The Kashmiris have been a constant on the Goan landscape since the early eighties
when the troubles first commenced in the state encouraged by Pakistan. Many
Kashmiris have made Goa their home and have been residents in the state for
several decades. All of them however still maintain strong links with home and
make it a point to visit home atleast once a year. Some of course visit every
few couple of months. The recent political developments in the state has
however mad eit difficult for the Kashmiris in Goa to get in touch with friends
and relatives in Kashir
On the road leading to the Calangute beach, one will find Ismail
Art Emporium. It is very difficult to miss. Ismail has been in Goa for forty
years and has done pretty well for himself taking care of his family which is
based back home in Srinagar. Speaking to the Herald he said “We haven’t been
able to access the mobile network which then means there is no internet
connection available. There is a problem of being able to access essentuials. I
learnt of a case where one sister is still not aware that her sister had passed
away”.
Ismail said tourists were coming in good numbers and everyone
was making decent money. He slammed the politicians for the mess that Kashmir
had been for many years. He said “They have all made a lot of money from
everyone and the daily wage workers sleep hungry”.
The undertainty has also affected wedding preparations. It was
not uncommon he said for families to make preparations for around 200 kilos of
meat to be kept ready for the wedding but now it had been slashed down to
around 20 kilos. Ismail said “For forty days I am not able to speak to my
sister”?
Life in the villages he claimed was unchanged with people living
to the rhythms they were always used to. He hoped it all worked out fine and
life returned to normal.
The area around Calangute is dotted with shops retailing
anything from swimwear, t-shirts, fast food and souvenir shops. Around 40% of
the stores in the area are handled by Kashmiris. This is a drop from the early
seventies and eighties where the place resembled Kashmir where the Kashmiris
would peddle all kinds of goodies to the foreigners.
But now with the business having changed and the place largely
being visited by domestic tourists, many Kashmiris had moved to other places
and other businesses.
Despite this development, the number of Kashmiri run outlets is
quite visible. Mehrajuddin a salesman in a leather shop said he had no contact
with his family for over forty days. He said “I am worried but what can I do
sitting here, I keep my mind off the problem by focussing on the next sale. I
don’t know how my mom, dad and sister are? I can’t just chuck it all and go
over to Kashmir. I visited home at the start of the monsoons ie the off season.
I hope the situation improves in the next couple of days”.
Abdul Majeed has been selling beach ware from the same shop
opposite the circle in Calangute for twenty-five years. He smiled with sadness
and said “I am from Srinagar. I cannot offer you any more information because I
cannot contact anyone back home for forty days. I am focussed on my business
here and praying every day this situation changes fast and I can talk to my
dear ones”.
The restrictions of making calls via mobile phones have hit
families very hard. Waqar Khan Rajouri who has an outlet called Pick n Choose
said he had his entire family back home and had received a call from a land
line to inform him that they were all ok. Waqar said “The restrictions on
mobile phones remain but with regards to landlines, one is now able to make calls
within Kashmir and outside the state. There are long lines for people to make
these calls. These phones are at a police station or at a very public spot.
People just mumble that they are ok and that’s that. No one can have long
conversations. It is frustrating but atleast they are all safe”.
AbdulKarim Dar has been a resident in Goa for forty-five years
of which forty-two years have been in Calangute. He said “I was here when it
was just three houses and the beach ahead. It used to be a forest, it was so
peaceful and beautiful. For three years I was in Anjuna. My family is based in
proper Srinagar. I cannot talk to my children and I don’t know if they are
well. It has been forty days. One hears all kinds of rumors about the situation
back home and I do not wish to spread them. Once I hear it from the media then
I would like to make up my mind. We Kashmiris here in Goa are very worried and
don’t really know how this will end”.
The
general feeling is that the situation will stay like this for a while and then
over a period of time the authorities will gradually loosen the restrictions.
But as Kashmiris go about their work in Goa, their minds and hearts are in
their valley very far away
