Srinagar: The starting of the wedding season in Kashmir in the month of May is a blessing to those associated with the industry as it's the only time when they could earn a living for the rest of the year. However, over the past two years, their livelihoods have been severely affected and many have even run out of business owing to Covid pandemic-induced lockdowns and restrictions. Marriage halls in Srinagar have become deserted. Tent and other essential suppliers are feeling helpless due to their never-ending wait and the chefs are worried about employment.
Read:|Low business forces wedding band owners to sell vegetables
Marriages in Srinagar were used to be held with much fanfare, camping agencies were highly packed and chefs were in demand throughout the Valley. Things, however, have changed now. Mohammad Sharif Khan, one of Kashmir's most popular traditional chef, said, "There was a time when we were in demand. Today, everyone has been affected by the pandemic. Today, copper plates are being used instead of large tramies. This has not only increased costs but also the labour charge."
"In place of 100-200 tramies that Kashmiris used in weddings, today only about 10-12 plates are served. Due to low business, our employees are quitting and this is affecting their livelihood too," he said. Khan believes that buffet system should be introduced in wedding ceremonies as it would be of much convenience. "About 80 per cent of the marriages have been postponed and the rest have been held low key," Mehraj-ud-Din Ganai, general secretary of the All Kashmir Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association, told ETV Bharat on a call.