For over six years, Mohammed Mohsin*, 27, had wanted to resurrect his family’s aging hotel in the picturesque hill town of Pahalgam in Southern Kashmir. The old structure—set against a backdrop of lush pine trees, with the raging waters of River Lidder gushing ahead and the snow-capped Himalayan peaks in the distance—had worn down with time, and the business struggled to bring in profits.
This year, Mohsin finally decided to act. Though reviving the old structure felt like a daunting task, the surge in tourist footfall across Kashmir since 2023 gave him a rare sense of optimism. He took a risk: He borrowed money from lenders, sold off family gold and poured most of his savings into the business.
When the resurrected hotel finally…
