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Come autumn and the Pampore Karewa plateau, about *5 km south-east of Srinagar in Kashmir, turns purple - abloom with thousands of saffron flowers. Saffron (crocus sativus; or 'kesar' in Hindi and 'zafran' in Persian) is an exotic - and the world's most expensive - spice. It is an incredible experience to watch hundreds of peach-complexioned Kashmiri women, with baskets on their backs, standing in the midst of a profusion of purple flowers. As they pluck the blossoms, the lilt of their voices wafts through the air as they sing their folk songs. The cultivation of saffron - a natural food flavoring and color that also has general panacea properties - would have been impossible without these women. In fact, of the over *2, *0, **0 people of Kashmir directly or indirectly engaged in the cultivation and trade of the purple crop, *0 per cent of the workforce comprises women. Come harvest season - the autumn months of late October and November - and that gender percentage rises to *0. Saffron is cultivated in about **6 villages in five districts, including Zeewan, Balhama, Khunamoo, Yachnambal (Srinagar), Khrew, Ludoo, Dussu, Khonibal, Chandahar, Nablabal, Basru, Lethipora, Sambora, Awantipora (Pulwama), Nagam, Sarwin, Hapathnar, Kakewring, Char-e-sharief (Budgam) and Kishtawar (Doda). Kashmiri saffron bulbs, which give a six to eight year yield, flower for around four to six weeks during those two months.