And the dry spell ends…! |
It is heartening to see the end of prolonged dry spell in Jammu and Kashmir with the beginning of Chillai Kalan, the 40-day harshest winter period.
The dry spell had severely affected normal life and caused a drought-like situation. With higher reaches receiving heavy snowfall and plain areas witnessing rains, the precipitation is set to recharge our depleting glaciers and water resources. Snowfall in the 40-day period December 21 and January 29 is considered important to regulating glacier health, stream flows which are imperative for maintaining ecological balance.
Till three decades ago, Kashmir’s plain areas including Srinagar used to receive heavy spell of snowfall ranging between 4 to 6 feet. But rising pollution levels coupled with climate change drastically reduced snowfall frequency.
Chillai Kalan used to be a boon for people who used to remain confined to homes due to heavy snowfall. All roads used to be buried under snow. People used to work hard in summer to store essential items mostly Hookh Sioon, sun dried vegetables—having a long shelf life.
Houses in Kashmir were mostly constructed with mud, bricks, and wood as these conserve heat. And the people used traditional cooking and heating methods. They used Daan, a traditional cooking stove made of mud using firewood as fuel. Most of the houses had hamam, a small room, where the floor warmed up by burning firewood.
It is said that in winter, traders from Central Asia used to place orders to........