The Tailor Who's 'Sweeping' Change in Kashmir Village

Ghulam Nabi Ganie, a 78-year-old tailor, cleans graveyards and streams with no thought of reward. His simple acts of love for his village inspire a community.

- Gowher Bhat

In the early hours of Wa-thibugh, a small village in Kashmir's Pulwama district, everything is still. The sun has just started to rise, and the air is cold. But in the quiet of this dawn, one man gets to work.

Ghulam Nabi Ganie, 78, steps out into the morning chill with a broom in his hand, ready to begin his day. No one asks him to do this. No one pays him. But every day, he walks through his village, cleaning graveyards, washing tombstones, and clearing streams. These small acts show his love for his community.

Ghulam Nabi is a tailor, and his hands are used to working with fabric, not with dirt or dust. But for years, he has been the heart of Wahibugh, quietly doing the work that most people overlook.

He doesn’t seek praise. He doesn’t want money. What he does is simple, but it has changed the village in ways words can't describe.