A few kilometers ahead of picturesque Doodhpatri meadow, at Kadbur, tall conifers have enveloped a long stretch of road. The afternoon summer sun has no effect on a group of visitors who are leisurely relishing traditional tea on intricately-designed sheets, spread over wild grass.
The aroma of Nun Chai, pink coloured salt tea and Kehwa,green tea infused with Saffron, attracts the visitors to this corner.
A small-time farmer from adjacent Raiyar-Beerwah villageAbdul Hamid Bhat has been serving Nun Chai to the visitors for the past oneyear.
In peak tourist season the spot remain abuzz with customers,mostly tourists. Encouraged by the response many villagers from adjacentvillages of Raiyar-Beerwah, Raiyar-Yachh, Arizal, Kralpatri and Fazimal havealso set up their stalls at the spot.
“It is my second year into tea-selling. Our economiccondition is not that good. To earn few bucks, we decided to set up stallshere. We thought it as good business,” commented Bhat, who was busy servingKehwa to visitors.
Many like Bhat in the villages surrounding Doodpathri don’thave a regular source of income to start any “big venture”. In absence of anyfinancial help from the government to stand up on their own feet, the villagerstook to this “small business”.
“We live a simple life. The milk we use in preparation oftea and the wheat that goes into preparation of bread comes from our homes. Itis the brewing Kashmiri samovar that enriches the whole setting and thevisitors coming here like it. They relish Kehwa and nun-chai,” added Bhat.
Shweta, a tourist from Pune, is awestruck, both with theambience and the services. “You get a cup of Kehwa at such cheaper rate. Thequality is also good and you get to relish it in the lap of nature. It feelslike being in Paradise,” said an elated Shweta, an engineer.
For someone like Muhammad Saqlain, a Kashmiri engineerworking in Australia, the experience of relishing traditional Kashmiri nun chaiafter a long time has been “tantalising”.
Some of those selling the traditional tea at the spot haveswitched over from different professions like Muhammad Abdullah, who was intocarpet weaving.
“Carpet weaving is no longer profitable. This (sellingtraditional tea) is at least helping me to earn enough to run my familyaffairs. On weekends when there is rush of visitors we do a brisk business. Onother days it is just normal,” said Abdullah.
He runs his stall in partnership with Muhammad Yousuf, aspecially-abled middle-aged man.
What catches the eye of the visitors is also the womenmaking fresh and traditional bread on the hearth at the spot and helping theirmale counterparts by undertaking different chores including washing utensils aswell.
Though some villagers at the spot also sell fast food items,Bhat claimed that the visitors especially from outside show interest in “realKashmiri” food items.
Social activist Raja Muzzaffar Bhat who also has been impressed by the local gesture said the effort needs to be “encouraged and appreciated”. “It is eco-friendly and promotes our rich traditional culture,” said Bhat.