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What is the Kashmiri persona?


I'm full Kashmiri in terms of DNA. However, my parents were basically raised in Pakistan's Punjab as well as 99% of my Kashmiri relatives, thus being of Punjab culture, other than drinking Kashmiri chai and wearing chadars from Kashmir. As Punjabi's are know to be warm, loud, crass, friendly, what are the typical traits of a Kashmiri?

Also, in regards to gender traits, my understanding is the men tend to be laid-back and allegedly wimps. The women characterized as domineering.

How true is this?
 

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Login to find out (June 3, 2005 at 6:07pm)
Sotut-thanks for the info. I hate the weighinting on fair skin. My mom's friend got married to a non-Kash. His family was expecting a 'beautiful fair-skinned Kashmiri' but when she showed up dark, they were shocked. My mom's friend shares this story laughing, only because she is a confident, charismatic woman who was not damgaged by low self-esteem. Many in Pak are blatant and vocal if someone is not pretty, tall, smart,etc.
 
Login to find out (June 3, 2005 at 5:58pm)
There was a Russian historian who traced the ancestors of many Kashmiri families and he found that many of their ancestors where descendants of Russian Jews and could also be linked to Israel. And the men aren't wimps and not all the women are domineering but every family has at least one couple with those traits. the people in my family are all comedians including me... and we all have big noses but everyoen deosn't have big eyes.. or fair skin.. cuz not everyoen in kashmir has fair skin... and if u ask me fair skin isn't all that great.
 
Login to find out (May 31, 2005 at 10:53pm)
My sisters have green eyes, my Phupos and Chacha as well. One of my sister is regularly mistaken for being Jewish. My dad, sisters have the classic nose, except for me. On a separate lame note, I did not notice the color of my sisters eyes until I saw her driver's liscence and it said 'GR'. I said "What, you have Gray eyes?" :
 
Login to find out (May 31, 2005 at 2:31pm)
Irfani - most kashmiris are from judaic background like the hunzas (hunza gilgit area) are greek. on another note, my moms got grey eyes and naani had these scary peircing blue eyes..and everyone got a big nose..but me. ;o)
 
Login to find out (May 31, 2005 at 10:50am)
:looks at my chin: mines isn't pointy....
 
Login to find out (May 30, 2005 at 2:26am)
I guess finding how one is related to the other via ancestors is part of our stereotype. I have yet to meet a Kashmiri where a relative could not make a blood connection even here in the US, UK and especially amoung my ton of Kashmiri relatives in Punjab
 
Login to find out (May 29, 2005 at 9:27am)
almost all kashmiris i know have really pointy chins :P
 
Login to find out (May 29, 2005 at 8:10am)
Shehrazad, I think fair skin especially in the sub-continent are too heavily weighted to determine beauty. I guess the big nose can be hidden in darker Kashmiris. I wish I could point out one in a crowd, but I can't. One sister of mine looks Jewish vs. Kashmiri. But then I heard a rumour that some believe Kashmiri's are the lost tribe from Judaism. Where does this story come from?
 
Login to find out (May 18, 2005 at 11:15am)
Just a small comment I don't think fair skin should define beuaty in Kashmiri women.
 
Login to find out (May 17, 2005 at 7:02pm)
Right on Ladydarvesh .....
If by Whimps you meant that we're courageous, introspective as apposed to "Juzbati", if you meant that we're people of generosity, hard working and loving...then by all means we're whimps. But more along the lines of characteristics...I think more than anything, Kashmiris are hard working. Most of us aren't born with a silver spoon in our mouths which, speaking specifically from my personal experiences, you can't really say about most Punjabis. Heck I love everyone and alhumdulilla, for all that Allah(swt) has given us all and continues to give us, but I do find that the Kashmiris you meets here are hardworking.

As far as the light skin tones of the women, I remember hearing something about the Fair and Lovely cream factories using water straight from the Neelum River. Perhaps someone out there can verify. :)
 
Login to find out (May 17, 2005 at 12:39am)
whats up w/ 'chinky eyes'.. i've never heard that before regarding kashmiris.. maybe the ones that are chinked up have it?
 
Login to find out (May 16, 2005 at 7:40pm)
Ladydarvesh...I cannot agree with you more. My grandfather is far far from being a kashmiri wimp..so is my dad and uncles..
 
Login to find out (May 16, 2005 at 7:09pm)
my mom (the kashmiri parent)and my sis have the chinky eyes...but i have my mom's eye color, lighter brown.
 
Login to find out (May 16, 2005 at 2:17pm)
my dad is 50% kashmiri and definitely has the kashmiri stereotyped "looks" (fair, green eyes) but he is NOT wimpy! dad definitely wears the pants! same for my brother!
 
Login to find out (May 8, 2005 at 1:08pm)
The best traits of Kashmir women are that they are courageous , have absolute faith in Allah and are very brave because they support their sons, husbands, fathers and brothers to fight the war for freedom, they are raped, their children slaughtered in front of their eyes by the Hindu soldiers and their relatives martyred every single day, yet they fight along their sons for freedom. Right now there are more people murdered every day in Kashmir than in Palestine and no one knows about it because it never makes it to the media.
As for the persona of kashmiri men , they have been fighting against the heavily armed hindus for more than three decades, they fight unarmed or with very little weapons and they struggle for freedom knowing that they will be martyred one day. Kashmiri men are the most fearless and brave who have seen thousands and thousands of their brothers tortured ruthlessly to death in front of their eyes yet they are undeterred from their goal and they fight fearlessly for freedom. That is the reason why the ratio of the coward soldiers to kashmiri is one heavily armed Hindu soldier per 10 kashmiri in the indian occupied kashmir.
 
Login to find out (May 4, 2005 at 2:17am)
I agree sheems. Lol to the 'chinky eyes,' never heard that before. And women being more domineering? Are you sure you're not confusing kashmiri women with american women?? Big noses, fair skin, yup definetly true.. don't know about men being wimps though. Certainly isn't the case w/ me, i'd take all of you on at once.
 
Login to find out (May 3, 2005 at 1:23pm)
I have to say that it is easy to spot Kashmiri's in a crowd. You can just tell (the stereotypes of fair skin and big noses are true...).
I haven't heard of Kashmiri women being 'domineering', but I guess what one man might find 'domineering', another may find relaxed. It's all about your perceptions. Even if Kashmiri women are confident , independent women (a much better term than domineering), is that such a bad thing?? Maybe they have had to be confident and independent, because of all the troubles they have encountered in their lives due to occupation by Indian forces.
 
Login to find out (May 1, 2005 at 9:13pm)
Funny, I didn't know there was meant to be a Kashmiri persona.. but I can see my aunts in the female traits above, and some of the male traits fit my dad/ uncle.. although.. aren't women generally domineering...? I've known asian women of every background to fit into that category!
 
Login to find out (April 30, 2005 at 10:47am)
Very true Gazi, there are fat people, thin people,fair pple, tanned ppl, nice pple, not so nice pple, good people and bad people in every society..We are all kashmiri but we are also individuals..
 
Login to find out (April 29, 2005 at 5:17pm)
ladhakis do :) The futher north the chinkier the eyes. in my family some do some don't and some are just in between :)