Srinagar, Nov 11: Kashmir’s traditional Wazas have decided not to serve Wazwan at weddings and other functions beyond 10 pm, drawing a firm line against what they describe as increasingly late-night wedding schedules and the inhuman working conditions faced by chefs and their assistants.
The decision was taken unanimously at a meeting of the Kashmir Waza Association held at a marriage hall in the Rajouri Kadal area of Srinagar on Wednesday.
Members said Wazas and their workers were routinely made to work for unusually long hours, sometimes continuing until after Fajr prayers, without adequate arrangements for rest.
Association president Ghulam Nabi Baba said the Waza community had suffered in silence for a long time, even as late-night wedding functions had become increasingly common.
“Such is the situation we have reached. We are being treated inhumanely. Our workers report for work at 10 am and are made to work until the following morning, sometimes even after Fajr prayers. Nobody seems concerned about their condition,” Baba said.
He explained that preparing Wazwan itself involved several hours of work, followed by lengthy serving schedules. Waza teams are generally expected to serve lunch from around 1 pm to 6 pm, after which they have to prepare for dinner service, which often begins well into the night.
The situation becomes particularly difficult when Wazas are engaged at the bride’s residence, where they are required to wait for the groom and his entourage to arrive before the wedding proceedings can be completed.
Baba recalled an incident in which a groom arrived at around 1:30 am, by which time the Maulvi invited to solemnise the Nikah had already left after waiting for him.
The family subsequently approached a local Imam, who initially expressed his inability to perform the Nikah, saying he did not have the necessary expertise, but was eventually persuaded to solemnise the marriage.
“There have been incidents where the Maulvi left without solemnising the Nikah because the groom did not turn up till 1 am. We are also humans. So we have now set the 10 pm deadline,” Baba said.
He said arriving late for wedding feasts had become a fashion and appealed to people to abandon the practice, pointing out that the Wazwan involved several categories of workers whose working hours and dignity also needed to be respected.
“Going late to wedding feasts has become fashionable. People need to get rid of this bad habit. There are so many people attached to the Wazwan, and they too have the right to dignified working hours,” he said.
Apart from prolonged working hours, the association raised concerns over the facilities provided to Wazas and their workers at wedding venues.
Members alleged that workers were often not provided proper arrangements for rest, with some being made to sleep on torn or foul-smelling bedding despite families spending lakhs of rupees on other wedding arrangements.
They questioned why basic facilities were overlooked for the very people responsible for preparing and serving one of the most important elements of Kashmiri wedding celebrations.
“People spend lakhs of rupees on different wedding arrangements, but when it comes to providing us with basic facilities, even clean bedding is not ensured. We are sometimes given torn or smelly bedding. Is this how people should be treated?” members asked.
One of the chefs said workers needed a proper place to sleep and recover after spending long hours preparing and serving food, particularly when they were expected to resume their duties the following day.
“We work long hours and need some time to rest before we prepare ourselves for the next day’s gruelling routine. The hosts should take care of that aspect,” he said.
The association said the contribution of Wazas and their workers to Kashmir’s traditional wedding culture should be accompanied by respect for their working conditions. Members maintained that the profession could not be expected to function on schedules that left workers exhausted and deprived them of adequate rest.
Reiterating the decision, Baba said the association had unanimously resolved that no Waza in Kashmir would serve at weddings or other functions beyond 10 pm. The decision, he said, was intended to ensure that workers were not kept engaged throughout the night and could leave after their scheduled working hours.
The association said the decision would apply collectively to Waza service providers across Kashmir and appealed to families to organise wedding functions in a manner that allowed the food service to conclude by the stipulated time.
