Piyush just returned from a trip to a national park in US- barely alive. I really haven’t heard much of his experiences from the trip (all alone! for 7 days!!) in the wild. After a brief conversation, I started wondering how as travelers- we do not (rather cannot!) adopt the local traditions.
I travelled to kashmir in winter 2011. It was incredibly cold (lowest was -7 degrees). In that extreme weather (and no central heating in the buildings) all I thought was- how to keep myself warm. The locals were at ease; they have developed ways of dealing with the cold- kangdri.
Kangdri is a small earthen pot filled with coal and kept inside a basket. Kashmiris attach this pot to their bodies (!) to keep their body warm. Such a localized solution! They even sleep keeping this pot in their bed. When my parents tried doing this, coal spilled on the bed. Probably I don’t need to elaborate on what happened next.
This small earthen pot is not only way to deal with the climate. Kahwa is a tea which kashmiri people make after hours of boiling leaves and adding saffron. The locals must have developed numerous ways over the years. These two were only things I was exposed to during my short visit.
Pakhee 
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