SRINAGAR: Danish Farooq can't forget the day when he was detained by Central Reserve Police Force CRPF ) commandos, while he was on his way to the TRC Turf Ground in Srinagar for a practice session. Danish tried to plead his way through; but to no avail. It was only after a senior officer, who knew Danish had been a member of the Jammu & Kashmir Santosh Trophy team, reasoned for Danish that he was released."That day is still etched in my mind. Thankfully, the senior officer knew about Santosh Trophy and that I had represented J&K in it," says the 22-year-old, a resident of Eidgah in downtown Srinagar.Danish has been given the moniker of ‘Kashmiri Ronaldo' by fellow footballers and aficionados of the state. It's not just his looks or hairstyle, but his dribbling skills and goal-scoring abilities that has earned him the nickname.Danish, an attacking midfielder, stands at 6 feet 1; and whenever he has a ball at his feet, he shows his ‘Cristiano skills'. "My teammates love my dribbling abilities and they address them as Cristiano skills," quips Danish, with a glint in his eyes.With 4 strikes, Danish was the joint highest goal-scorer for Real Kashmir FC in the I-League second division. Real Kashmir will be making their debut in I-League top division in the forthcoming season. Besides the goals, he had the most number of assists to his name. Danish is more or less the engine on which Real Kashmir functions.A place where curfews are regularly put in place, Danish and his ilk have to struggle to get quality practice sessions. "Aapke Delhi mein jaise jam hota hai, waise hi humare yahan curfew hota hai (The way Delhi has traffic jams; similarly, Srinagar has curfews more often than not)," Danish tells, before bursting into peals of laughter.There are gun-totting commandos all over Srinagar. So much so, that for every fourth civilian there is a commando in place."It is not only difficult for footballers here, but for every person – any profession. We take different routes whenever there is a curfew in place. By now, we know which routes to take to reach the ground during a curfew. We reach the ground some way or the other, but we don't miss a practice session."It's only few and far between that we get to practice; therefore, we make sure that we don't miss it," reflects Danish, who is a massive Cristiano Ronaldo fan.By displaying his skills in the forthcoming I-League season, Danish hopes to show the entire world that there is more to Kashmir that what is being portrayed."We want to leave a big impression (in the I-League) through the brand of football that we play. We want to show that there is more to Kashmir than guns and bombs."Logon ko batana chahte hai ki hum bhi acche insaan hai (We want to tell the country that we are also good human beings). We have been portrayed wrongly over the years and that needs to change. Playing for Real Kashmir in the I-League is a massive opportunity for us," states Danish.His father, Farooq Ahmad Bhat, also used to play football during his heydays. Farooq Ahmad played for Mohammedan Sporting in Kolkata. Talking about his sporting lineage and his progress, Danish says, "Football is in my blood. We have had a good footballing culture in our family. I imitated my father and started playing from my childhood. I was selected in J&K Bank football academy at the age of 13. Then I played for the bank team and became their captain. After that I played for Lonestar Kashmir FC and from late 2016 I started playing for Real Kashmir."Danish feels football, which is a hugely popular sport in Kashmir, is helping youngsters join the mainstream. "Young players are given a platform; parents are also told that football is a viable career option and that has helped getting the youth into the mainstream."