3 min readSrinagarUpdated: Apr 7, 2026 07:37 AM IST
In the Kaksar village of Kargil, a woman turned up outside a mosque last week to donate three hens — her contribution towards the relief efforts in Iran as the conflict in West Asia, following attacks by the US and Israel, drags on.
One of those hens later laid an egg. With a view to encouraging further contributions, the egg was auctioned, starting with a Rs 100 bid. A crowd gathered, and the bids began increasing — the egg was eventually sold for Rs 6,000.
Over the past week, the trend took off in Kargil, and small contributions, like eggs or apples being brought in to street corners for donations, began being auctioned. One such apple fetched a price of Rs 1.05 lakh at Karkitchoo village.
Sheikh Hasnain, who studies in Iran and is currently back home in Kargil, was present at one such auction. “It is a way of honouring the sentiment with which a person brings their household item. People are emotional, and this is their way of showing their support. So, if someone brings an apple and another pays a big amount for it, we are showing respect for their contribution as a community,” he said.
After the killing of Iran’s then Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on March 1, people from all parts of the Ladakh region poured out onto the streets to participate in large demonstrations against the war in West Asia. Contributions have also poured in and continue to do so from different parts of the region. These are subsequently sent to the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi.
The Karkitchoo apple is famed for its long shelf life. “The season usually ends in November, and it is rare to find apples in March. Someone had one apple left in their home from the last season, so he brought it for the auction,” Hasnain said.
The bid started at Rs 200, and eventually, a local businessman, Ilyas, bought it for just over a lakh. “This was his way of showing respect for the person who could only bring an apple and making it count,” the student said.
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Kargil has a sizable Shia Muslim population, but over the past month, contributions have poured in from all parts of Ladakh. From school children contributing money from their piggy banks to households bringing their copperware, J&K and Ladakh have come together to offer financial support to Iran.
The Iranian Embassy in India has posted social media messages thanking the people of J&K and Kargil, specifically, for their contributions toward rebuilding Iran.
