Srinagar, Feb 8: Every morning at Amira Kadal, as Srinagar awakens and the Jhelum flows silently beneath the historic bridge, an elderly woman takes her place with a basket of fish by her side. For most commuters, she is a familiar sight. For many, she is a living memory, one that stretches back decades.
Her name is Jiger Maas, and for nearly seven decades , she has earned her livelihood at this very spot.
Octogenarian Jiger Maas is among the oldest women vendors at Amira Kadal. She began selling fish here at the age of nine, long before the bridge became choked with vehicles and commercial establishments lined its edges. The city has changed so much since then but she has not.
A Childhood Cut Short
Jiger Maas belongs to a generation where childhood was brief and responsibility arrived very early .Her entry into work was not shaped by ambition but by necessity. Survival demanded contribution, and she began working before she fully understood what childhood meant.
“This bridge has seen my whole life,” she says. “I grew up here.”
Over the years, Amira Kadal became more than a workplace. It became a constant in her life. She learned the rhythms of the river, the fishing seasons, and the habits of customers. “In the process, I learnt how to survive independently in a city that offered limited employment avenues to women, especially those without education or institutional support,” she said.
Without formal schooling, Jiger Maas built her life through routine, discipline and persistence.
Livelihood as Independence
For Jiger Maas, selling fish was never just about daily income. It was about self-reliance. At a time when women’s presence in public marketplaces was limited, she worked confidently in a male-dominated space, managing customers, money and responsibility on her own.
Her dignity came not from recognition or titles but from consistency and honesty. “Regular customers returned not only for the fish but for the trust i built over decades,” she said.
Her life reflects a quieter form of women’s empowerment, one rooted in labour, endurance and the steady claim of public space.
A Basket of Experience
Her basket carries fish familiar to Kashmiri kitchens, gaad, ale gaad, trout and other seasonal varieties. She knows which fish suits which dish, how seasons affect quality, and how to judge freshness at a glance.
“As food habits changed and markets evolved, I adapted. I learnt new varieties, adjusted to demand, and continued working with the same discipline. Age never stopped me from learning.
Faith Earned Through Labour
Decades of careful saving from her modest earnings allowed Jiger Maas to fulfill a deeply personal dream, performing “Umrah”. She speaks of the journey with quiet pride.
“It was Allah’s blessing,” she says.
For a woman who spent her life earning each rupee by the riverbank, the pilgrimage was not only a religious milestone but also a testament to perseverance and self-earned dignity.
Witness to a Changing City
Over the last seventy years, Jiger Maas has witnessed Srinagar through political unrest, economic uncertainty, floods, curfews and lockdowns. But through every phase, she remained rooted at Amira Kadal. “There were harsh winters and exhausting summers. Yet I returned each morning to the same spot,” she said.
Her endurance mirrors the Jhelum itself, sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent, but always flowing forward.
An Unrecorded Legacy
Jiger Maas represents countless working women whose labour sustains households and communities. To younger women crossing the bridge each day, she stands as a quiet reminder that empowerment does not always arrive through slogans or schemes. Often, it is built through the simple act of showing up, day after day, year after year.
Growing Old with Grace
Time has slowed her steps and etched lines on her hands, but her resolve remains unchanged. She still comes to Amira Kadal, still sits beside the river, still works with care and dignity.
As the city rushes past, horns blaring and phones glowing, Jiger Maas remains anchored to another rhythm of life, shaped by patience, labour and resilience. “I have grown old together with river Jhelum,” she said.. In her shared endurance lies a quiet story of Srinagar itself, resilient, steadfast, and enduring beyond time.
