16/09/2025
𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗴'𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 – 𝗛𝗮𝗷𝗶 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗮
Among the traders who plied their trade from Kalimpong in the 1960s and earlier was an unlikely, yet highly respected figure, popularly known as Haji Musa Saheb. He was an Uyghur — an ethnic group from present-day Xinjiang in far western China, formerly known as East Turkistan (aka Chinese Turkistan).
He likely came to Kalimpong via Lhasa/Tibet, where Uyghur traders from Xinjiang have operated for several centuries. Alternatively, his journey may have taken him through Kashmir, Calcutta (now Kolkata), or some other place.
Although the precise route and circumstances of his arrival remain unclear, it is certain that Kalimpong’s status as a trading hub with Tibet, and beyond, attracted this Muslim trader. The existence of a substantial Muslim trading community was likely another incentive for him to establish a shop in town.
Before 1972, hunting wild animals such as tigers, leopards, foxes, otters, mink, was legal, and pelts and furs were traded openly. There was considerable demand for tiger and leopard skins in Tibet, especially in the eastern regions of Kham and Amdo (now Qinghai), where it was fashionable to trim traditional attire with tiger and leopard skins.
Locally, pelts and animal heads were prized as trophies and decorative items— hangings, wall mounts, throws on sofas, and floor mats. They were seen as status symbols in the homes of the wealthy and influential, making pelt trading an attractive business for Haji Musa. He was perhaps the only pelt dealer not just in Kalimpong, but in the entire region.
In Kalimpong, he established his pelt and fur shop near the 10th Mile mile-stone. Behind the store, he set up a tannery and warehouse with an open yard for drying and airing the skins. He dealt primarily in tiger and leopard skins. Passersby could often see dozens of striped and rosette-patterned pelts laid out or hung in the sun. Haji Sahab’s shopfront showcased these cured skins, ready for sale. Tibetan traders were his main clientele, purchasing pelts to be sold in the Barkor Bazaar in Lhasa, where shop owners resold them to buyers from far corners of Tibet. Most supplies eventually reached nomadic herders in far eastern Tibet’s vast grazing lands.
(Even as late as the 1990s, when I led tourist groups to Lhasa, big-cat pelts, including snow leopards, were still openly sold in shops along Barkor Street, long after hunting and trading had been banned in India and most others countries. Today, the contraband trade has gone underground.)
Haji Musa sourced uncured or partially cured skins from hunters and suppliers ftom the plains of India and Nepal. Hunting big cats, bears, deer, otters, squirrels, and foxes was not only lucrative but also a popular pastime among the privileged.
Skins were cured and dried in his tannery. Many townspeople from the 1950s and 60s recall seeing full-body pelts—tigers, leopards, bears, etc, —drying on the parapet outside the shop, a spectacle even then considered exotic.
Beyond his business success, Haji Musa was a highly respected member of Kalimpong society. He participated actively in social circles and was known for his generosity. He played a pivotal role in the rebuilding and expansion of the Anjuman Mosque on Thakurbari Road, as well as other social initiatives within Kalimpong’s Muslim community. His children were educated in the premier schools of Kalimpong. His sons went to Dr Graham's Homes and daughter to St Joseph's Convent.
As with most businesses dealing with Tibet, his trade suffered a blow when commerce with Tibet ceased after the 1962 border conflict. Around this time, Haji Sahab closed his shop and moved to Calcutta (Kolkata) with his wife, daughter, and two sons. Even after relocating, he and his family maintained contact with friends from Kalimpong, and their house was always open to visitors from the town.
It is unclear whether he continued dealing in furs and skins after shifting to Kolkata. If so, the 1972 ban on hunting tigers, leopards, and most other animals—as mandated by the newly enacted Wildlife Act—surely ended his business.
Around 1973/74, Haji Musa and family immigrated to Turkey. Uyghurs of Xinjiang speak a Turkic language and have cultural roots in Turkey. They likely had relatives and/or friends there as well. Hence, moving to Turkey was a logical choice.
Friends who remained close to the family, especially the boys Abdul and Hamid, and their sister, recall that they always cherished Kalimpong. Even decades afterwards, the family still spoke in Nepali among themselves, enjoyed Hindi films, and listened to Hindi and Nepali songs. Proving that although living in distant Turkey, their hearts remained in Kalimpong.
Today, Haji Musa and his son Abdul are no longer alive, but Kalimpong lives on in the hearts of Hamid and his sister.
Khuda Hafiz, Haji Saheb and Abdul Aziz. Rest assured, there are still those in Kalimpong who remember you and your family fondly.
Thus, the curious story of Kalimpong’s pelt trader may have come to an end—but is far from forgotten.
Note:
This article was composed after speaking to several people who knew or remembers the family. It is not intended as a definitive history of Haji Musa, his business, or his family. Comments/corrections are welcome.
Photos are from family album of Haji Musa shared by his son.
Written by Devendra Basnet
Kalimpong, 16 September 2025
