A piece of Naveed … lifetime of memories

Today, as I was making telvor in my kitchen, I suddenly felt like I was standing at a kandur shop back in Kashmir. A kandur is a traditional Kashmiri baker, and in those days, there used to be one in almost every street. Ours was just a short walk from home.

As I shaped the dough, so many memories came back to me. I was a young school-going child, and I used to go to the kandur with my cousin accompanied by an adult. We were never sent alone, but we were always happy to go. The best part was the small piece of bread the kandur would give us, which we called navid. It was warm, soft, and felt like a special treat.

The kandur shop was always full of life. I don’t remember ever seeing it closed. Even now, I wonder when those kandurs used to sleep. They were always busy. One person kneading the dough, another rolling it, one putting it inside the tandoor, and another taking it out. Everyone knew their work, and everything happened so smoothly.

There was always a radio playing loudly. Sometimes old songs, sometimes cricket commentary. That sound, along with the smell of fresh bread, made the place feel very lively and warm.

The walls carried a world of their own. There were posters of film stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha. Cricketers stood frozen in action beside them
And then, quietly holding their place among all of this, were calendars with images of God, adding a sense of calm to the busy space. Everything coexisted so naturally, cinema, cricket, faith, and everyday life, as if they had always belonged together.

I also remembered how the breads were different in the morning and evening.
In the morning, we used to have girda and lawasa. In the evening, there were telvor, kulcha and katlam, each with its own taste.

As I stood in my kitchen today, making telvor, it felt like I had brought a small part of that kandur shop back to life. The same warmth, the same memories, and the same feeling stayed with me.

The kandur shop was not just a place to buy bread. It was a place full of life and memories. And today, in my own kitchen, I felt connected to those beautiful days once again.