In Jammu and Kashmir, a group of young migrant barbers from Uttar Pradesh have carved out a little time for nostalgic recreation in the form of gilli-danda.&nbsp;Pulwama, Jammu &amp; Kashmir: Cricket might be king in Kashmir, but every Tuesday near Tral’s Bajwani Sports Stadium, a different and much older game takes over.Thousands of miles from their homeland, a group of migrant hairstylists from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, has kept alive a unique tradition.&nbsp;For the past year, about 15 young men have been gathering here every week to play spirited games of gilli-danda, a sight seldom witnessed in the Valley these days.<div class="embed-container" align="center"><img src="https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/inpic/2025/9/101RPT2848726/4.jpg" id="2894493" style="width: 100%;"></div><div class="embed-container" align="center"></div><span style="font-family: Charter; background-color: transparent; font-size: 20px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mohammad Sameer (22), who has been in Kashmir since 2016, told <span style="font-family: Charter; background-color: transparent; font-size: 20px; font-style: italic; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">101Reporters<span style="font-family: Charter; background-color: transparent; font-size: 20px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> that the weekly ritual helps them remain rooted to home.&nbsp;“We bring these gillis with us from UP,” he said enthusiastically. Many of the young men are related or have met through relatives, drawn together by memories of home. “Whether it’s snowing or raining, we always play.” They usually start around noon every Tuesday, when most barber shops are shut.<div class="embed-container" align="center"><img src="https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/inpic/2025/9/101RPT2848726/2.jpg" id="2894492" style="width: 100%;"></div>Sameer said the tradition extends beyond Tral, with UP workers organising such games in places like Srinagar Eidgah, Awantipora, among others. Mohammad Salman (19), who works in Tral town, said he has heard of the game being played by UP boys in the Valley for over a decade. Players from other areas often visit Tral to join in, he explained, strengthening their social bonds. “Playing this reminds us of home. We feel like we are back there,” he said.<div class="embed-container" align="center"><img src="https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/inpic/2025/9/101RPT2848726/5.jpg" id="2894494" style="width: 100%;"></div>Mohammad Jaffar (20), a hairstylist in Lalpora, Tral, added: “We divide into two groups of seven and play the same way as in UP.” Tuesdays have become a “day of reunion”, with labourers from across the Valley meeting to relive their village days. “We also share these experiences with our families at home. They are happy to know that we are playing here.”It is not just nostalgia. “It’s the shouq (passion) of our bachpan (childhood),” said Nawazish (19). Locals sometimes watch and even participate, calling it by its Kashmiri name, lathki lothh. The Valley’s mild climate makes the game all the more enjoyable, the players said.&nbsp;<div class="embed-container" align="center"><img src="https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/inpic/2025/9/101RPT2848726/3.jpg" id="2894495" style="width: 100%;"></div>Their games have begun attracting local youth too. Although a version of the game was once played in Kashmir, it has nearly vanished from local playgrounds. Salinder Singh (40), a resident of Chatrogam near the stadium, said, “It reminds me of my childhood, the way they play. But their style is not the same as ours, sometimes it confuses me.”<div class="embed-container" align="center"><img src="https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/inpic/2025/9/101RPT2848726/6.jpg" id="2894497" style="width: 100%;"></div>Sabzar Ahmad (24), a hairdresser in Tral, enjoys working with these guest workers, calling them competent and respectful of locals, “even learning a bit of Kashmiri.” He is delighted with the routine:&nbsp; “A day in advance, they would get ready to play Gilli Danda, scheduling calls and pooling in players. It is welcome to note they are bringing back such traditional games, particularly when ours are disappearing."<div class="embed-container" align="center"><img src="https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/inpic/2025/9/101RPT2848726/7.jpg" id="2894496" style="width: 100%;"></div>Players like Mohammad Ayaan (17) and Mohammad Sabit (18), who work in Dhobiwan village, make their weekly trip to the stadium by foot, public transport, or lifts from locals. “Even at the ground, a family nearby provides us with water, tea, and food. They never let us feel like outsiders,” said Mohammad Sahil Malik (20) and Mohammad Mustafa (23). “Kashmir is the best place in India. People here give us so much respect.”<div class="embed-container" align="center"><img src="https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/inpic/2025/9/101RPT2848726/8.jpg" id="2894498" style="width: 100%;"></div>“Lathki lothh was played in Kashmir until around 2000 or 2001, but gradually faded as the younger generation shifted to modern sports like hockey, thangta and yogasana,” said Mohammad Akram, a sports official at the Indoor Stadium in Tral. “These games give young people opportunities to compete at the national level.”<div class="embed-container" align="center"><img src="https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/inpic/2025/9/101RPT2848726/9.jpg" id="2894499" style="width: 100%;"></div>While modern pastimes have pushed many traditional games into oblivion, a passionate bunch of migrant workers is keeping gilli-danda alive in Tral. For them, it is not merely a game but a connection to home, heritage, and belonging. All photos by Basharat Rashid, 101Reporters