Machibet777 APP These Kashmir entrepreneurs are reviving their business

A hijab, Peer Samreen Aslam had often been told, was not exactly a fashion statement. So, when she planned her modest fashion (hijabi store), it was meant to be more than an entrepreneurial venture. But then came the Kashmir shutdown, as union territories were carved out of what used to be a state. In March, after seven months, the internet was finally restored. Then, Covid hit. The disruptions put plans on hold for Aslam and business-inclined youths like her in Kashmir. Trade was shut, the internet was either not available or was unreliable. According to the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the shutdown cost the local economy Rs 18,000 crore in trade and nearly 5 lakh jobs till December 2019. “But now, the economy is in revival mode. Markets are opening up and there’s some activity,” said Sheikh Ashiq Ahmad, president, KCCI. After months, young entrepreneurs are finally reviving their long delayed plans, with the realisation that curfews and shutdowns may just be a “way of life.”“I have donned the hijab for 12 years now. I wanted to show that women can look stylish while being covered,” Aslam, 29, told TOI. At her store, Zaytuna, which she opened this August she offers hijabs, niqabs, abayas and accessories. The former project coordinator with the Unicef first launched her store online when internet services were restored. “But 2G is very slow. I decided to also launch an offline store in Srinagar,”she said. Business is picking up — she has received close to 300 orders in three months. medium79369471Mohsin Fayaz and Owais Bhat had also been waiting for things to turn a corner. Their niche fashion brand, Sozni Caps, had been in the works for two years. They offer handmade, hand-embroidered pashmina caps for men, and also mufflers. They had planned an online-only store. “After abrogation of Section 370, we could not start our business. There was no internet for months,” said Mohsin, 25, who is also pursuing an MBA degree in Srinagar. In July, finally, they decided to launch. “Internet speed makes it very difficult to upload images, update Instagram feeds. Besides, our economy has been hurt. There is a lot of uncertainty to grapple with,” said Owais, 26, a graduate. They have sold 80 caps, each costing between Rs 3,300 to Rs 6,000 so far and their just-launched line of mufflers is sold out. medium79369560Mohamad Salman and Mohsin Shabir, too, have made peace with intermittent hartaals, curfews and shutdowns. The two had launched their men’s apparel store, Byg Byrd, in Srinagar in February. “We had to shut it down when the Covid lockdown began. We suffered losses of more than Rs 5 lakh,” said Salman, 22. Last month, after pooling in the resources they had, they relaunched their store and have so far done business of Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000. medium79369608Sometimes, logistics can pose a challenge. Fayaz said that it’s difficult to find the right kind of packaging material, tags etc, and they have to make do with what is readily available. But it’s something they know they have to work around. Twenty-two-year-old B.Tech student Izan Majid Mir’s passion is saving the Kashmiri language and literature. And to that end he has launched an android mobile app — Kaeshir Dictionary — which is an English-to-Kashmiri dictionary and has 362 words in it so far. His target is 4,000 words. The app, which was launched in October also has an audio pronunciation section with 733 words. “Kashmiri language is dying and nothing in our literature is digitised. For the app I had to manually enter all the words,” said Mir, who thought of developing the app after seeing non-Kashmiri students at his college, NIT Srinagar, struggle with the language. medium79390310 boxcontentWhy J&K desperately needs entrepreneurs- According to the Economic Survey for 2018-19, youth unemployment is one of the major challenges the state faces.- In July 2019, J&K’s jobless rate was at 16.3%, among the highest in the country. It rose to 22.4% in August 2019, when Article 370 and 35-A were repealed and curfew was imposed- Currently, unemployment rate in the state is 16.1% - the second highest in the country versus the national average of 6.5% - The gross fiscal deficit of J&K has been estimated around Rs 7,720 crore for the year 2018-19, up by 69.6% in the last five years, according to RBI data- Tourism, which forms 8-10% of J&K’s GDP, has been in shambles after the August 5, 2019 lockdown- Less than 50,000 tourists visited the Kashmir between August and December 2019Source: CMIE