SRINAGAR: Adil Kumar was in school when he started helping his father cook wazwan at functions. Initially, his father, who was a master chef, was reluctant to introduce his son to his craft. He wanted his son to go for higher studies. Adil promised his father to continue his studies while learning the nitty-gritty of the craft.
Come 2023, Adil is pursuing an MA in Psychology and is one of the master chefs in south Kashmir. “There is no shame in work. Work is worship. I Iearnt this art from my father. As promised, I continued my education,” he said.
Hailing from Sopat village in Kulgam district, Adil is feeling proud for being termed as PG Waza of South Kashmir. Not only Adil, his elder brother Zahid Kumar, who is also a chef, too is pursuing post-graduation in sociology.
“Zahid is one year elder to me. He is pursuing PG in sociology. We are working together. Not only are we earning our livelihood, but we are also providing employment to several people,” said Adil.
Adil and Zahid took cooking as a full-time profession when their father passed away a few years ago. “We were young when our father died. For generations, we have been associated with wazwan. Our grandfather was a master chef. My father inherited the craft from him. After him, we are taking it forward,” he said.
The two brothers have divided time in such a manner that their work and studies do not get affected. “Wazwan is a seasonal business. We remain busy in a particular season. We also own a hotel in the village. When there is an off-season, we devote our time to studies. We prepare our notes and study full-on. This helps us in making up for the academic loss that we incur while working in the field. Plus we also have a hotel and we also devote some time there too,” he said.
Given their educational background, their clientele has increased manifold in south Kashmir. They have earned goodwill in the area which no one can beat. “Yes, education does matter. People don’t see us just wazas. They respect us. They realize that we are padai likhai log,” he said.
