Yousaf's journey brings a taste of home to Sheffield
As a child he lived hand-to-mouth, working as a cleaner aged nine, then selling trinkets to tourists on Goa's beaches.
Now Yousaf Khan runs an Aladdin's Cave of a shop, stuffed with handcrafted treasures, on Abbeydale Road in Sheffield.
It has been a remarkable journey for this 33-year-old self-made man.
Born in Srinagar, Kashmir, Yousaf was sent to Goa to work as a live-in housekeeper when he was just nine. Beaten and treated as a virtual slave by the businessman who employed him, Yousaf dreamed of a better life. By the time he was 14 he had saved enough money to strike out on his own.
He said: "I had 6,000 Rupees, that was about 100, and I used it to buy a small stock of jewellery and trinket boxes, which I started selling on the beach to European and American tourists.
"In the first year I made about 500, which was enough for me to live on and to buy more stock to sell. And I had begun to learn English from the backpackers that I was making friends with."
Yousaf was also able to visit the family he had been forced to leave more regularly.
"My father had a speed boat hire business and taught water skiing to tourists on the Dal Lake. But because of the conflict in Kashmir the tourist industry just died and my family had no money. That is why I had to leave.
"My mother used to pretend she had eaten so that we children wouldn't go hungry."
By the time Yousaf was 17, he and a friend had rented a shop in Goa, from which they sold rugs, scarves and jewellery, and within three years they were running five small retail outlets.
"The situation was better in Kashmir by then also. The tourists were returning and my father's business was running again."
When Yousaf arrived in England seven years ago, he was determined to make a success of his life here too.
Last year he was finally able to open his shop, naming it Shikara after a type of wooden boat found on the Dal Lake where his family still live.
It may occupy an unremarkable spot, but the moment you walk into Shikara you are aware that it is something special. One-off pieces of hand carved furniture made of walnut, sheesham wood and leather immediately catch the eye.
Persian-style hand knotted heavy silk rugs come in all sizes and price brackets. The larger rugs take over a year for the craftsperson to make.
Everything Yousaf sells is imported directly from Jammu and Kashmir. "The region I come from is famous for the quality of its crafts," he explains. "Everything is made by hand. I'm very proud that I can buy all my stock from the craftspeople themselves.
"I can even tell you the names of most of the people who have made this stuff," he laughs.
And every piece has a fascinating story behind it. The pashmina scarves and stoles, carefully folded inside glass display cabinets, are made from a type of fine cashmere wool combed from the pashmina goat.
These goats are indigenous to the high altitudes of the Himalayas, and only their wool can be used to make genuine pashmina scarves. "When you live in winter temperatures of minus 20, as we do in Kashmir, you understand why this fabric is so valuable," says Yousaf.
Displayed on shelves and in cabinets are leather bound notebooks made of rice paper inlaid with flower petals, jewellery made of silver and semi-precious stones and painted papier mache trays, boxes and candlesticks.
On the wall hangs Moghul art hand painted onto silk, and other hangings made of cotton, embroidery and intricate patchwork. The shop even smells beautiful, with light incense perfuming the air.
"I want people to experience some of the beauty of Kashmir when they come here," said Yousaf. "And because I import everything directly myself, I've managed to keep things affordable enough for people to take home and enjoy.
"It hasn't been the easiest time to start a new business," he admits, with a nod to the current economic downturn. "But," he smiles, "my customers seem to love what we do and Christmas shopping will soon begin."
lShikara is at 312 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield. Tel: 07791 7565222. The shop is open Monday to Saturday, 10am-5pm, and closes on Fridays between 1.30pm and 2.30pm.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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