MUZAFFARABAD: The tourism department of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has finalised arrangements to celebrate ‘Pheran and Kangri Day’ on Feb 19 to “promote Kashmiri culture on the one hand and express solidarity with the struggling people of India-held Kashmir on the other,” a senior official told Dawn here on Wednesday.

Pheran or Phiran is the traditional outfit for both men and women in Kashmir. It is an elongated and loosely fit woolen robe worn mainly during harsh winters to protect the wearer against bone chilling cold.

Kangri or Kanger is an earthen pot filled with glowing embers, encased in colourful handmade wicker baskets and is used by Kashmiris under their pherans to keep the cold at bay.

“The purpose of dedicating a day to this traditional winter dress and the portable fire-pot is to reconnect our new generation with our rich culture and identity symbols and also to express solidarity with our struggling brethren in IHK who have not only been resisting Indian occupation but also its cultural onslaught,” said AJK Secretary for Tourism, Information and Information Technology Midhat Shahzad, alluding to late 2018 ban on the use of pherans in IHK which had caused uproar among the Kashmiri people.

Solidarity will also be expressed with people of India-held Kashmir on Pheran and Kangri Day observed on Feb 19

“India had always been out to erode the very foundations of Kashmiri culture but it has intensified its nefarious activities after Aug 5,” she added.

This is the reason why we came up with the idea of dedicating a day to celebrate our cultural identities under the guidance of Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, she added.

Mr Haider’s spokesperson Raja Wasim told Dawn that the prime minister was personally interested in the event and had given several instructions to concerned officials to ensure maximum participation in it.

Mr Haider is directly linked with IHK because his mother, the late Saeeda Khanum, who was also the first female member of the AJK Legislative Assembly, belonged to Srinagar’s Rajouri Kadal area.

Ms Shahzad said that the preparations for the event had been finalised and several administrative committees were constituted in coordination with the district administration and other departments.

Though events are scheduled to be held in all major cities of AJK, the main event is a walk which will be held in Muzaffarabad and Mr Haider, members of the cabinet, senior government officials including Chief Secretary Mathar Niaz Rana, students, traders, lawyers and other civil society activists will participate, she added.

The walk would start from Eidgah and conclude at Upper Adda, where a roundabout has been named after Srinagar’s famous Lal Chowk, she added.

Ms Shahzad expressed the hope that people from all walks of life would fully participate in these events.

“I am sure all participants will come wearing pherans with a kangri in their hands,” she said.

“Stalls would also be set up on the day, offering traditional arts and craft items of Kashmiri heritage as well as Kashmiri breads such as baqirkhani, salty and sweet qulcha and sheermal for sale,” Ms Shahzad added.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2020