Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, May 17: India’s top-notch entrepreneur, Shaadi Dot Com founder and Shark Tank India judge, Anupam Mittal has booked his ticket to Kashmir and called on fellow Indians to support the region’s tourism sector, saying, “If we travel, Kashmir & India win.”
His statement comes at a sensitive time when the Valley is grappling with the aftermath of the recent terror attack on a tourist vehicle in Pahalgam, where 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Mittal wrote: what Kashmir really needs is tourists to come back so I booked my ticket! If we vanish, they win. If we travel, Kashmir & India win.
He also used the hashtags #ChaloKashmir and #JaiHind. His post also triggered a flood of reactions online, with some users questioning the timing of his travel given the prevailing security concerns.
Responding to a comment that called his move “not very smart,” Mittal replied, “Safest place to be.”
Another user asked why he shared only a one-way ticket. To this, Mittal responded light-heartedly, “Return hai yaar, sirf going ka post kiya.”
In another exchange, a user shared experiences of being asked in Kashmir if they had come from “Hindustan,” suggesting an identity disconnect.
Mittal countered, “I think that has been changing since Article 370 and the tourism surge. Kashmiris consider themselves Indians more so than ever. If the economy comes back strong, the hearts will follow.”
Mittal’s post has triggered debate online, coming just days after the attack in Pahalgam that left 26 tourists dead and several others injured.
