warvet

  WINTER WITH NAMES!! BY WARVET   ‘I myself am from the hills. Give me the medium warm version. This one will be too hot! I protested to the salesman in Ooshin Showroom on Residency Road’. ‘My dear sir, you don’t know Kashmir cold. Once Chillai Kalan sets in, you will repent you didn’t buy the warmest version’ The salesman was adamant. Everyone I met since I landed in Srinagar on posting advised buying Ooshin thermals that were imported from England. And everyone talked of ‘Chillai Kalan’. I insisted and got the medium version and returned home. On the way home I asked the driver, Parvez what was Chillai Kalan. ‘Umm you see Chillai Kalan’ starts on 21 December and lasts for 40 days. It’s the coldest period in Kashmir. It’s a Persian name and means ‘Thandd ka Baap’! ‘Interesting! So Kashmiris have names for winter! I thought. ‘Post Chillai Kalan comes 20 days ‘Chillai Khurd’ that means small cold and in the end we have 10 days of ‘Chillai bachh’ or Kid cold continued Parv...