were doing going somewhere, but obviously it's cold. You've got your pair on on. You're also going to have your kangri with you walking around with it to keep you warm. And then when you go to someone's house, when you go there, they will give you coal to top up with your kangri as well. yeah.

Maria (14:42.901)
would.

Maria (14:51.797)
That's so nice. It sounds very efficient, especially now the winter is coming.

Teyshi (14:56.386)
Yeah, you have to be careful sometimes because people are known to get burns if there's little accidents. we just have to be, yeah. But it's something that people, know, especially when it's a small kids around, right? But, you know, I think it's something that people just learn to, even as us as children, we understood that it was hot. We don't go near it, too near it. But yeah, certainly it's worked for people for hundreds of years.

Maria (15:01.0)
my God.

Maria (15:20.585)
would be one of those people going to something more safe. What kind of music is tradition in Kashmir Valley?

Teyshi (15:31.085)
Hmm, there's not much known really. I don't think these days about traditional Kashmir music, but certainly the folk music of the valley. It includes forms like jacri and sufiana. Again, sufiana, I think it's column is part of the Sufi influence that we were talking about earlier. And it's a classic form of music that involves traditional instruments like santur and rabab. Now santur, my mum actually,

played that in her college days. So it's a kind of vertical instrument and it's got strings going along it and you sort of have two little kind of metal, I don't know what you'd call them, rods and you hit the strings and make notes on it. It's a version of another, I believe Persian type of instrument or some of the instrument from, I don't know whether it's Arab or Persian actually. It's a variation of that.

has slightly changed in the valley, but it's called Santur and makes beautiful music. Definitely look it up. I've seen some Arab people playing their version, which probably came before. If you know somebody called Absorber, Hamza Absorber YT, he plays an instrument and it's very similar. If you've ever seen him play that, it's very similar to the Santur, except he plucks it with his fingers and...

The way that we play ours in the valley, well, I personally don't, I wish I did, is with these little metal rods that hit the chords. So yeah, these are some beautiful instruments. And the rhubarb is something that even I don't know too much about, but certainly there are these instruments that are used in the valley and you really only see them there.

Maria (17:19.306)
it sounds very interesting that for sure I'm gonna search and learn more about it. Well, Tessie, I have one more question for you and this one is very important because I have seen pictures of this beautiful lake and I wonder what is the significance of that lake in Kashmiri culture?

Teyshi (17:39.434)
Well, you're totally right, Maria. And in fact, our album cover for these podcasts is a picture that I took from a Shikara, which is a small canoe-like boat on Dull Lake itself. Dull Lake, has to be the most iconic thing about Kashmir Valley. I used to pass it every day on my way to school on the school bus. I literally am obsessed with Dull Lake. I love it. Probably because it's so sentimental for me, but it's important to a lot of Kashmiris, but it's definitely...

You know, a symbol of Kashmiri culture and tourism. lot of tourism, Maria. And it's known for his houseboat. So these are great big, you know, it's really, they're not boats. They look like almost like, what would you call it? You could say they look like a cruise ship. I wouldn't go maybe that far, but you know, you can stay in a houseboat. You can vacation there and it will have bedrooms in it. It will have a living room.

Maria (18:30.5)
What?

Teyshi (18:36.325)
It will have all the mod cons. It's usually all made out of wood very beautifully. Like the the carpentry on it, you know, the the patterns that are carved in. you ever get a chance to go to Kashmir and go to Dul Lake, definitely have a look at the houseboats. They are stunning. And it's one of the sad things because they used to the tourism used to really flourish in that reason.

in that actual region but we don't see it so much now anymore. It's still there a little bit but not anything like in its heyday. But yeah the houseboats are amazing, they sit on Dull Lake. As I mentioned there is Shakara which are like the little canoes. These are used by people to show tourists around to give them you know a bit of a tour around the lake but is actually also used for people to trade. People sell things out of these Shakaras whether it's fruits.

vegetables, nuts, flowers, but yes it also holds cultural importance due to its connection with the local way of life and there are the floating markets there, there's also a lot of fishing. So, Dul Lake is actually so central to know, Kashmir Valley.

Maria (19:50.507)
Well, I write it down in my bucket list. Definitely have to go to the dark lake and try one of the passport. Sounds magical, does she?

Teyshi (19:53.031)
Yeah. 100%. So nice. It is beautiful.

Maria (20:01.377)
Well, Tashi, is all that I have for you today. Thank you so much for educating me and our listeners on the Kashmiri culture. This is a beautiful place with a beautiful music, dresses, and other things that I'm looking forward to learn more about it. Thank you for joining me today.

Teyshi (20:18.594)
thank you so much, Maria. My pleasure, my pleasure.

Maria (20:22.988)
Have a great day.

Teyshi (20:24.635)
You too!