Leaving home at the crack of dawn in sub-zero temperatures to eat Harissa — a meat delicacy cooked overnight and served only for breakfast — has been the preserve of men for centuries. This winter, women in Srinagar are stepping out, to sit cross-legged on the carpeted floor of the Harissa-wan, parlours with a raised cooking space that seat 10-15 people.
Rehana Kausar, who works at the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, who with eight other women visited a Harissa shop in Srinagar’s old city this season for the first time, said, “Initially, we were uncomfortable, but nobody passed a snide comment, or stared at us, or made us feel uncomfortable in any way. We loved it.” The women are part of the Kashmir Women’s Collective, a group at the forefront of pushing progressive thought in the State.
“We see more and more women coming to have Harissa served at the shop,” said Iftikhar Ahmad, a Harissa seller from Rajouri Kadal, in one of Srinagar’s bylanes. “We never thought women would come and sit next to male customers. It was heart-warming. Times have changed, and we plan to create separate spaces where women may feel more comfortable,” he said.
