The Money Lessons Many In Kashmir Never Learned

Aijaz Mir pushes his shikara into Dal Lake before the sun rises over the hills. On good days, tourists fill his boat and the tips are generous. On slow days, he counts every note twice. By evening, his thoughts turn to school fees, groceries and the long winter ahead.

He knows how to work hard. What he never learned is how to plan his money beyond the next few weeks.

When visitors ask about life on the lake, Aijaz talks about the water and the view. He does not talk about the stress of uncertain income or the fear of an emergency wiping out whatever little he has saved.

No one ever taught him how savings could grow or how planning could bring some peace.

In another part of Srinagar, Sana Aziz sits in her rented room after work, scrolling through her phone. She has a good degree and a steady job.

Every month, her salary arrives on time and disappears just as quickly. Rent, transport, family needs and medical expenses take their share.

She tells herself she will start saving next month. That month keeps moving forward.

Aijaz and Sana live different lives, but they share the same problem.

They were taught how to study, earn and adjust. But they were never taught how money works.

This story is quite common in Kashmir. People work long hours and make careful choices, but many live with constant money worries. Schools focus on marks and degrees. Homes focus on getting through the month.

Conversations about budgeting, saving or investing rarely happen. Money remains something to manage by instinct.

Financial literacy sounds like a big term, but it is simple at heart. It means knowing where your money goes, how to save some of it, and plan for the future.

It means understanding debt before it grows heavy. It also means learning how time can help money grow, even in small amounts.

The lack of this knowledge shows up in everyday pain.

A sudden illness pushes families into loans they spend years repaying. Young people earn decent salaries and still live one emergency away from trouble. Older adults worry about how they will cope once work is no longer possible.

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