Caf¨¦ Run By Indian Army In Border Village Of Kashmir Focuses On Tourism, Local Employment

One can find an overview of the Habba Khatoon mountain range, a cup of cappuccino and different people on one table- locals, tourists and Army men. This enchanting scene is of ¡®The Log Hut Caf¨¦¡¯ in Dawar area of border town Gurez in north Kashmir¡¯s Bandipora district which is over 130 kilometres from Srinagar.

Idrees Bukhtiyar

¡°It is totally a different experience to see a tourist, local and Army man on one table discussing various issues over the sips of coffee,¡± said an army official who oversees the caf¨¦.

The caf¨¦ was thrown open last year on the International Coffee Day and is being completely run by the Indian Army that guards the border of the Gurez sector.

The Army official told Indiatimes that the caf¨¦ was opened to bring tourism and employment to this far-off area. ¡°We have been working to bring tourism and tourists to this sector. We have also created employment opportunities for the local youth and put a successful business set up forward so that local youth and hoteliers can emulate it,¡± he said.

He said that they have been creating a lot of awareness among the locals so as to promote border tourism. ¡°A lot has changed here now. More than fourteen hotels, homestays and rented accommodations have come up in Gurez and tourists are visiting here in huge numbers,¡± the official said.

Idrees Bukhtiyar

He said, ¡°Last year over 15,000 tourists visited Gurez but this year over 12,000 have visited till date and we are expecting the number to go up to 50,000 this year.¡±

¡°We have also taken up the matter of tourism promotion in Gurez with the J & K Tourism Department and Lieutenant Governor (LG) office,¡± he added.

This new joint has been doing great and every tourist visiting the area makes a stop over here. The cafe management says that it has got a great response from the people, both local and tourists.

Serving beyond wazwan

The Army officer said that the caf¨¦ was also opened with an intention to serve beyond the Wazwan (multi-course meal in Kashmiri cuisine prepared from meat-based using lamb with few vegetarian dishes) to the visitors. ¡°They get it very often anywhere. But the idea was to serve food like maggi, pizza, pasta, sandwiches and others which are being prepared by the local chefs,¡± he said.

Idrees Bukhtiyar

He said that locals are being trained at their caf¨¦ and then work for the other restaurants.

The Log Hut Cafe is a perfect spot for the bikers, trekkers and locals to have a cup of roasted beans coffee.

The cafe has been hosting special events and musical evenings every weekend for the locals and tourists. A lot of local artists have performed in the cafe which is also helping in conserving the waning Dard-Shin culture of Gurez.

Importantly, Gurez remains cut off from the rest of the world for around six months in winter due to the heavy snowfall and its accumulation at Razdan Pass. The Army and locals arrange the essential commodities accordingly before this time.

¡®10-star destination¡¯

Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra and Mahindra recently shared a video on his Twitter handle that went quite viral. This inspiring and frankly beautiful video that was shared by him, shows Garima Goel, a vlogger and former Bollywood film actress giving the viewers a tour of this caf¨¦.

Idrees Bukhtiyar

She shows the food items that are available, the menu card and the ambiance of the caf¨¦ that are all quite breathtaking.

Anand Mahindra composed quite a heartfelt caption when it came to sharing this video on his Twitter handle. He wrote, ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, this Caf¨¦ is not a 5 star, nor a 7 star, but a 10 star destination!¡±

On this the Army official said, ¡°We are grateful to him. He realised what it means to run a caf¨¦ in a remote area and how it brings the positive image of Kashmir.¡±

Demand for more cafes

Locals of the border town Uri in Baramulla district have also demanded the same pattern of caf¨¦ in the remote area. ¡°In May last year, Indian Army opened a caf¨¦ for the visitors at Kaman Post at Line of Control (LoC) in Uri but it is completely inaccessible for locals because it is situated at LoC and a highly fortified zone,¡± they said.¡°We demand a new caf¨¦ should be opened in the main Uri or in Salamabad area and people should be allowed to go there after proper permission,¡± they added.

Experts believe that if more such cafes are opened in near LoC villages across J&K, it can play a pivotal role in bringing peace on both sides of the border.

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