SUHAIL KHAN
As locals and visitors congregated at the famed Lal Chowk to commemorate “International Pheran Day,” the bustling market in Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir, was crowded with people on Wednesday morning. As per reports, Lal chowk wore a festive look today on this occasion.
To commemorate “International Pheran Day,” a gathering of young people, including girls wearing vibrant pherans, congregated at Lal Chowk next to the Ghanta Ghar.
Nasir Ali, one of the participants, said that on the occasion of International Persian Day, being celebrated across the world on December 21, it is an honor to be a Kashmiri.
“While the day is celebrated worldwide, for the people of Kashmir, Pheran isn’t just an outfit but an emotion; it’s our identity, our culture and for this, we Kashmiri people can do any positive thing. The gala function to celebrate the moment is one such step,” he added.
He stated that despite the numerous issues that this outfit has faced in the past, we are grateful to the Indian Army and Heritage Group, for which we have all gathered at Lal Chowk to celebrate Pheran Day.
“This is a historic day for Kashmir, and on this occasion, we want to spread a message to the whole world that the people of Kashmir are very peaceful lovers and can do anything to save our tradition, our heritage, and our culture for ourselves and our future generations,” Nasir added.
Another participant Zainab said that Kashmiri Pheran has crossed beyond Kashmir and has hit national and international markets.
Following the enormous amount of interest it garnered in Lal Chowk, a fashion show was conducted at SKICC where a large number of models and artists dressed in pheran delighted the large audience and commemorated the day.
Speaking to this reporter, a female artist said that Pheran is a lovely Kashmiri custom that is currently making an international fashion statement.
“It’s wonderful to see that every model sporting a Pheran is participating in this fashion show, which amplifies the message about how much we value our tradition,” she added.
She further stated that it is wonderful to see that people are becoming more interested in commemorating International Kashmir Day, and that this trend will continue in the coming years.
Besides the male models, around 25 girls also participated in this fashion show, where they wore pheran with an aim to promote Kashmir and its traditions, said another participant model.
He said Kashmir has great talent, and a time is coming when the people, especially in the film industry, will create history.
The participants said that they tried to promote Pheran in this fashion exhibition to deliver a message to those who overlook this exquisite culture.
“We are only trying to do our part as a model and an artist to keep this Pheran tradition alive,” they added.
They said that the motive for organizing this Pheran show was to represent our tradition at the international level so that people across the globe would learn about this unique tradition of a person.
One of the participants stated that because people of other regions wear their traditional clothing, Kashmiris will face difficulties in wearing this traditional Persian, if not preserved
Organizers of the event said that several local models participated in shows. They said that around 55 participated in the show, including 25 girls.
In a message, Kamran said that, like today, we took this initiative to celebrate this Pheran Day, and we want every year to be celebrated at the international level.
“Besides, people should restore the glory of Pheran and feel proud of wearing this beautiful tradition,” Kamran added.