Gulmarg Fashion Show Sparks Row in Kashmir

A fashion show held last week in a picturesque snow -covered city in Kashmir administered by India has caused a great controversy that is still over low heat.

The show, of the well -known fashion brand Shivan & Narsh, was held last Friday at a ski season in Gulmarg to show its ski collection. The label is the first large and not local brand to celebrate a fashionable parade in Kashmir, a picturesque Himalayan region that has seen decades of violence.

But soon it caused outrage among the locals, politicians and religious leaders in Muslim majority back after the fashion publisher Elle India published a video on social networks that showed some models with underwear or bikinis. The locals were also angry at another video, shared by the lifestyle of the magazine online Asia, of a party held after the show, which showed people drinking alcohol outdoors.

Many were offended with the show held in the Sacred Month of Ramadan, an era of fasting and prayer for Muslims, and accused the designers of “making fun of their faith” and “ignoring local culture and feelings.” Some clergymen called the “obscene” program and said it was like “soft porn.”

Others explained that the outrage had emerged not only from religious conservatism, but also for the fear of the cultural imposition of the “strangers.” Kashmira has witnessed decades of armed separatist insurgency against the Indian government since the end of the 1980s.

The violent reaction led Elle India and the lifestyle Asia to eliminate their videos. Shivan Bhatiya and Naresh Kukreja, designers behind the label, also apologized, saying that their “only intention was to celebrate creativity” and that they had no intention of offending religious feelings.

Kashmira, known as the Earth of Saints and Sufism (Islamic mysticism), has a rich tradition of spirituality that influences many aspects of people’s lives. The traditional outfit is modest, with locals, both men and women, often using the feral, a long and loose layer.

The row also left social networks and a discussion about the program and the posterior party caused a uproar in the Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir.

The opposition criticized the government, accusing it of giving permission for the event despite being aware of local sensibilities. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, distanced his government from the event, saying that he had been organized by private entities and asking the local authorities to investigate the matter and present a report.

“If the law has been violated, strict measures will be taken,” he said in the assembly on Monday. The police have not yet given details about who organized the event and what laws, if any, have been violated.

The fashion brand did not answer the BBC questions about the program, including the permits it obtained.

It is not surprising that the picturesque Gulmarg, one of India’s few skiing destinations and the favorite of tourists, was the choice of place for a show that highlights a ski collection.

Fashion journalist Shefalee Vasudev says that it is not uncommon for designers to celebrate fashion parades in exquisite places.

In fact, international designers such as Alexander McQueen and Karl Lagerfeld are remembered both for their creative and theatrical fashion shows and for their iconic designs.

But experimentation brings with it the risk of controversy and, therefore, it is important to take into account the political and cultural sensibilities of a place, Vasudev told the BBC.

And this is especially true in a place like Kashmir, which has witnessed wars and decades of armed conflict.

Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in their entirety, but they control it only in parts. Since the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan in 1947, neighbors with nuclear weapons have fought two wars on the territory.

Thousands of people have been killed since the late 1980s, when a separatist insurgency broke out against the Indian government. Although the separatist movement has lost steam over the years, many premises continue to see the administration in Delhi with distrust.

These feelings have been deepened since 2019 when the Federal Government, led by the Hindu Nationalist Party Bharatiya Janata, stripped the region of its autonomy.

Then, some locals told the BBC that they were not surprised by the reactions to the show.

“Everything in Kashmira is political; people see things through a political prism,” says Mir, a professor at a local university (he asked that his last name was retained to protect his identity). He adds that people are skeptical about large corporate events such as the fashion parade and, even if they are organized by private players, they believe that the government is trying to dilute their culture.

Arshid Ahmad, a researcher, uses stronger words to express public anguish. “The government is trying to dilute the spirit of resistance in Kashmir,” he says.

This is not the first time that an event carried out by non -local ones has caused a background controversy. In 2013, separatists and human rights activists in the region protested against a show of the renowned director Zubin Mehta. They saying It was a government attempt to show the world that everything was fine in Kashmir when people were “suffering and dying.”

Some of the recent apprehensions about culture and identity may also be linked to the increase in Tourists to Kashmir from other states of India. The federal government It has often connected This rise in tourism to the abrogation of article 370, which stripped the region of its autonomy.

Nousheen Fatima, 34, says that due to government messaging, people out of Kashmir now see that the region is safer and “more assimilated with India.” But she claims that many tourists do not respect the culture of the region.

Last year, a Video that shows tourists Drinking alcohol during a boat ride in the famous Dal Lago in Srinagar evoked the outrage of political and religious leaders, who described the “non -Islamic and little ethical” behavior.

In February, The premises placed posters In Srinagar, asking tourists to “respect local culture and traditions” and “avoid alcohol and drug use,” but then they were shot down by the police.

In a editorial For Voice of Fashion magazine, Mrs. Vasudev argues that indignation should be examined from a critical lens. She asks if it would have been good for the show that was held in another Indian city instead of Kashmir, where Muslims would also be watching Ramadan. And if it had been acceptable to celebrate the show in Kashmiro if it only presented attire perceived as modest.

He also points out that Kashmira is home to the “best wool thread in the world; some of the best creations of hand woven by hand and her artisans.”

“What Kashmira creates and represents cannot be replicated anywhere. She asks.

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