Surrounded by rugs embroidered with green paisleys, autumnal maple leaves and cherry blossoms, Arifa is a picture of poise and confidence, one that belies her young age. After all, a woman in her late-20s running a business in the busy streets of Lalbazar in Srinagar is indeed a rare sight.

In Kashmir, frequently hit by shutdowns and strikes, and where violence is a part of daily life, women are forced to lead sheltered lives. Unlike many girls her age, Arifa did not marry after her studies. She decided to start a business instead, “I always wanted to be an entrepreneur… so I graduated in commerce.”

It was while trying to find work for a relative’s widow that she discovered the Srinagar-based Craft Development Institute (CDI), which trains young people for entrepreneurship in handicrafts. Arifa decided to pursue a course in business administration.

The ₹95,000 fee was daunting, but the tougher battle was to convince her parents. Her father, a state government employee, worried about the reaction from their conservative society. His only advice to his young daughter was: “ Kuch bhi karna, par ghar ki izzat bani rahey (Do what you want, but preserve the family’s honour).”

Arifa has not looked back since. Convinced of her talent and zeal, the Crafts Council of India gave her a grant. Together with two business partners, pashmina weavers Mohammed Salim Sofi and Farooqh Amar Ghanai, Arifa set up Incredible Kashmir Crafts to sell handmade ‘numdha’ rugs.

The laborious manufacturing process involves carding the wool, spreading it on a grass mat and compressing it manually. The back-breaking work often leaves the artisans with bleeding palms. The painstaking embroidery work is done by women. “I want to revive numdha-making. The artisans are paid so badly that they are no longer interested. These days only the old artisans know this specialised craft. Educated youngsters prefer to do lowly-paid jobs instead,” says Arifa.

She hopes to one day set up a company with artisans as shareholders. She started out by employing 15 workers, paying them three times what they were getting. Sofi, her business partner, says, “I decided to join because she has her heart in this. She has an attachment to the artisans and thinks differently.”

The other partner, Ghanai, says “the peace which has prevailed in Kashmir over the last two to three years has helped. Tourists are coming, and they bring business...”

Arifa’s life has transformed completely. The once shy, diminutive girl, who used to be reprimanded for coming home late, now travels on her own, scouting for new markets and attending exhibitions.

Successive governments in the State have made efforts to encourage women entrepreneurs. In fact, the former social welfare minister Sakina Itoo had allocated ₹10 crore to the Women Development Corporation (JKWDC) towards this cause.

Dr Naheed Soz, managing director of JKWDC, says, “The last 20 years or so have seen women becoming house-bound due to the law-and-order situation. The Kashmiri woman has been sewing, embroidering and doing small work from home. Now we are helping them market their products directly.”

Gazalla Amin’s six-year-old aromatic oil business today has a turnover of ₹1.5 crore. “Finances are hard to come by, society doesn’t accept women entrepreneurs easily… There are often problems for such women when they want to get married,” she adds.

Arifa, however, prefers to focus on the positives. “I think, today the mindset has changed quite a bit. Even the thinking of boys has changed. Now, I can think of becoming someone, before becoming someone’s wife.”

(Women's Feature Service)

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