Dr Suvidha Khanna Sondhi
Starting from Kashmir- which is regarded as one of Asia’s top tourism destination is known both for its beauty and pleasant weather. Tours and travel to this region gives an immense opportunity to be a part of quite, peaceful and rustic lifestyle of these people. There are several tribes that are found all over who follow different religions that range from Hinduism to Islam to Buddhism. People here in this part are very simple and hospitable.
Ladakhis are known for their cheerful disposition as they enjoy a number of festivals which give them a pleasant excuse for social and convival gatherings.
If we talk about Jammu, it again has distinct cultural identity called Dogra culture. The land of the Dogras, has some beautiful dances and music that originated in its lap and were developed by the hardy and graceful women of the Duggar.
According to historians, the ancestors of Kashmiris are early immigrants from India proper. The contact of Kashmiris with the Roman, Greek and Persian civilization resulted into a fusion of cultures. This discussion very aptly defines the distinction of the cultures of J&K. Each region has something unique in it which can be pointed out as:
KASHMIR :- Kashmir is not only known for its serenity and beauty but also because of its hospitable people, who possess unique characteristic blend of various cultures. The fair and red people have deep-rooted cultural values which can be seen in the form of their dances and music, festivals, their arts and crafts and their cuisine. Kashmiri classical music is called Sufiana and their folk forms are Rauf and Chhakri. Folk dances of Kashmir include Hafiza, Wattal Rambal, Rauf and Patthar. If we talk about the festivals, Kashmiris celebrate all those festivals which are there in India, yet there are some special ones that include Baisakhi, First Navaratra, Shiv Ratri, Ramzan and Eid, which Kashmiris celebrate with great pomp and show.
Kashmir is known for its rich handicrafts not only in India but throughout the world. The varied handicrafts of the region include Persian carpets, farms of embroidery (Jalik-doozi, Sozan-Kari, Rajjgar Kaam, Do-rukha), Nomdas, Gabbas, Wicker-Willow Products (Kangris, Mats, etc), Paper Machie products, Pherans, Saffron, Shawls (Pashmina and Shahtoosh), Silk, etc.
Kashmiri Wazwan is famous all over. There are about 20 million dishes of the average Wazwan which are served. As it is said the food habits of the place much depends upon the climate of it, Wazwan too is not that heavy for the people of Kashmir as they strongly need the warmth plus it is said that the water of Kashmir is such that it helps them to digest this kind of food better.
Ladakh : As rightly pointed out by someonw, ‘’Ladakh is the only place in India and one of the few in the world-which has learnt how to balance modernity with tradition.’’ Ladakh perhaps is the place in the whole J&K which has tremendous rich cultural heritage. More like Chinese and Japanese, people from Ladakh are even-smiling and extremely hospitable and are disciplined. They have a very peculiar and beautiful arbihture of their homes which are liked by the tourists alot. People of Ladakh are very jovial and they like to feast themselves with mouth watering cuisines, colourful fairs, in which they sing and dance to their heart’s content. The festivals are celebrated in different monastries like Gustor, Dosmochey, Tse Chu, Losar, Angchok, etc. Various other popular festivals include Sindhu Darshan, The Baudh Mahotsav, The Kargil festival etc.
Ladakhis generally do not sell their handicrafts in the market, yet they make these for themselves.Ladakhi baskets; carpets, utensils made from Copper, Brass; Goncha (their dress); jewellery; paper-machie products; Pottery, Tankhr Paintings, wood work; Shawls (Pashmeena); etc are important Ladakhi handicrafts.
Ladakhi cuisine include Sku and Thuppa (Made of wheat flour), Pava (made of Sattu) and Khambis (local bread). Their tourists include Thukpa, a thick soup with vegetables that provide a complete meal and delicious Momos on steamed dumplings stuffed with meat or vegetables, accompanied by a fiery chilli sauce. There are also many bakeries in Ladakh where one can buy freshly bread and enjoy eating it with locally made Apricot jam.
Jammu : The land of Duggars’ again has alot to offer to the tourists as far as its culture is concerned. The beautiful dances and music were said to have developed by the Duggar women to divert themselves from the long spell of separations from their soldier husbands and brothers. The folk dances of Jammu include Bhagatain, Gitlu, Hirna, Karak, Phummani, etc. The various folk songs of Jammu are Karak (a ballad), Bakh, Gawatri, Karkan (a ballad) Baran (a ballad) etc. Unlike other 2 regions of the State, Jammu is also known for its theatre, which is also called as ‘Tamachra’ the operatic folk theatre of Duggar.
The people of Jammu like the other two parts of the State, are extremely hospitable. People of Jammu region celebrate different festivals like Diwali, Holi, Eid, Baisakhi, Shivratri, Lohri, etc and fairs like Jhiri Mela, Baisakhi Mela, Navratra festival etc. with great pomp and show.
Jammu region is known for Bamboo products like fruit bowls, furniture, paper trays, table mats etc, blankets, vessels for kitchen made from Biass, copper, calico weaving and printing, carpets, products from Chikri wood (Matchbones, tooth picks, etc), Basholi paintings, Pottery, Silk, etc as its popular handicrafts.
The delicacies of Jammu include Kali Gajjar Kanji, Desi Chai, Aurica, Khameera, Thothru, Khatte Kulth, Rajma, Kasrod Ki Subzi,Kaladi, Ambhal, Meetha Pat, Keyus, Madra, Peegha, etc.
The above mentioned discussion on all the three regions of the State leads us to the conclusion that all of them are entirely different from each other as far as their cultures are concerned, thus leading to the uniqueness of the State. A tourist who is looking for the cultural values would be delighted to see the three varied and beautiful cultures, which hardly have anything in common. Thus, the tourism planners and Marketers must consider the USP of the State and Market it accordingly. A large number of tourists already visit Ladakh to view its culture. They can be tapped easily and can be made to visit the other two regions too, which would surely lead to their length of the stay thereby boosting the economy of the State. Otherwise also, there is a lack of information amongst the people outside the State as they think that all three regions i.e Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh is a one place. They need to be educated about it and be told that not only these three regions are far away from each other, but they completely have distinct cultural heritage which doesnot have much in common. Whileas we talk about India having the diverse cultures, the State of J&K has diverse cultural identities which actually can become a great tool for the tourism professionals to attract the tourists at a large scale. All it needs is a large marketing strategy alongwith the good, well prepared marketing tools as brochures etc. Showcausing the culture of all three regions of the State. As it is needed in the tourism industry, J&K has to have its USP and the major USP of our State is its rich and varied cultural identity. Therefore, tourism planners of the State Department of Tourism, J&K State, young upcoming professionals of tourism and others related to the field should come forward and market the State vis-a-vis its cultural values.
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