Ashok Sharma
It really heartening and appreciable that in a significant development, Kashmir Saffron got international recognition when Consultative Committee in New Delhi accepted its Geographic Indication(GI) registration. There is no doubt that Kashmir Saffron is famous all over the world for its quality and texture as also use in cuisine and medicines and giving it GI registration is really a big achievement for the Government,which will give it global recognition and a big push to its sales and help in marketing it at international level and thus,help the saffron growers across Kashmir boost their economy. The Government has also committed to get GI tags for Kashmiri silk, walnuts, fruits etc. and thus,promote these things for sale at international level.
Apart from these things, there are some other items from dfferent regions of the Union Territory of Jammu &Kashmir,which are famous across the country and abroad and which also need to be considered for GI registration in view of their wide use and popularity. First of these items is Bhaderwahi Rajmash which are valued for their unique aroma and taste and are in great demand both at home and outside.No function, whether big or small ,Government or Private, religious or social,marriage or retirement can be complete unless at least one of the dishes served happens to be Bhaderwahi Rajmash. Bhaderwahi Rajmash (kidney beans) served with rice and anardana chutney at Peerah in Ramban District are famous and locals as well as tourists never fail to taste this delicious delicacy enroute Kashmir. Similarly, if anybody has guests,one of the dishes served is obviously Bhaderwahi Rajmash. Then,there is Patisa of Kud which is made in Desi Ghee and savoured with great delight and the tourists or the native people visiting Kashmir or Patnitop/Sanasar never forget to take packs of Patisa for themselves and their relatives and friends.It is prepared only in Kud in Udhampur and in view of its popularity,the owners have opened other shops at Udhampur and other places.Basmati rice of RS Pura in Jammu District is another special item from Jammu,which is cherished for its aroma,long grain,taste and fragrance. This variety of rice grown in the fertile fields with water from the Himalayan rivers has unique taste and is popular all over the world.Anardana of Jammu(sour seeds of a variety of Pomegranate growing in Sub Himalayan regions)and Kaladi (made from milk served salted with chutney) Of Udhampur are other items from this region which strongly need GI registration for their marketing.Both are savoured with great joy and fun across Jammu and outside.While Anardana is dried and dehydrated and then ground into powder and savoured,Kaladi is fried and served often with tea. Then Black Morels(Gucchi),a rare fungus growing naturally in the higher reaches of Jammu Division,which is very costly and has medicinal properties.It is most cherished as a dish and has many buyers and admirers.It is said to be grown when lightening strikes the upper reaches of mountains.White Honey is a rare variety which is obtained from the beehives in mountainous areas of Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar Districts. It has great importance as a medicine and food.It finds its use in treating cough,losing weight,treating eye problems etc.Thus,it also has strong claim for GI registration.World famous Basohli Paintings and Pashmina shawls of Basohli too have strong claim for GI registration. Basohli Paintings is a fusion of Hindu mythology, Mughal miniature techniques and folk art of local hills, evolved in the 17th and the 18th centuries as a distinctive style of Paintings. This style of Paintings derives its name from the hill town of Basohli about 80 Kms from the District Headquarter of Kathua. These paintings, which are an excellent example of traditional craftsmanship, are marked by striking blazing colours, red borders, bold lines and rich symbols and were first introduced to the world by Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI) in the Annual Report of 1918_19, published in 1921.Basohli is also famous for Pashmina Shawl industry and there are a large number of Pashmina units in Basohli,which make Pashmina shawls and need to be provided loans at subsidised rates and supplied the Pashmina wool and accorded GI registration for worldwide promotion and marketing. Then there are Chikri works (wooden toys and furniture) from Darhal (Rajouri) which are exiquistively carved and changed into beautiful decorative and useful pieces too vie for GI registration for their global recognition. Padder Saphires are reported to be rare gems found only in the remote Padder area of Kishtwar District.These products/produce need to be branded by being given GI registration and given worldwide recognition to popularise them across the country and boost their international marketing so as to enhance the income of the people associated with them. It is hoped that the Government will realise the importance of these things and try to get GI registration for them in order to popularise and sell them at the national and international level.
(The writer is serving as Lecturer in English,Govt.HSS,Thial (Udhampur)
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