Falak Bilal
Srinagar, Oct 26: As autumn fades and temperatures begin to fall across Kashmir, a seasonal occupation quietly gathers momentum beneath the waters of the Valley’s lakes. For nadru harvesters, the arrival of colder months signals the time to return to the lakebed, where the prized lotus stem grows buried in soft mud, sustaining livelihoods and preserving a tradition closely connected with Kashmir’s food culture.
Harvested mainly between September and March, nadru is an important part of Kashmiri cuisine and a source of seasonal income for families living around Dal Lake, Anchar Lake, Nigeen Lake and Manasbal Lake. The work requires patience, physical endurance and an intimate knowledge of the underwater landscape.
Unlike vegetables cultivated in conventional fields, nadru grows beneath the surface, making its extraction a demanding task. Harvesters use small wooden boats and long poles fitted with metal hooks to locate and loosen the stems from the lakebed. Each movement must be carefully controlled to retrieve the crop without unnecessarily damaging the plant.
The technique, passed down through generations, reflects the specialised knowledge that lake communities have developed through years of working on the water.
For these families, the harvest is not simply about bringing a vegetable to market. It represents a seasonal economic opportunity during a period when agricultural activities elsewhere in the Valley are limited by the cold.
“Harvesting nadru is not an easy job. It takes experience and patience,” said Ghulam Muhammad Mattoo, a veteran nadru harvester. Mattoo said he had been engaged in the occupation for seven decades, illustrating how deeply the practice is woven into the lives of traditional lake communities.
The crop also occupies a distinctive place in Kashmir’s culinary identity. From nadru yakhni, prepared with yoghurt, to nadru monje, the popular fritters, the lotus stem appears in everyday meals as well as special family gatherings. Its crisp texture and distinctive taste have helped maintain demand in local markets.
However, the future of this traditional occupation is closely tied to the condition of the lakes themselves. Pollution, silt accumulation, invasive aquatic vegetation and changes in wetland ecology have raised concerns about the sustainability of lotus cultivation in parts of the Valley.
Nadru grower Ashraf Ahmad as saying that production had declined over the years. Ahmad also expressed concern about the reduced depth of Dal Lake and the continuing discharge of waste into its waters.
“Despite challenges and severities I have been harvesting Nadru for three decades, but the production has undeniably declined,” Ashraf added.
Such concerns underline the connection between environmental protection and rural livelihoods. A decline in the health of a lake can affect more than its appearance or biodiversity; it can also reduce the availability of traditional crops and place additional pressure on families dependent on harvesting them.
The challenge is therefore twofold: ensuring that harvesters can continue earning from nadru while protecting the aquatic ecosystems on which the crop depends.
As winter advances, the sight of wooden boats moving across the lakes offers a reminder of an occupation that remains largely dependent on human skill rather than mechanised farming. Every harvested stem carries the labour of workers who must contend with cold water, long hours and uncertain returns.
Preserving this tradition will require attention not only to the people doing the work but also to the waters that make it possible. Cleaner lakes, responsible wetland management and better livelihood support could help sustain the harvest for future generations. For Kashmir, nadru is more than a seasonal vegetable. It is a link between the Valley’s natural resources, its culinary heritage and the communities whose lives have evolved around its lakes.
