Kashmir Wrapped In Wool And Memory

By Syed Nissar H Gilani

After more than thirty years, I wore a Pheran again.

It belonged to a friend and was soft in the pale light of winter.

The moment I slipped into it, memories returned of the winters from 1988 to 1992.

Those were the last years I had a Pheran stitched for myself.

The touch of the wool and the weight of the fabric carried the winters of my youth, winters that taught patience, endurance, and closeness.

The Pheran I wore then began its life in Downtown Srinagar, near Bohri Kadal, at a shop called“Beduban hiund waan.”

The shop was run by the Bedaba family, whose name carries a sense of timeless grace in Kashmir.

A Bedaba house has its own elegance. It is modest but beautiful, with a compact first floor that holds space and light in equal measure.

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