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The pheran is a type of cloak believed to have been brought into Kashmir around 700 years ago from Central Asia where it had the Persian name 'pairahan'.
A major controversy has erupted in Kashmir following a government order banning the use of the pheran, a key part of Kashmiri attire in some parts of the state. The decision was taken in the light of a rising number of terrorist incidents in the state and attacks on the security forces by crowds using stones.
A stream of protest erupted on social media criticising Delhi's decision to ban the ethnic Kashmiri wear in government offices.
The order is meant to be imposed in educational institutions and the state secretariat in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) had removed the word Kashmiri from the online portal ‘BashaSangam' following a complaint by some Kashmiri Pandits.
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201812...-dress/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Pheran banned in civil secretariat, zonal education offices
The school education department has banned the traditional Kashmiri attire ‘Pheran’ in its zonal offices in the Valley.
The development comes in the backdrop of a similar ban on the Pheran in the civil secretariat (Srinagar) where the commoners visiting the administrative departments have to relinquish it at the main gate.
Following this, the Zonal Education Officer, Langate issued an order last week banning the wearing of Pheran for every official visiting the office.
“All the officials visiting this office are advised to visit with proper dress code during any official visit. It is recommended that no official will visit this office wearing ‘Feran’, traditional trousers and sleeper/Plastic shoes (sic),” the order reads.
As per sources, the orders on similar lines are being issued at the behest of verbal orders from the Chief Education Officers in the Valley.
The civil secretariat security staff has put the Pherans on the barred items category.
The decision comes close on the heels of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) removing Kashmiri from the online portal ‘BashaSangam’ following a complaint by some Kashmiri Pandits.
And all these decision of interfering with the Kashmiri language and indigenous Kashmiri dress is being looked in the Valley as a cultural onslaught carried by New Delhi on the Kashmiri people.
The move of the government banning the traditional Pheran leaves one wondrous with the former chief minister and National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah being seen donning the Pheran frequently while the commoners are discriminated.
In 2014, Omar Abdullah had asked the Srinagar-based Army's 15 Corps to withdraw its order asking the journalist fraternity to refrain from wearing the Pheran.
“If the army has in fact told journalists not to wear a pheran to Corps HQ events that is unacceptable & the order should be withdrawn (sic),” Omar wrote on Twitter in 2014. “People wear their pheran with pride. It's part of our identity aside from the best way to stay warm in the cold. Can't ban pherans.”
Later the Army while retreating the order had termed the guideline as “inadvertent”.
Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti also used to wear the Pheran frequently as chief minister while the commoners visiting the Srinagar civil secretariat had to keep their traditional attire atop the iron poles outside the secretariat premises.
Kashmiri politicians across ideological divide have been wearing the Pheran publicly, many times to strike an emotional chord with the local populace.
The Hurriyat (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Faroooq along with Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik may not be wearing the Pheran for political reasons but they, because of their public profiles, also have been popularising the Pheran as a preferable formal dress in winter by choosing to wear it outside their homes in winters.
The Pheran was further popularized among the Kashmiri youth by Bollywood film actors including Shahid Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor and Salman Khan who during their film shoots in Kashmir chose to wear Pherans on and off the film shoots.
The Pheran is believed to have been brought into the Valley around 700 years ago from Central Asia where it was used as a cloak under the Persian name “Pairahan”.
The Central Asian Pairahan is believed to have been adopted by the English who later called it the ‘Apron’ now donned by the doctors world over.
Over the years, the sale of the tweed cloth for the Pherans in the Valley has witnessed an upsurge while the tailors in the summer capital Srinagar been blending the traditional design of the Pheran with the English coat designs.
With attractive motifs, the popularity of designer Pherans in Kashmir is increasing by the day and Pheran have now crossed the geographical boundaries.
For centuries, Pheran has served as traditional apparel for Kashmiris to combat the harsh winter.
It is used with the traditional fire pot (Kangri) in tow, which serves as a reliable means to keep people warm.
http://www.risingkashmir.com/news/cultural-onslaught-continues-in-kashmir-339884.html
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