After peaceful trade in Bengal, Kashmiris pray for calm in Valley to return home

KOLKATA: Kashmiris on their annual trip to Kolkata to sell winterwear want peace in the valley so that they can return home.

The recent heightened tension between between India and Pakistan, which started with the death of CRPF troopers in a terror strike at Pulwama in Kashmir, had its ripple effect on the rest of the country, including Bengal. Certain areas on the city’s outskirts and districts did witness a few incidents of violence and intimidation targeting some Kashmiris, but the administration and civil society reached out to them so that the traders could carry out their business as usual, one of them said. The association of Kashimiri traders pointed out that not even one of them had to leave the state over safety concerns.

“Hamara banda wapas aagaya hai. Ab dua hai ki Kashmir main bhi aman wapas aajaye (Our man has returned. Now I pray for peace to return to Kashmir),” said Mohammad Yakoob Bhat, president of Kashmir Shawl Manufacturers’ and Dealers’ Association, referring to the return of the Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman last week. He even went on to say that given the current situation, Kashmiris were safer in Bengal than in Kashmir. “Our non-Muslim brothers and sisters helped us a lot to make us feel safe and comfortable. Even the local administration was proactive in ensuring safety for us. The police gave us numbers to contact them if we faced any problem,” Bhat added.

Gul Muhammad Wani, who has been visiting Kolkata for the past 40 years, pointed out there were safety concerns initially, but the state and locals helped to mitigate it. “Kashmiris who work as pheriwalas, roaming from one place to another, selling shawls and sweaters, can be easily identified from the way they carry the wares in a bundle. Some of them said they had to face a few comments initially, but the locals reached out. Everybody is safe now,” said Wani.

Every year, close to 15,000 people from different parts of Kashmir—some of them fourth- of fifth-generation visitors—come to Kolkata before the onset of winters to sell shawls, sweaters and other winterwear. Around 4,000 of them set up base in Kolkata, while the rest go to districts. Though winter in Bengal ends by the first week of February, the Kashmiris stay back till the second week of March to wrap up their business, collecting payments and pack the unsold goods. This year, it was apparently different. Several Kashmiri traders started receiving calls from their business associates here, right after the unrest started in Kashmir. “Earlier, they would tell us to wait before clearing our bills. But this time, they called us early to clear the payments, saying they did not want us to worry about money. Also, they said, we might need money on reaching home, as prices there might have gone up due to the unrest. We were touched,” said Bhat.