Women entrepreneurship is one of the most significant indications of a progressive society. A few ladies from Kashmir have proved it. They’ve busted the traditional social bubble that disallows them to look beyond homemaking and have set an inspiring example that is likely to encourage many more across the valley to become entrepreneurs, support their families, and create a unique identity. Let us look at five such women entrepreneurs from Kashmir, who’ve not only established a business but worked their way to make them profitable ventures.
5 Kashmiri Business Women Redefining Entrepreneurship
1. Mir Musharraf and Mubeena Khan
In a society that still considers discussing menstruation openly a taboo, imagine how challenging it would have been for Mir Musharraf and Mubeena Khan to set up a sanitary napkin manufacturing unit! The entrepreneur duo grew up in an orphanage and witnessed the several hardships that women, particularly in the border and rural regions of the valley, undergo during their periods. They sensed the need to end the stigma and make a positive difference.
Having been brought up in an orphanage, Mir and Mubeena had a challenging childhood. The former belongs to Keran, a village that often bears the brunt of military conflicts. She lost her father at an early age, compelling her mother, who did not have a source of income, to enroll her in an orphanage in Kupwara. The latter, Mubeena, lost her father when she was only two and half years old and grew up in the same orphanage as Mir. That’s where they formed a duo.
Setting up a cost-effective sanitary napkin manufacturing unit wasn’t a cakewalk. The terrain was even more treacherous than that of the valley. Society, surprisingly even girls, did not support the initiative initially.
However, that did not deter them. They conducted extensive internet research and traveled to the NIRMA Industries training center in Solapur, Maharashtra. There, they were incubated for three months and experts trained them in the use of grinders, machines, etc. Of course, as if social challenges weren’t enough, financial difficulties posed another set of roadblocks. However, they received INR 12 lakh in the form of aid from the Borderless World Foundation in Srinagar, and INR 3 lakhs as a 2016 startup competition by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and CHINAR International.
Happy Choice, their manufacturing firm, once produced 250 packs of six pieces each per day. As against the market average of INR 35, Happy Choice sells a pack at 26 INR. However, the firm’s napkins do not have flaps that fold over the sides to prevent fluid leakages. To add to it, the total investment requirement is INR 900,000. With no additional funds to invest, the firm had to be temporarily closed in 2017 and did not see investors approaching until then.
However, despite a lack of investors, the duo is determined enough to continue the hunt for investors, and they plan to keep educating society about menstruation and hygiene!
2. Nusrat Jahan Ara
Do you know of someone who quit a secure government job to start a business? Not many would, as indeed, there is a handful who have the guts to make such a courageous decision! Let us talk about one such lady who resigned from a comfortable and secure government job to pursue her passion and venture into entrepreneurship.
Nusrat Jahan Ara, precisely, is the name of the courageous women entrepreneur who dared to step out of her comfort zone and embrace entrepreneurial risks with a smile. A computer graduate, Nusrat belongs to Dadoora in Pulwama. She resigned from her government job to pursue the cut-flower profession. Of course, she was reprimanded severely for it. But determined to succeed in something she liked, Nusrat kept going and made it.
Nusrat did not have any investors initially. So, she started growing flowers in her backyards and selling them. She worked with vendors on a credit basis and borrowed money to transform her dream into reality. Nusrat also runs a Kashmir Essences business, Himalayan Agro Farms, which sells personal care and home care products. She uses almond, cherry, saffron, apple, etc., to make organic beauty products and eatables.
3. Rifat Masoodi
Kashmiri bats, as you may know, are globally popular for their excellent wood quality and strength. While several bat-makers exist across the valley, Rifat Masoodi, our next entrepreneur on the list, is the only woman who does it. Although Rifat isn’t the original owner of the business, she is undoubtedly the one who revived it after it had to be closed after the demise of her father-in-law, who had started it in the 70s.
Mother of two, the 40-year-old Rifat took over the defunct business and restarted the manufacturing unit to become the sole women bat-maker in the vale. Of course, reviving a closed business wasn’t easy. While Rifat had several financial challenges to deal with, the turmoil across the valley contributed to her difficulties further. Despite these odds, Rifat established factories across various places such as Anantnag, Pampore, and Awantipora.
Originally a graduate of Vishwa Bharati College of Education in Srinagar, today, Rifat spearheads Masoodi Arts and Sports Firm. The unit manufactures thousands of bats every month, which are transported to several other Indian states. The firm has generated employment for many people in the valley.
4. Nahida Parveen
Entrepreneurship isn’t necessarily about a massive venture with a substantial investment. It is about the entrepreneurial spirit, the urge to be independent, and most importantly, the thought and the courage that make an entrepreneur. Nahida Parveen exemplifies the latter. With the urge to become an entrepreneur and support her family financially, Nahida, from Baramulla, started a grocery shop in 2018.
Nahida did not have the money to start the shop. Hence, she loaned the required capital with the help of the Umeed Scheme and started the shop. Today, Nahida is doing well for herself and also has the bandwidth to spend time with her eight-year-old child. The female entrepreneur from Kashmir got support from her family and husband. The entire family is dependent on the shop Nahida runs. She has proved herself the family’s support.
5. Hamida Banoo
Hamida, like Nahida, is another example of a humble entrepreneurial beginning. In 2013, Hamida started a dairy farm business with only one cow and with assistance from the Umeed Scheme. However, over the years, her dairy farm has expanded into a milk processing unit, Asli Dahi, creating employment across the valley.
Hamida looks after the cows herself. Besides, she leverages traditional processing and packaging to support the environment. She sells her products at a very competitive price. Together, these factors make her unique. In addition to milk processing, Hamida does Sozni embroidery in her leisure time to earn extra income.
This female entrepreneur from Kashmir might have started small. However, she dreams big and considers women the torch-bearers of society. Undoubtedly, she is an inspiration, isn’t she?
There are many other female entrepreneurs in the valley. While some have started yet struggling, some are in the pipeline to set examples. We hope to see many more such inspiring success stories emerge in the future.
