SUHAIL KHAN
PATTAN, Feb 6: Gohal-Chaku, a village in Pattan tehsil of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, is renowned for its women, who work tirelessly to make a living for themselves.
From dawn to dusk, nearly 70% of the female population of the village is engaged in the preparation and refinement of water chestnuts.
These women spend their days collecting and cleaning the water chestnuts, which they later sell to local traders in different parts of the valley. Despite the hard work involved, the women take pride in their profession and see it as a means of supporting their families.
According to locals, the water chestnut business in Gohal-Chaku village has been thriving for generations. The women who work in this sector have passed on their skills and knowledge of this trade to the next generation, ensuring that the tradition continues till times to come.
Despite the hard work, the women of Gohal-Chaku face several challenges in their daily lives. Many of them work in harsh weather conditions and face a lack of proper infrastructure and equipment. They also face competition from other water chestnut producers in the valley, making it difficult to sell their produce at a fair price.
Locally known as “Gaer,” it is botanically known as Trapa and is also known as water chestnuts in English. In Kashmir’s history, it has survived as Singhara, a nut that has always been associated with Val’s misery.
Mehti Begum, a 65-year-old woman in the Gohal-Chaku village of Pattan Tehsil in Baramulla district, has been preparing dried water chestnuts for her entire life.
In a recent interview, Begum explained the process of making the dried chestnuts, which involves checking the water content of the chestnuts from local traders, making a bonfire, and buffeting the chestnuts with bamboo sticks or fat batons.
Ruqsana, a 20-year-old girl in the village, also shared her experience of preparing water chestnuts, saying that she has been accompanying her mother for the past three years.
According to Ruqsana, this work has been passed down from their forefathers and is considered a blessing.
The water chestnuts produced in Gohal-Chaku village are highly regarded for their exceptional health benefits and mineral-rich composition. The popularity of these chestnuts has increased to such an extent that some consumers prefer to consume them without undergoing the drying process, which further highlights the quality and wholesome nature of the product.
The preparation of water chestnuts in Gohal-Chaku village in Pattan Tehsil of Baramulla district requires a significant amount of patience and dedication. The process begins with the retrieval of the chestnuts from the Jhelum or Wular rivers, followed by boiling the chestnuts for 40 to 60 minutes using the traditional Kashmiri Dambur firewood stove. After the chestnuts have been thoroughly boiled, the burr is carefully removed.
The majority of women in Gohal-Chaku village are engaged in the preparation of water chestnuts until late in the evening. while the men in the village are busy selling the chestnuts in different parts of the valley throughout the day. This enables the women to prepare a fresh stock for the next day’s sales.
The women of Gohal-Chaku are to be commended for their tireless efforts in supporting their families and preserving their traditional means of livelihood. Their hard work and dedication are exemplary.
Harvesting water chestnuts is the most accessible occupation for many fishermen in other parts of Kashmir as well.
Baniyar, Lankreshpora, Kanibathy, Ashtangoo, and Zurmanz are the main villages that make Bandipora the largest producer of Kashmir chestnuts. These areas inhabiting the lake shoreline are licenced to harvest water chestnuts. Official estimates suggest that around 90 percent of the total water chestnuts in Kashmir amount to around four metric tonnes of nuts every year.
Suhail Khan is a filmmaker, content writer, and freelance journalist.
