Kashmir’s women entrepreneurs combine innovation with social media to run successful businesses 30 stades sana imitiyaz ishra and buqra sisters haya vakil cafe liberty 30stades
Kashmir is seeing a new generation of young women entrepreneurs who are beating the challenges of unemployment, internet shutdowns, political instability and lockdowns to cash in on rising business opportunities. From food to fashion, these entrepreneurs have found an ally in social media, which is helping them expand faster than ever before.
There has been a considerable rise in the number of registered entrepreneurs in Jammu and Kashmir. While there were 483 entrepreneurs in 2016, the number has risen over four times to 2,164 in 2018, as per the data available with the Jammu & Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI).
In Kashmir, where women often face socio-economic restrictions, some have persevered to turn their passion into a profession.
And the restoration of high-speed internet on February 5 this year has given a boost to these young women and their start-ups in the valley.
Meet Sana Imtiyaz
Hussaini, a 22-year-old baker from uptown Srinagar who is a baker and an artist
in equal parts. She is the first woman from Srinagar to make it to The
Homebakers’ 2020 list of the top 100 home bakers of the country.
Two sisters, Iqra
Mukhtar (27) and Bushra Mukhtar (23) started the clothing line 'Kashmiri
Pehnava' in 2018 to preserve traditional Kashmiri attire by giving it a modern
twist.
Haya Vakil set up her Café Liberty in 2018 without any experience in hospitality. Pic: courtesy Haya Vakil
And Haya Vakil has taken the unconventional road of setting up Café Liberty in Srinagar, serving pizzas and pasta alongside traditional Kashmiri dishes like harissa (served in winters) and noon chai .
“Entrepreneurship is no longer defined by gender in the Kashmiri society. Young girls now receive support and encouragement from their families which boosts their confidence,” Haya says.
Having merged art and
food to present her creative best in home-made designer cakes, 'Sweet
Temptations by Sana Imtiyaz' has become the go-to destination in Srinagar for
cakes for weddings, birthdays and other events. Her small team works even on
Sundays to fulfill the large number of orders they receive.
Sana has innovated by
introducing cake sickles, rasmalai cakes, tray cakes and piñata cakes,
which are popular among the youth. Apart from conventional bakery products like
muffins, bagels, doughnuts etc., she specialises in chocolates made with dry
fruits like almonds and dates.
But her journey wasn’t
a cakewalk.
“Baking as a career option for girls remains very novel in Kashmir,” Sana says.
Her parents wanted her to become a doctor. “Though relatives were sceptical, my parents were supportive of my idea to take up baking. I was firm and today I don't regret my choice,” she says.
Sana and her team work even on Sundays to meet customer requirements. Pic: through Sana Imtiyaz Hussaini
“My love for food and my courses in baking gave me an edge to turn it into a full-time business,” says Sana who is currently pursuing a B.Sc (home science) from the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Srinagar.
Sana’s parents invested Rs20,000 to help set up the home bakery. She now plans to have a commercial unit soon.
Iqra and Bushra also invested Rs60,000 from their savings to start the business and now earn over Rs60,000 a month.
The sisters have revived Kashmiri pherans and give a personalised stylish touch to suits by adding tassels and silk thread work with Tilla, a type of Kashmiri embroidery.
They also use the
traditional Sozni and Ari work on clothes.
Start-up
challenges
Iqra says, “We don’t think it’s difficult to work in Kashmir but curfews and protests sometimes create problems, especially when we are in the peak season and have many orders to deliver.”
One has to have will
power, dedication and then nothing is impossible in this world, she adds.
Sisters Iqra and Bushra Mukhtar are reviving traditional dresses & embroidery through their start-up Kashmiri Pehnava, which has customers across India. Pic: Iqra Mukhtar
Being new to the
business, the sisters have learnt on the job. Initially, they had no idea
regarding reaching out to artisans for embroidery work. Their father, who makes
Kashmiri handicrafts, got them connected to some of the best craftspeople in
the valley.
But Sana’s challenges were of a different kind. The biggest one was sourcing some ingredients like whipped cream or even the packaging material, which weren’t readily available in the local markets. She continues to order her packaging boxes and other items like edible glitter from Delhi though she is now connected with some local wholesalers for procuring other supplies.
Haya, who set up the
café with her husband Khawar Jamsheed in 2018, did not have any prior
experience in the hospitality sector. In fact, she worked as a Radio Jockey in
Srinagar for 13 years before setting up her dream café.
Given their
inexperience, Haya’s friends and family never believed that a café could do
well in such a place.
“The discouragement from friends and relatives was the biggest challenge,” says Haya.
Besides, designing the
look of the cafeteria was quite a demanding task. “It was tough to decide where
to place what. We put things up several times, took them off, dismantled the
whole thing and then re-did everything all over again. We wanted it to look the
best,” recalls Haya.
The effort, however,
has paid off. The place is tastefully decorated with vintage and heritage
artefacts. The café is visited by crème-de-la-crème of Srinagar as well as
Bollywood given its warm feel, interesting menu and beautiful décor. “I always
wanted to have a small cosy place for people to come in, relax and enjoy,” says
Haya.
Actor Manoj Bajpayee at Haya Vakil's Cafe Liberty. Pic: through Cafe Liberty
Sana says while she has achieved financial independence through baking, many other girls in Kashmir are earning through calligraphy writing, making chocolates, designing hand-made face masks, home decor items etc. “The biggest requirement to run a successful business is to conquer all fears and work hard,” says Sana.
Sana has been using
social media to promote her business and connect with customers. Her Instagram
page has more than 10,000 followers and the home baker also uses Facebook to
keep followers up-to-date with her work and latest offers.
“Social media plays an important role for young entrepreneurs as the warm responses and encouraging messages for their work act as a driving force,” says Haya.
Iqra and Bushra’s Instagram page, 'Kashmiri Pehnava' has over 6,000 followers. From placing orders to updating customers and delivering orders, their pages on Facebook, Instagram along with the WhatsApp business account have proved to be the backbone of their business.
Cafe Liberty serves Kashmiri as well as Continental and Italian cuisine. Pic: Cafe Liberty
When they started, they received just a few orders from Kashmir but now they have customers from across the country.
“Social media has helped us a lot in growing as entrepreneurs. Although we don’t have a full-fledged unit, due to social media we are just a text away from our customers," says Bushra.
Even with the off and
on communication restrictions, they can stay in touch with customers outside
the valley with the help of a broadband connection.
Though their mother
was not too pleased with her daughters’ decision to become entrepreneurs, she
is now very proud of what they have achieved.
“The conservative
society of Kashmir makes it very hard for women to stand out and start
something of their own. But girls are now proving that they have the potential
to rise above stereotypes and set an example for all other women who dream
big,” says Iqra.
(Parsa Mahjoob is a Srinagar-based freelance journalist)
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