200-yr-old legacy of loyalty, purity & honesty held expensive to coronary heart by Srinagar’s ‘Ganwanis’

Srinagar, Feb 4: Situated within the very coronary heart of J&Ok’s outdated Srinagar metropolis, this 200-year-old store is not only a retail outlet, it’s an icon of an sincere dedication to purity, belief and buyer loyalty that has withstood all of the ‘invasions’ by modern-day multi-facility departmental shops.

Over 200 years again, a small store of real spices, tea, edible oil and salt was began in Zaina Kadal space of Srinagar metropolis near the graveyard of Kashmir’s sultans together with that of Zainul Abbadin higher often called ‘Budshah’ (Nice King) for his imaginative and prescient of justice throughout religions and developmental genius.

This small dealer’s store got here to be often called ‘Ganwani’s store’ after the person who first began it. The household legacy has handed from father to son and is now run by the fifth technology of the Ganwanis.

Proper since its institution the store had grow to be synonymous with all that was actually conventional and pure in spices like tamarind, pink chillies, fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin, salt, mustard oil, inexperienced tea and different grocery gadgets.

From far off locations like Gurez in Bandipora district, Karnah in Kupwara district, Uri in Baramulla district, distant villages of south Kashmir districts, discerning consumers have been coming to purchase their alternative grocery items from this store that’s nonetheless trusted by consumers and the native cooks known as the ‘Wazas’.

There isn’t any reputed household of those native cooks who would belief spices and many others those that go into the making of the multi-course native feast known as the ‘Wazwan’ if the spices and many others have come from any store aside from the ‘Ganwanis’.

“Nicely, we’re not going to threat our repute through the use of uncertain spices and condiments within the Wazwan feast. So the rule of thumb has been to purchase this stuff from the Ganwanis”, mentioned Zahoor Ahmad, 52, who belongs to a reputed household of Wazas residing in outdated Srinagar metropolis.

The loyalty of the Ganwanis and the belief of their consumers has grown manifold over time.

“You purchase grocery gadgets and many others from this store for any quantity for marriage, engagement, household reunions and different ceremonies. You’re assured of the genuineness of your purchase plus the suitable value.

“An enormous worth addition has been that if you happen to purchase items value Rs one lakh and after the ceremony you will have saved say 25 per cent or extra, you possibly can go to the store and trade the products for cash with out being requested any query”, mentioned Shabir Ahmad, 64, who has been shopping for issues from the Ganwanis since he was a grown up.

Ghulam Nabi Wani, 67 has not moved out of the small store his ancestors opened.

Surrounded by small tin packing containers, luggage and containers within the typical outdated custom, this magic vendor doesn’t take a lot time to pack your shopping for listing by opening tin packing containers, luggage and containers that bear no exterior proof of what they comprise!

His son, Naseer Ahmad Wani has now opened an even bigger store a long way away from his father’s with out compromising on the household’s repute of honesty, purity and real value.

Ghulam Nabi Wani, the daddy spends part of his time at Naseer’s store to make sure that the household legacy is transferred as truthfully as he inherited it.

When a purchaser purchases some spices and many others from Naseer’s store, Ghulam Nabi takes some time trying on the items after which nods his head in approval with a smile that depicts his satisfaction.

Ghulam Nabi mentioned when his father took him to take a seat on the household store, he was hardly 15 years outdated.

“I labored as an apprentice to my father for some years earlier than he trusted my judgement to make sure that the household custom remained in correct fingers”, mentioned Ghulam Nabi.

Naseer’s store has a battery of helpers and it’s evident that the calls for of the market and the rising variety of consumers have made the makeover inevitable, however there is similar stage of honesty and purity which has been the hallmark of the Ganwanis for five generations.

“How can one cheat and betray his household custom of 200 years?

“For me, extra essential than the cash I make is the variety of consumers who go away my store with the identical satisfaction they’d in the course of the days of my forefathers”, Naseer Ahmad instructed IANS whereas his father, who sits a long way away from the son.