by Tazeem Nazir
SRINAGAR: Perhaps one of the noisiest lanes in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk is the Bukhari Galli of Maisuma, where expert tinsmiths make traditional heating appliances for winter. Getting into the lane is a challenge given the noise and almost every inch of the space is stuffed with bukharis.
Traditional Kangri apart, heat bukhari has remained a cheap warming appliance for rooms for decades. Made of tin sheets, these consist of a wide cylindrical fire chamber for fuel burning and a pipe for smoke exhaust. This is the simplest appliance that is affordable and simple to use.
Over the years, there are three types of tin-bukhari being made and used by people. The difference is based on the fuel input. The simpler bukhari runs on firewood. Another one consumes sawdust. The pretty hotter one is coal based and can sometimes turn dangerous given the poisonous emissions from coal burning, unlike the other two variants.
Seemingly, an upgrade of European fireplaces and the Angethis from the plains, Kashmir has been using these traditional Bukharis from a long time now. It has emerged almost a full time profession for small group of tinsmiths within and outside Srinagar.
Ghulam Mohammad Ahangar, an experienced tinsmith, said he has been making bukharis for more than 35 years. Now, he is a disappointed man. “We used to make around thousand bukharis in a season,” Ahnagar said. “Now, it has reduced to almost 250 per season. We mostly supply to hilly areas because these traditional bukharis are affordable and the people there have good availability of wood as compared to Srinagar and other towns.”
A bukhari is a cheap appliance. In certain cases, it sells at the cost of two kangris. The basic bukahri would cost Rs 500 but a better one may go up to Rs 2000. With never appliances flooding the market, the bukhari-makers are frustrated.
“There is decline in sales,” Feroze Ahmad said. “Now the household buyers are from Anantnag, Budgam, Kupwara, and Bandipora.”
Traditionally, bukharis are used at workplaces, in offices, schools, colleges, and shops. Government departments used to be the major buyers. “The demand from government departments has declined and it has affected our sales adversely,” Shabir Ahmad, said. “Now, we only supply to JK police.”
While these tinsmiths remained attached to the making of traditional bukharis, the heating appliance witnessed a major change. More sophisticated and better bukhari’s invaded the market and took a huge part of the tin bukharis. The newer ones were durable, though expensive but very efficient in warming the space. In certain cases, these take less fuel input.
For the last more than a decade, Turkish bukharis are in fashion. Imported from Turkey, these Bukharis also use wood as fuel but lesser than traditional Bukharis. Turkish Bukharis are advanced and have proper ventilation system to eliminate the smoke as compared to traditional bukharis. Turkish are very expensive. A basic wood-fired Turkish bukhari costs Rs 16,000 and goes up to Rs1,20,000.
Salman Malik, who is currently importing these Bukharis from Turkey to Kashmir says, “We are experiencing a great response from people across the valley. The demand is so good that we are out of stock right now and I think these Bukharis will take over the market very soon and replace the other options available.”
