'We are extremely disturbed by the attacks on tourists': Terror not strong enough to cut Kolkata bonds, say Kashmiri shawl sellers

KOLKATA: The shawl-walas from Kashmir, who arrive in Kolkata at the onset of every winter, are now worried about the situation in Kashmir. While they do not anticipate any worsening of Bengal's relationship with the Kashmiris, they are afraid of a prolonged lull in tourism once again.
Imtiyaz Reshi, a shawl-wala from Srinagar, came to Kolkata for the first time nearly two decades ago. He used to visit Salt Lake neighbourhoods with stacks of shawls on his cycle. Over the years, his client base in the city increased, and Reshi was happy with his income. He rented a shop in Salt Lake and started keeping garments and handicrafts from Kashmir there.

The attack on the tourists has devastated him. Reshi, now in Srinagar, does not know when the situation will be normal again. "We are not worried about any change in the attitude of the people of Kolkata towards the Kashmiris. They have always loved us, and we have built a bond of trust with them. But we are extremely disturbed by the attacks on the tourists. They were our guests," said Reshi.
"In Srinagar, the private cab drivers have started providing free services to the tourists. Tourism is our bread and butter, and the locals are trying to do whatever they can to restore the confidence of the people," said Reshi.
Fayaz Baya has also been selling shawls in Kolkata for a long time. Over the years, he developed bonds with his clients, who treat him more as a family member. Baya, on Thursday, was deeply concerned about the security of the tourists. However, he hoped that the situation would normalise in the next few weeks. "I will reach Kolkata by Oct this year and start preparing for the winter sales. But as a host in Kashmir, we feel sad and disheartened. I stay in Srinagar, which is far from where the incident happened, but I have seen some tourists leaving Kashmir. This is not good for us as we largely depend on tourists. A lot of youths have pinned their hopes on tourism as the situation started to improve in Kashmir," he added.
Ghulam Jeelani Wani, another shawl seller from Srinagar, also felt that the gruesome incident would not hamper their relationship with the people of Kolkata. "This will not affect our relations. But we will suffer if the tourist inflow goes down. Many of us have invested, hoping for a good tourist turnout this year. It will now take time for tourists to come back to Kashmir again," Wani said.