Pahalgam attack: Tolly actor with connections with valley pained & shocked
The Statesman | 24 April 2025
Actor Bhaswar Chatterjee, who has a deep-rooted association with Kashmir, is shocked and also disturbed with the news of Pahalgam shooting.
The Bengali actor, who has written many books on Kashmir, including his recent release, Maharani Didda, travels to the valley quite often to be with local friends. “It is shocking but more than that it is very disturbing for me,” said Bhaswar.
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“I have lots of memories at Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam, where the ghastly incident happened. My friends and I have been on picnics many times there and enjoyed barbeque. Pahalgam is also a very important place for Hindu pilgrims as it has many temples, which I have also mentioned in my books. Since yesterday, I have been in constant touch with my friends in Kashmir. They are talking about the shutdown in Srinagar and how the taxi and auto associations are volunteering free service for all tourists who are heading to the airport. This shows that humanity is alive in Kashmir,” said Bhaswar.
People are very tourist friendly in Kashmir says the Tollywood actor. “In 1990, when the Hindus were targeted in Kashmir, the situation was different from today. Now, nobody is supporting these killings. Candle marches and processions can be seen across the valley against the killings. This time was very good for tourism and people were having good business, Even, cinema halls were running full shows there. The Amarnath Yatra is in the next couple of months and later during Durga Puja, when tourists visit the valley. Will they visit anytime soon? Two of my friends in Kashmir said that they had two families booked with them for Durga Pujas, but it looks bleak,” opines the Micchil actor.
Bhaswar runs an NGO in Kashmir, named after his mother. The NGO sent rations for the house boat operators and pony and horse operators in Kashmir. He also arranged for the marriage of a local girl, which was stalled for want of funds. He rebuilt a house for a family whose house was gutted, apart from supporting a few orphans with their studies.
Bhaswar first visited Kashmir in 2019, which turned out to be a very bad experience as that was the time when Article 370 was scrapped. He had to cancel his travel and return home in a hurry in August 2019. He again visited the valley with his father in 2021. In the interim, I had learnt the local language and also how to sing in the local language. At Pahalgam, he met a local boy, Ghulam Mohammad, who also runs a travel agency apart from having a meat business, who asked him to sing in the local language, said Bhaswar.
“After he heard me, we became very good friends. Now, I have around 30 friends in Kashmir, who are from different works of life,” said the actor, adding, “Tourism has taken a big hit. I have come to know that one of the pony owner was also killed who had tried to resist the killing. He was a local boy. This is Pakistan’s design to cripple tourism, which will render the youth jobless there”.