The state of Jammu and Kashmir is home to several talented youngsters who are venturing into different businesses and running them successfully across the Kashmir Valley. While shaping their own careers as entrepreneurs, these young men and women are also introducing a positive change in the social scenario of Kashmir. Here we tell you about Mehak Parvez, a young woman from Srinagar who has started her own candle-making business.
Mehak Parvez is a 24-year-old woman who resides in the Elahi Bagh area in Srinagar. She is pursuing engineering from the SSM College of Engineering. However, she has started a candle-making business of her own, and her work is being appreciated in her state and outside. She operates the business from Srinagar itself and receives most of her orders through social media. Just 2 months into this business, and she has started receiving 4-5 orders every week. Her social media following has grown from 100 to 700, and her followers keep appreciating her work on social media platforms.
Since a very early age, Mehak was fond of candles, the light they emitted, and the cheerful ambience thus created. Secondly, candles were the only source of light when there was no electricity in her town. She turned her liking for candles into a business idea. Some photos of coloured candles that she once saw on Instagram, gave her the impetus to enter the business of designing candles herself. She invested Rs. 40,000 to start this business. Most of the material required for candle-making had to be procured from outside Kashmir, which added to the initial cost.
Today, Mehak designs candles in different shapes, sizes, and colours. She customizes them based on the buyers’ requirements. She sells scented as well as non-scented candles. Most of the sale takes place over Instagram. Her long-term goal is to set up a big unit for candle-making and create employment opportunities for the people in her state. She has been appreciated by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation, when during an event in Srinagar, she had presented a variety of candles designed by her.
The lockdown may have slowed down her efforts towards expanding her business, but nothing can deter her ambition. She had the courage to start a business, which was rare in Kashmir. She stays in a remote area and still works on 2G Internet; however, she promotes and sells her work over social media. Recognizing the true potential of social media, she displays her candle designs on these platforms, the word spreads far, and she receives a good response.
Mehak is the first woman to start a candle-making business in Kashmir. She had restored the candle culture in the Kashmir Valley. Her candles light up special occasions in so many people’s lives and through her beautifully designed candles, she is spreading happiness. She has set an example of how one’s passion can be turned into a lucrative business idea.
What we can learn from Mehak is that even if the business idea is unconventional or rare, if we can utilize resources, such as the Internet, to our advantage, and if we work with sincerity, we can surely succeed in the business.
