COVID-19 affected Chitral tourists from entering for annual festival of Kalash community Chelum Josh which impacted Kalash people financially
CHITRAL (Gul Hamaad Farooqi): Daimi Begum, a 75-year-old shopkeeper near Bashalini in Karakar village of Kailash Valley, used to run a big shop in Chowk before Lockdown but now she has been forced to move to a smaller shop. She also earns livelihood for her family by shopping. She was also badly affected by the lockdown. Daimi, who is illiterate, say in her local language that not only my business damaged, but also twenty-five women were affected by her shop. These women used to sit at home sewing and embroidering different handicraft items at their homes and she sell these things in her shop. She take her commission and distribute the money among the women who make things for her.
Daimi says that not only she suffer losses, but the housewives were also badly affected and could not sell their handicrafts due to non-arrival of tourists on the occasion of Chelum Josh festival.
AS the coronavirus has affected economies and businesses around the world, the epidemic has also prevented tourists from visiting the religious festival of Kailash, Chelam Josh. The festival of Chelam Josh is not only celebrated by the people of Kailash as a religious ritual but also in this festival young girls run away with their favorite boys and announce their marriage. In this festival, women perform traditional dances in groups, while men also dance and beating Drum. Sometimes a man dances by putting his hands on the shoulders of women on his right and left and singing song to express their pleasure on this occasion. Every year thousands of domestic and foreign tourists visit these valleys to see this colorful festival, which makes the business community very happy and the hotels that are closed for six months in the year are once again thriving. ۔ Due to the lockdown, all domestic and foreign tourists were banned from visiting Chitral and that is why this annual religious festival was not celebrated as in the past, which prevented tourists from visiting the valley.
The people of Kalash have been celebrating two big and two small festivals every year from thousands of years. During these festivals, Kailash people dance, sing and play drums. Thousands of tourists come every year to see their distinctive and unique culture, dress and lifestyle of Kalash people. And the people here look forward to the tourists coming to these festivals
Not only hoteliers based in Kailash Valley but also from all over Chitral are waiting for this festival which attracts tourists who come to see this festival and they get income from these tourists. This time around, all forms of movement were banned across the country due to the corona virus, that is why many tourists did not come to the Chelm Josh festival.
During the festival, Kailash women, dressed in colorful costumes, perform traditional dances in groups and sing religious songs, while young boys play drums. Apart from all the provinces of Pakistan, a large number of foreign tourists also visit these valleys to see this colorful festival. These tourists not only stay here in hotels and the shopkeepers of Kailash Valley are also waiting for these tourists. Increases sales but they also use local taxi and purchase things from local shops.
Tourists who come to the festival stay at local hotels and buy handicrafts from the shops, which are usually made by the women at home. They bring these items to the Bumburit Bazaar and handover them to the shopkeepers. And after selling these things, they are paid for it
Saleem, a shopkeeper in Brun village, said that because of Corona virus, neither tourist came to Chelam Josh this year nor the Ochal festival was attended by tourists due to this reason the items lying in his shop were not sold. He says that 22 women are associated with his shop who buy things from his shop and used to make trousers, shirts, kalash kapusi ,cap, hats and other garments from it and he used to sell it in his shop but Due to the lockdown, the market was closed and tourists did not come, so it caused a loss of up to one million rupees and these housewives also suffered.
Alina, a Kailash girl who is a student, says that Kalash women make various handicrafts at home and sell them to get education themselves. Older women educate their children from them but this year these items have not been sold due to the lockdown and are lying in the shops as well.
When Alina was asked what the solution was as her festivals are often affected by such epidemics, she said the government should co-operate with them financially or provide interest-free loans so that these people can Stand up on their feet.
Hidayatullah belongs to Rehan Kot in Chitral and has been running a gemstone and jeweler business in Kalash Karakar village for the last twenty years. He said that the women here buy or borrow these items from his shop and make necklaces, pearl bangles, pendants, purses etc. from it and keep them for sale in his shop. And the tourists who come to this festival of Kailash buy things that give them a good profit, but this year no tourists came to the scenic valley because of the lockdown.
Income from tourists who buy these things it t give them a good profit, but this year those things are still lying in the shop and not sold.
When Hidayatullah was asked how many women in his shop were affected by the lockdown, he said that at least 22 women were badly affected. He also said that the government should provide financial assistance to the affected people so that they can run their busines once again.
Karishma a Kalash girl from Barir Valley said that Barir is far away from other valleys of Kailash where very few tourists come but this time no tourists came here due to lockdown and this valley was also badly affected. ۔She said that since there is no other source of income or industry here, people waiting these tourists to purchase their hand made items to get income but this year no tourist arrived here and nothing sold.
Abdul Khaliq Kalash, president of the Hotel Association in Bumburit, Kalash Valley, says that there are 32 hotels in Kalash Valley. These hotels remain close for six months of the year because of heavy snowfall and chilly cold weather. Hotel owners often wait for tourists at these festivals in Kalash valley, to recover their losses but this time due to the Lockdown tourists not came here and they faced heavy loss. Abdul Khaliq Kailash says that these hotel owners lost at least one billion rupees due to non-arrival of tourists. When asked what the solution is if such epidemics do not attract tourists to these festivals and the local people's economy continues to be affected, Abdul Khaliq gave a simple answer that the government should to not ban these festivals. Don't stop the tourists but oblige them to take care of the SOP and we will take care of the SOP too or the government should support us financially.
Abdul Khaliq says that it is not a big issue for those who have their own hotel, they only pay salary to the staff from their pocket, but those who have rented hotels pay the staff out of pocket as well as rent to the owners.
In Kailash Valley, Rs. 50 tax is also collected from non-local tourists while Rs. 150 is collecting from foreign tourists. According to the district administration, the money is spending on the welfare of Kailash. Last year, thousands of domestic tourists hade came, while hundreds of foreign tourists also came. Since the NOC requirement has been abolished on the arrival of these foreign tourists, no special record has been prepared for them but their number was in the hundreds but this year not a single foreign tourist came for Chalam Josh festival. And due to non-arrival of these tourists, the amount of tax remained zero.
Last year, more than 100,000 tourists visited the Kailash Valley, and an estimated 40,000 vehicles entered the valley. Due to the rush, the one-hour journey from Ayun to Bamburit took nine hours, while so many tourists. Local said that there was no hotel in the valley in which even the smallest room was left un-booked, as well as most of the tourists had paid and stayed in the tents of the hotels lawn. Most of them had paid up to Rs 10,000 for a single room, but this year no a single customers stayed in hotel and they faced financial losses.
Idrees Khan, president of the Hotel Association in Chitral, says there are about 85 hotels in Chitral that wait for tourists on these annual festivals alone, while the number of customers during normal days is very low. Due to this epidemic they lost billions of rupees. He further said that these hotels were declared quarantine centers by district administration for the people of Chitral coming from outside but they have not been paid yet and they have given a bill of Rs. 30 million to the district administration.
In this regard, when Additional Deputy Commissioner on Disaster Abdul Wali Khan was contacted in the district administration, he also admitted that due to the lockdown, tourists did not come to the annual festivals of the Kalash tribe this year, which caused a loss of billions of rupees. He further said that these tourists not only go to Kalash Valley to see the festival and stay in hotels there but also buy dry fruits, souvenirs, salajit, Chitrali hat, vest, robe, coat woolen warm cloth etc. from the shops here. And because of them the whole Chitral has a good effect on the economy but this time the whole Chitral was badly affected. He hoped that soon these hotel owners would be paid for setting up quarantine centers.
Haji Ghulam Hameed has been running a dry fruit business in the old PIA Chowk Shahi Bazar for the last 40 years he told that after visiting these festivals, tourists also visiting Chitral and purchase local dry fruits from these shops.
He said that no a single tourist was seen this time, which is why things are still lying in their shop and could not sold.
Haji Zahir Khan has a very old shop in Shahi Bazaar where Chitrali Caps (hats), vests, coats, robes, shawls, cloaks etc. made from Chitral woolen are traded and tourists who come to see Kailash festivals also buy these items in Chitral Bazaar. But this time they did sell any things.
Haji Zahir Khan says that such festivals are very important for Chitral because there is no industry or big business here and people depend upon these tourists in these fairs which have been stalled for six months but when If these festivals do not take place or if the tourists coming for them are banned, then the whole of Chitral is affected. Chitral's economy depends on these tourists
Haji Zahir Khan said that such festivals have played a major role in the construction and development of Chitral. Explaining that these festivals are often attended by very important people like President, Prime Minister of Pakistan COAS, and ministers who announce developmental plan , as well as the former president of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf on the occasion of Shandor. had announced the construction of Lawari tunnel and it has now been completed due to which the road remains open for the people of Chitral for twelve months of the year.
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