Downtown ‘kandur’ wins hearts with ‘Ramadan discount’

Srinagar: Does the local ‘kandur’ (baker) in your neighborhood keep a weighing scale and offer you a discount? Usually, they don’t. However, Azad Ahmad, a ‘kandur’ at Bulbul Lanker in the old city, has kept a weighing scale at his shop.

Not only does he weigh the traditional Kashmiri ‘tchot’ (rotis), ‘kulchas’ and other bakery items in front of customers, he is also offering a 20 percent discount in view of the holy month of Ramadhan.

Azad’s gesture has been welcomed by the locals, who otherwise, get fleeced in the markets in the fasting month and during other festive occasions.

“When I would check Facebook, I would find people cursing the shopkeepers for price rise. People would write they were being fleeced by the chicken sellers and other shopkeepers. They would complain that even in the holy month, they were being fleeced. Therefore, I started giving a 20 percent discount on account of the holy month of Ramadhan. I now sell the Rs.10 ‘tchot’ for Rs. 8 and Rs. 5 one for Rs. 4 only,” said Azad.

He said he had kept the weighing scale at his shop so that the people did not doubt he ‘reduced the weight’ of rotis.

“We have kept a weighing scale and the rate list and we weigh the tchot (roti) if the customer has a doubt over the standard weight. Some doubt that I have reduced the weight of rotis. This simple roti is supposed to be 55 grams and you can see it is 56 grams. The one with ghee is 68 grams. You can see for yourself,” said Azad while placing the bread on the scale.

Besides other local bakery items, he also sells smalls and big ‘kulchas’ sprinkled with ‘khash-khash’ that he claims will last ‘up to Eid’.

“We do not use sooji; we use ‘khash-khash’. These kulchas will last up to Eid. The discount will also continue till Eid,” said Azad, who is originally from Lolab in the Kupwara district.

Abdul Rashid, a local, said Azad’s gesture was heart-warming and other shopkeepers should follow suit.

“Though Azad has been running this kandur-shop for the last two years or so, this is for the first time that he offered this Ramadhan discount. This gesture is very heart-warming and should be appreciated. Unfortunately, many shopkeepers fleece customers more in the fasting month,” he said.

“I also heard that another kandur in Lal Bazaar area too has started offering 20 percent discount in Ramadhan. We can only hope that more shopkeepers do the same instead of fleecing customers,” he added.