A month after the Meado massacre, India talks about the desolation of empty hotels, restaurants Pahalgam

Pahalgam: The morning of relatively hot May, Mohit Kumar stands near an empty table in a Pahalgam restaurant, his eyes closed on the road in the hope of seeing a potential customer.Till a month ago, the 38 -year -old native of UP’s Bijnor would get time to see the table in barely as he and 21 others were waiting for the table in the restaurant, who used to enter the customers all day and out throughout the day.The silence at Poonam restaurant tells the story of what has changed in a month in Pahgam, Jammu and Kashmir since terror in Besaran Meadow on 22 April.Mohit said, “We called Pahalgam ‘Mini India’,” “We were one of the first restaurants to open, believing that tourism in these parts will only grow up. Now, the situation is such that Kashmiris also did not visit Pahgam.”Muhammad Tasnim, who owns the Poonam restaurant, is banking during the next festive season to revive the tourism sector of Pahgam. “Hopefully, tourist footfall will increase during Diwali. We have seen the worst in the last three decades, and hopefully it will also pass. It takes a lot of time to build the trust.”In the mid -90s, Tasnim’s father Mustafa, who is rooted in Bijnor, rented the place and mostly set up a shop with employees from his hometown.At a distance of a few meters from the restaurant, Darshan Ram, 18, the main holder of the wood, the major series, the pen box and the “I Love Kashmir” or “Gift from Kashmir” sells to the toy hunting. Prior to the Meadow massacre, Darshan’s family used to sell souvenirs from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per day.“In the last 10 days, I have not sold anything,” he told TOI on Thursday.Darshan landed in Jammu and Kashmir from Rajasthan on this February with his parents and two brothers and sisters. When he saw Pahalgam, it was love at first sight. “It was going well for us. Now, we do not know how to live if the situation is not normal.”Nawaz, a native of Srinagar, who runs the Kashmir Arts Emporium, clean the outlet and wait for the customers all day who never change. The 37 -year -old said, “I have been doing this for the last three weeks, each new day prayer will mark a change. Most shops are closed, but I am not giving up yet.”Located on the coast of Lidar, Asif Burza wears a disappointing look at Hotel Heaven Pahalgam because he says how a Brezen of violence destroyed so many people, livelihood and the reputation of Pahgam.Burza, who led the protest against terrorism after the killings of April 22, said that his phone would not stop ringing after the attack as the families and friends of guests in the hotel called to inquire about their safety.He hopes that tourists will return. He said, “Pahgam has countless memories for so many people, it is everyone,” he said.At the entrance of the hotel, a collage of pictures of actors Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and other celebrities reminds of Pahgam’s permanent relationship with cinema and popular culture.“People have deep emotional relations at this place,” Burza said. “They will come back and, together, we will beat the designs of those who aim to destroy tourism here.”Since the terrorist attack, some tourists who have visited Pahalham have spent most of the paintings with the Picture-Perfect Riverbank. All parks and nearby destinations in Pahalgam such as Beta Valley, Aru Valley, Chandanwari, Lidarwat, Shashanag, Tulian Lake and Kolhai Glacier.A resident of Chennai visited Pahalgam with 11 members of his expanded family, said he had planned to travel three months ago. He said, “I did not postpone it even after the terrorist attack, because I expected security. I was right. The park is closed, but the banks of the river are beautiful,” he said.Hotel operators said the Amarnath Yatra starting from July 3, potentially revival in tourism in these parts could begin and proceed during the autumn festival.