“Kashmir ke logon ko pyar dena aata hai. Aap ayiye, hum hai mehmaan nawazi ke liye. Kashmir se dariye mat.” (The people of Kashmir know how to love. Please come to Kashmir, allow us to host you. Please don’t be scared of Kashmir)
This was the message from Mohd Farooq Phamboo — a generational shawl maker from Srinagar. Popularly known as Farooq chacha, the 70-year-old’s voice quivered as he expressed his condolence to the families who were victims of the terror attack on April 22.
“Terror is not the culture of Kashmir. Terror is not synonymous to Kashmir. We are a peace-loving people, and we love our guests who come from various parts of India. No Kashmiri supports violence bloodshed, and we are deeply pained by the incident that happened in Baisaran Valley. We mourn the death of our guests,” he told The Telegraph Online over the phone.
“My own home is open for anyone in distress. If anyone is hungry, we are here. To love our guests comes naturally to us Kashmiris,” he further stated.
Farooq has a 40-year-old tie with West Bengal, and has been supplying and selling shawls in various places in Kolkata, Barrackpore, Krishnanagar, Bishnupur, and other places of the state. He still makes it a point to visit Bengal, a place he calls his “second home”, at least once a year. “The people of Bengal are very warm and hospitable, and I long to go back. I love spending time there,” he said.
He urged the people of West Bengal and India to not stop coming to his first home — Kashmir. “Please don’t be scared of Kashmir and don’t stop visiting us. We look forward to meeting people from all parts of India and the world, and we are here for you,” he said.
“This is our home, and our home is not the hinterland of terror and criminal activities,” he signed off.