For Fayyaz, and many more like him, it's been a yo-yo life

SRINAGAR: If a roller coaster was to morph into life, it would likely be Kashmiri. And, possibly Fayyaz Ganai.

The youngster from Kupwara flew on govt's "Udaan" scheme to make a life in Kolkata but jolted by the post-Pulwama backlash, Article 370 shutdown and Covid lockdown he never could quite settle down. Coming to Kashmir for safety and forced to Kolkata by circumstances, he was resigned to his fate. Only to be finally back home to become a chef. His story is symbolic of other Kashmiris since 2019.

"I don't know how the five years went by," says Fayyaz.

It is difficult to imagine a more soothing setting in life - the scenic Dal lakefront, milling tourists haggling with eager locals hawking their craft, Kashmiri cuisine adding to their delight, its aroma wafting through the warmth of the day and nip of the night. All forming the mystique of what is Kashmir.

But Fayyaz was anxious and searching. A computer operator at a gas agency in Kupwara, he imagined a life beyond the backwaters when, through "Udaan", he was recruited by a software giant for its insurance back-office in Kolkata in 2017. The next two years were what he had longed for, till the Pulwama attacks in February 2019 turned his world upside down.

"There were attacks on Kashmiris selling shawls in Bengal. My family was worried and asked me to return," he said.

Fayyaz played smart. As employers understood the pressure on Kashmiris, he flew to Srinagar, and quietly started a restaurant of local delicacies. He used the pretext of marriage to extend his stay and weighed his options.

And, just when he felt he could quit the Kolkata job, his world was shattered again on Aug 5, 2019, with the abrogation of Article 370. Kashmir was shut down, the tourist flow stopped. He defaulted on EMIs on a Rs 3 lakh loan taken to set up the restaurant.

Desperate, but with considerate employers, Fayyaz returned to Bengal in Oct. But his concerned parents kept nudging him to come back.

Hope soared again three months later when basic internet was restored and curfew lifted in Kashmir. "I resigned on a three-month notice period," he recalled. His mind was set on being a quality chef in Srinagar, catering to the taste buds of tourists he imagined flocking to Kashmir again.

Again, it was not to be. Covid struck with a nationwide lockdown in March 2020. A hapless Fayyaz took back his resignation. "I was stranded in Kolkata, and worked from home," he recalled.

Aided by a scheme to repatriate stranded workers, he returned to Srinagar on WFH for his Kolkata office, and did the remote work till Oct 2022. But this time, he used the stay at home to simultaneously learn the exquisite "wazwan" from his brother-in-law, a professional chef. He had his mind made up now. He resigned from his Kolkata job, and made Srinagar his home.

Fayyaz has since picked up pieces and put his life together. It has had its ups and downs, more downs than ups. The post-Covid revenge tourism saw an uptick in local and inter-state footfall in 2021, and a solid boom in 2022. But since then, it has been on a slide, with losses mounting.

Back home in Kupwara, he has old parents saddled with slip disc, with a monthly medical expenditure of Rs 12,000, and a sister to sustain. His brother Tariq is studying and helps him in the restaurant.

Since, the genial young man is hopeful that in future, tourists will be a consistent feature, normalcy would be permanent, and he would see good days. And, just as he had done, Fayyaz is planning to send Tariq out to make a life in Delhi. But, he prays, with better luck.

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