MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The daily life of Azad Kashmir is simply influenced by the beauty, culture, and hospitable people. Brightly colored valleys, tall mountains, beautiful landscapes, and nature make Azad Kashmir a piece of paradise on Earth.
Beyond its natural beauty, the region also possesses a fearless, vibrant spirit whose unique daily life culminates from this great area’s history, culture, and geography. This blog will take a look at an overview of daily life in Azad Kashmir; customs, traditions, and lifestyle.
Daily Routine
Azad Kashmir dawns with the call to early prayers resounding through the valleys and villages. With the sun peeping over the mountains, the people kick start their days with hot cups of tea, some likelier bread, and sweets.
This time of the day is taken to bond families, where the family members gather together to talk about their programs for the day, exchange stories, and share news.
Farming and Livestock
Agriculture and livestock have become the backbone of Azad Kashmir; they constitute the major economic activity with most locals engaged in farming, pastoralism, and subsidiary activities.
Most agrarian products are famous all over, including fruits, vegetables, and dairy collected and produced under traditional practices. The daily lives of the inhabitants, hence, become closely interrelated with the land and involve looking after fields, orchards, and livestock throughout the day.
Traditional Crafts
The artisans of Azad Kashmir are famous worldwide for their traditional crafts such as wood carving, weaving, and embroidery. These skilled artisans spend hours creating a variety of hand-crafted goods including furniture, woolen shawls, and intricately embroidered cotton.
Crafts constitute a basic source of income and are further considered as methods through which the cultural heritage of this region is preserved.
Food and Cuisine
The food of Azad Kashmir fully reflects its multicultural nature in the shape of a composite of Pakistani, Kashmiri, and Central Asian flavors.
Common foods like Gushtaba, Rista, and Dum Aloo are cooked with the ingredients on hand, and rice or newly baked naan bread is normally served alongside. Milk, sugar, and nuts-based sweet preparations are also frequently well-liked locally, and Kulfi and Barfi are two examples.
Social Life
The social life in Azad Kashmir is celebratory and cordial; the community is close-knit. The indigenous inhabitants here usually gather for all the celebrations, marriages, and festivities, with festal music, dance, and a grand feast. The vibrant bazaars and markets also form part of social life, where individuals do shopping, gossip, and just meet.
Challenges and Resilience
Azad Kashmir also has its drawbacks, such as poverty, absence of infrastructure, and environmental degradation, but the populace of this area is also famous for its resilience and adaptability, with most projects on sustainable development, conservation, and social welfare ongoing.
Conclusion
Azad Kashmir is a distinct, picturesque area with resistance, its way of life molded by experience in the past, culture, and geography. The virgin and beautiful landscapes, handicrafts, excellent hospitality, and convivial social life.
As we start experiencing the rhythm of daily life in Azad Kashmir, it reminds us of the era when the upkeep of cultural heritage, development of sustainable livelihood, and showing a helping hand to a strong community have to be our areas of concern.
