Zainab and Nadiya join family tradition of harvesting Kashmir’s ‘red gold’
Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Oct 30 (KNO): As Pampore’s saffron town prepares for harvest, the air is filled with the fragrance of the “red gold”. The little duo of nine-year-old cousins, Zainab and Nadiya, joined their family to help with the collection.
The saffron season in Kashmir is a time that stretches from late October to mid-November when families come together to handpick one of the world’s most precious spices.
With small, careful hands, Zainab and Nadiya pick the flowers one by one, filling the baskets with beautiful petals. “It makes me happy to help. I want to pick as many flowers as I can,” Zainab said while speaking with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
My family members taught me how to hold the flowers carefully so we don’t hurt them, she added.
Nadiya, a shy girl, said, “The flowers are soft. I like picking them with my care.”
Saffron known locally as “kong posh” and also referred to as the “red gold” of Kashmir, has been grown in these fields for centuries and is a symbol of Kashmir’s rich culture.
As the annual saffron season brings families together, they start picking up flowers and sorting out the bright red stigmas, which will later be dried to become the world-renowned saffron spice.
From early morning till dusk, villagers walk through the fields, bending over to pick each flower by hand and placing them gently into woven wicker baskets.
Kashmiri saffron is prized for its deep colour, unique aroma and flavour, making it highly sought after across the world. Besides being a cherished cooking spice, it’s also valued in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, perfumes, and textile dyes—(KNO)
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