Kashmir wazwan chefs set 10 pm deadline for serving food at weddings
Kashmir’s traditional chefs, known as wazas, have decided to stop serving wazwan at weddings after 10 pm, citing long working hours, late-arriving wedding parties and inadequate rest facilities. The association has urged families to ensure dignified conditions for everyone involved
Srinagar: Tired of waiting endlessly for the groom to arrive, Kashmir’s traditional chefs, known as ‘waza’, have set a 10 pm deadline for serving wazwan at weddings.
At a conference held at a marriage hall in the Rajouri Kadal area of the city, wazas discussed the “inhuman conditions” under which they are made to work while serving the multi-course wazwan to guests at weddings and other functions.
The chefs unanimously decided that they would not serve food after 10 pm.
Kashmir Waza Association president Ghulam Nabi Waza said his community had suffered in silence for too long.
“It takes several hours to prepare the dishes, and usually we work late into the night. Then we are expected to start serving lunch from around 1 pm till 6 pm, which is followed by dinner, which starts well into the night,” Waza said.
He complained that when chefs are engaged to cook at the bride’s home, they have to wait for the groom and his entourage to arrive, which usually happens past midnight.
“There have been incidents where the maulvi left without solemnising the nikah because the groom did not turn up till 1 am. We are also humans. So we now set the 10 pm deadline,” Waza said.
He said arriving late for wedding feasts had become fashionable and appealed to people to get rid of the habit.
“There are so many people attached with the wazwan, and they too have the right to dignified working hours,” he added.
Several chefs also complained of being mistreated by their clients.
“For example, we are not provided a proper place to sleep. We work long hours and need some time to rest before we prepare ourselves for the next day’s gruelling routine. The hosts should take care of that aspect,” one of the chefs said.
