Kashmiri youths make Kolkata winter home to sell woollens

Driven by unemployment at home, hundreds of Kashmiri youths have made Kolkata their winter abode by selling a variety of woollens, mostly hand-woven, to customers who eagerly await of their arrival.
Though insurgency has seen a decline in the Kashmir Valley, there is high unemployment among educated youths who are compelled to fan out across cities to earn a living.
Munzamil from the outskirts of Srinagar is one such youth who comes to Kolkata every year during the months of November to February to sell his wares.
"Joblessness is one of the biggest problems in the Valley. There are many educated youths who due to lack of proper job opportunities are forced to take up selling dry fruits and shawls," Munzamil said.

Junaid from Srinagar has been coming to the city in winter for the last 15 years to sell famed hand-woven Kashmiri shawls to buyers who lap them up.
"We have been coming to Kolkata since 1998-99. We sell here hand-woven Kashmiri shawls and carpets. The city has become our winter home for the last 15 years," 35-year-old Junaid told PTI.

It was back in 1998, Junaid recalled, when he accompanied his father to the city for the first time in search of an alternative employment.
"In the late 90s when the Valley was riven by militancy and consequently business was dull putting people like us into great economic hardship, my father decided to explore the markets of eastern India such as Kolkata, Patna and Guwahati," he said.

Junaid sells Kashmiri shawls at north Kolkata's Hatibagan area. Hatibagan and its surrounding areas serve as a hub of shawl and carpet-sellers, there are nearly 50 of them, catering to buyers in north Kolkata.
Like Hatibagan, there are places like Dunlop, Jadavpur, Park Circus and Gariahat where these youths set up their camps to sell their goods.