What if a simple loaf of bread could tell the story of an entire place, its resilience, its politics and poetry? In this episode of Whetstone Audio Dispatch, host Meher Varma takes us deep into the heart of Srinagar, Kashmir, where the unmistakable aroma of freshly baked tchot leads her to the neighborhood kandur, a traditional bakery that’s far more than just a place to buy bread.

Through conversations with bakers, poets, and everyday customers, we uncover how these bakeries, modest structures built of brick and smoke, have become cornerstones of community life, sacred tradition, and resistance. We meet legendary Zareef Ahmed Zareef, who traces the 4,000-year-old roots of Kashmiri baking, and listen to local myths where mystics emerge from tandoors bejeweled and unburned.

Whether it’s feeding a neighborhood during a curfew, sharing unspoken trust through pay-later systems, or trading morning news, bread becomes a portal into an unseen Kashmir, one where bread is more than sustenance; it is survival, spirit, and social glue.

This episode was made possible by the support of @heirloomcities

Gardening on Water: The Dal’s Ancient Floating Gardens

For thousands of years, Kashmir has been called jannat (heaven) by Urdu poets, travelers, and tourists. The Dal Lake in Srinagar is a jewel in its crown. Flamingo pink lotuses carpet the waters, and shikaras —small wooden boats— row upon it, making the destination a favorite for Instagram-loving honeymooners. However, deep in the Dal is a world less visible: its floating gardens.

In Gardening on Water, Meher Varma, returns with a two-part audio dispatch from Srinagar, introducing us to the political complexities that challenge the reductive depiction of 'Kashmir as heaven on earth.’

Join us as we row you through the majestic and complex world of Dal's Floating Gardens.

This episode was made possible by the support of @heirloomcities

Whetstone Media brings you an urgent reported episode of Whetstone Audio about the unfathomable and unrelenting war in Palestine and Gaza.

As many as 100,000 Palestinian families depend on native and centuries-old olive and grape crops for their livelihood. We spoke with two Palestinian farmers living in the West Bank about how they have been devastatingly impacted: Nader Muaddi, owner of Muaddi Distillery producing grape-based Arak, and olive farmer Nasser Abufarha, owner of Canaan Palestine.

The Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank have not only banned Palestinian families and farmers from accessing their land but have systematically burned farmers’ crops and harvests to the ground.

To support these farmers? Follow Muaddi Distillery @muaddi_craft_distillery to learn how Nader works to preserve arak. Or, purchase Canaan olive oil @canaan.palestine. You can also learn more about hospitality workers taking action for Gaza at Hospitality For Humanity.

Hosted by Stephen Satterfield

Produced by Celine Glasier

Whetstone Audio Dispatch is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Follow us on social @whetstonemedia. Learn more about Whetstone Media at https://www.whetstonemagazine.com/

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