A Pheran Over Blue Jeans: How Kashmiri Artisans and Sellers Have Become Victims of Hate Propaganda
- The exquisite craft of shawls and pherans come to Delhi every year when there is a nip in the air. But this year, it was sad news for the Kashmiri craft-persons and shawl-sellers.
There has been more bad news for ordinary folks in Kashmir, especially women, craft-pThere has been more bad news for ordinary Kashmiris, especially women, craftspeople, artisans, and handicraft sellers. This bad news has been relentless since statehood was stripped from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, when the BJP government at the Centre divided this beautiful state into three parts through a thoughtless and arbitrary decision. With polarization in mind, the Hindutva regime has created a sinister social division, especially in Delhi and the Hindi heartland, putting Kashmiris who come for work, trade, and business in a difficult and insecure position.
Particularly affected have been the shawl-sellers who arrive in Delhi and other parts of the country before the winter season. They are well-known among locals as annual visitors, much liked for their honesty and the brilliance of the material they sell at reasonable prices. This year, however, has been tough.
Mostly a family and community affair, it is the nimble fingers of artistic, disciplined, and hardworking women—mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, mostly in remote villages across the valley—who create these brilliant works. Their inherited craft is meticulously and painstakingly created with patience and rigor.
And not only shawls or the pashmina shawls the rich buy, but also pherans for women and men, full dresses, and summer dresses for women—exquisite handmade products loved by India’s urban middle and upper classes. “Young girls and women love to wear the pheran over blue jeans these days,” said Nadeem with a smile. “Even in the mild cold of September-October, they can be worn with chappals.”
The pherans have a typical necklace-like broad, embroidered, artistic design and come in all sorts of colors—soft and sharp: saffron, green, orange, Prussian blue, red, and of course black. The art around the neck is so meticulous that it takes days to carve with fingers—something the women artists and dressmakers of Kashmir do.
And they are not expensive, given the hard work that goes into making them, unless you choose to buy from a fancy showroom. Here the Kashmiri shawl-seller comes to your doorstep, sits inside your home, while you happily collect your neighbors to choose from this beautiful bounty at reasonable prices.
“Bad news after bad news,” said Khurshid. “We are hit from all sides—ordinary folks from Kashmir. How will we survive if we can’t sell our shawls and pherans? The fact is people still want to buy from us—they know we are not terrorists!”
This has often been based on a human and shared relationship with Kashmiri shawl-makers and shawl-sellers. They are respected and given dignity, and the neighborhood waits for their arrival each year, especially women. Before weddings or family functions, they are eagerly expected. And you can always give a shawl or pheran as a precious gift to a friend or relative.
However, this year has been particularly bad for Kashmiri shawl-sellers who carry big bags on their shoulders and walk the lanes of far-flung residential societies in Delhi—especially after a bomb blast near Chandni Chowk-Daryaganj in Old Delhi in November 2025. This is when the peak season begins for the Kashmiris, and the blast came as a real shock.
The explosion, reportedly in a small car around the bustling intersection of Chandni Chowk opposite the Red Fort near the Jama Masjid metro station, killed eight people while scores were injured. Chaos and fear prevailed in the entire crowded area.
Some Kashmiri doctors were blamed, among others in Kashmir, and it was alleged that a Pakistani terrorist group was involved. This created distrust and anger here, and insecurity and panic among Kashmiri craftspeople, including shawl-sellers in remote villages.
Consequently, most chose to stay away from Delhi and other towns in the Hindi heartland, especially Mussoorie in Uttarakhand, which has become a new hate lab for Hindutva forces. Several incidents of violence and hate speech have been reported against Kashmiri traders in Mussoorie, a favorite haunt for tourists.
“Bad news after bad news,” said Khurshid. “We are hit from all sides—ordinary folks from Kashmir. How will we survive if we can’t sell our shawls and pherans? The fact is people still want to buy from us—they know we are not terrorists!”
Said a woman resident in an East Delhi society: “This is an ugly propaganda campaign spread by vested groups and individuals who believe in hate politics against minorities. We are secular citizens, and we hold no such views. We look forward to our Kashmiri shawl-sellers each year before winter. We appreciate their great art and craft, we respect the women who make it with such diligence and patience, and we nurture no ill feelings toward them. If terrorists did the blast, catch them, punish them—why hold an entire community of decent Indian citizens guilty? Why hound them like this?”
The article was first published in independent ink.in. It is republished here with permission.
Amit Sengupta is a journalist and teacher based in Delhi.