In Pictures: A taste of Afghanistan helps these bakers find home in India (2024)

Najibullah heads to the bakery as soon as the birds start chirping. He and his co-workers are among the many Afghan refugees to seek safety in India.

The bread-making starts at 7 a.m. and goes until 8 p.m., with small breaks in between. Afghan naan is different in shape, texture, and taste from Indian varieties. While the main ingredient – wheat flour – is the same, Afghan bakers hand-shape the dough, rather than rolling it out, and their use of a tandoor results in large, pillowy rounds. It is eaten by not only Afghans, but also by Iraqis, Sudanese, and Kashmiris, and now by local Indian customers, too.

Najibullah says he and his colleagues have no plans to go back to Afghanistan. When asked if they miss their home, he says with a smile, “This is our home now.”

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For Najibullah, the birds act as his alarm clock. As soon as the chirping starts, he leaves his apartment for the small bakery shop in the Lajpat Nagar area of south Delhi. He does not care about the weather or the time, but trusts the birds.

He and three co-workers, Wali Khiri, Shahrukh, and Niamatullah, have been working in the shop for the last seven years. They are among the many Afghan refugees to seek safety in India. Since the late 1990s, Afghan naanwais (makers and sellers of naan, or bread) have been plying their trade in India.

For the four young men, bread-making starts at 7 a.m. and goes until 8 p.m., with small breaks in between. They mix wheat flour with water, yeast, salt, and sugar and set it aside. After this, dough balls are made and weighed so that each one is the same size. The balls are then flattened and kept under a cloth for the yeast to do its work. Then the rounds are shaped by hand, imprinted with a decorative pattern, and sprinkled with water and sesame seeds before going into the tandoor, or clay oven. The men spend the time chatting and listening to Wali Khiri’s jokes – they say he has a great sense of humor.

Afghan naan is different in shape, texture, and taste from Indian varieties. While the main ingredient – wheat flour – is the same, Afghan bakers hand-shape the dough, rather than rolling it out, and their use of a tandoor results in large, pillowy rounds. The bread is enjoyed alongside curries at meals and eaten plain or topped with butter as a snack throughout the day. It is eaten by not only Afghans, but also by Iraqis, Sudanese, and Kashmiris, and now by local Indian customers, too.

According to Wali Khiri, they are able to sell 500 loaves a day and are doing decent business. After Afghanistan was retaken by the Taliban in 2021, Afghans who had traveled to India for medical treatment or jobs went home, which affected sales. “We would otherwise sell 1,500 breads a day,” he says.

The bakers also sell to small food stalls and local restaurants, with Niamatullah making the deliveries on his bicycle.

Najibullah says they have no plans to go back to Afghanistan. When asked if they miss their home, he says with a smile, “This is our home now.”

Shefali Rafiq

Wali Khiri takes the bread out of the tandoor, or clay oven. The tandoor gives it texture and its famous golden color.

Shefali Rafiq

Shahrukh places dough balls on a board to rest. The balls have been weighed so that each is the same size.

Shefali Rafiq

Crisp-edged naan, sprinkled with sesame seeds, is stacked in the shop awaiting buyers.

Shefali Rafiq

Niamatullah carries the bakery goods to restaurants and food stalls on a bicycle.

Shefali Rafiq

Wali Khiri prepares a long flat naan before putting it inside the tandoor. He has mastered the art of baking bread since coming to India from Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, people tend not to make bread at home, so they rely on bakeries with tandoors.

Shefali Rafiq

Wali Khiri jokes around with Najibullah as he piles bread in the shop window.

Shefali Rafiq

Local Indians enjoy Afghan food along with traditional Afghan bread made in the bakery.

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