Roshan Lal Mawa at his shop in Zaina Kadal. (Express)Inside his newly-constructed shop in old Srinagar, Roshan Lal Mawa (74) is distributing sweets to every visitor. After a gap of 29 years, Roshan, a Kashmiri Pandit who left the Valley in the 90s, is back to his roots to restart his business.
It is the first day of his shop in Zaina Kadal, and for neighbouring shopkeepers, the mood is festive as Roshan becomes the centre of attraction for the array of business establishments around.
“I was not expecting that I would get such a rousing welcome from locals here. Returning here was my last wish. I am thankful to God that my last wish is fulfilled now,” says Roshan, sitting in his shop in Zaina Kadal market in Downtown.
Local market committee members visited Roshan’s shop and felicitated him and his son with a traditional turban.
“It is a good thing and everyone is happy here. Kashmiri Pandits are our brothers and there is no difference between us and them,” says Mohammed Lateef, who runs a grocery store located next to Roshan’s.
However, this is not the first time Roshan returned to the Valley. Since his migration in 1990, he has been spending some time in the Valley every year. His son Sandeep, a doctor and local politician, lives in Karan Nagar area of Srinagar.
“In October 1990, one man came to my shop and fired at me. Four bullets hit me, three in my belly and one in the shoulder,” Roshan says, recalling why his family decided to leave the Valley.
He said his family first shifted to Jammu and then to Delhi. “I was doing good business there. On a single day, I would earn 10 times if I stay in Delhi. But I preferred Kashmir because I wanted to resettle in the Valley again.”
“I spent three decades in Delhi, but the love and affection I get in Kashmir is totally different,” he says.
While the return brought joy, it was emotional too. “One of my old friends came to meet me today after six years and he broke down,” he says.
Roshan believes there are more like him who want to return to the Valley. “There is no fear here. See I have set up a shop in what is considered a very sensitive area. Locals visited today to meet me. Maybe this will motivate them (Pandits) to return home.”
