His rosewater shop in the Khankah-e-Moula neighborhood in the old city of Kashmir’s main town Srinagar is a piece of history. A Kashmiri chef prepares wazwan (a multi-course Kashmiri cuisine) during a mass marriage ceremony. The traditional business of making rosewater, however, is not lucrative and the competition is immense. Zareef Ahmad Zareef, an octogenarian Kashmiri poet and cultural activist, remembers visiting the Kozgar shop when he was a child to purchase herbal medicines. “I do remember going there and purchasing different herbal syrups that were effective against cold and cough.

Source: Taipei Times February 24, 2024 20:10 UTC