‘Selling juice after getting PhD’: Desperation in Kashmir over lack of jobs
Al Jazeera
Realities on ground belie claims of economic prosperity after New Delhi imposed direct control over the region in 2019.
Every morning at 7am, Maqsood Ahmad Ganai leaves home to set up a small juice stall by the roadside near his village, Hugam, in the southern Anantnag district of Indian-administered Kashmir.
Hoping to catch the attention of tourists on their way to the picturesque Pahalgam Valley, 29km (18 miles) from Hugam, Ganai stands by his makeshift stall all day, waving at passing cars and offering freshly made apple juice to the travellers.
“Welcome, madam, please come and taste the fresh apple juice of Kashmir,” he says warmly, his voice polite and hopeful, as he opens the car door for three female tourists who have arrived from the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
A plastic cup of instantly made juice costs 100 rupees (a little more than $1). As Ganai hands over the cup, he explains to his customers how it is brimming with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Ganai, 38, holds a doctorate in botany from the University of Kashmir, the region’s oldest and largest academic institution, and has nearly 10 years of teaching experience on a temporary basis at a government-run college.
