SRI NAGAR:Kashmiri women are breaking stereotypes and venturing into fields so far restricted to men in the militancy-ridden state. Two highly qualified women from north Kashmir have refused to take up conventional jobs and joined the food sector, instead. Meet Nasreen Firdous, the first woman to set up a restaurant in Sopore, and Nida Ramzan Lone, who has set up an all-women bakery in Bandipora district.
Sopore’s first woman restaurateur
Having done an MA in English, MEd and an LLB, Nasreen Firdous could have easily taken up teaching. But the mother of three, who hails from Sopore in Baramulla district, has chosen to set up a restaurant. ‘Al Kareem’ is the first restaurant to be set up by a woman in Sopore town, a stronghold of separatists that is often in the news for stone-pelting and militant attacks.“My husband and I were facing family and finance issues, so I decided to start the restaurant. My husband agreed and I went ahead. Some people had reservations but I ignored them,” Nasreen told The Sunday Standard.
Started on January 28, Nasreen is trying to give the restaurant a Kashmiri and family feel. “We serve all types of Kashmiri food, wazwan (multiple cuisine), kehwa (Kashmiri tea) and harisa. As schools and colleges reopen after the winter break, we will be adding fast food to the menu to meet the taste of the young generation,” said Nasreen.
“Being a woman, who has spent time in the kitchen, I ensure that quality food is served. I regularly talk to the chefs and inspect the food to ensure quality is not compromised.”Nasreen says the response to the restaurant has been good. “Although we are yet to complete a month, people come from far-off places to enjoy the delicious food,” she said, adding home delivery had been started within a 5km radius of the restaurant to meet the growing demand.Nasreen already has expansion plans in mind. “I have applied for a loan in KVIB. If it is sanctioned, I will expand my restaurant. I will add a mechanised bakery and confectionery unit to provide jobs to more people.”
The fledgling restaurateur said she was happy she didn’t go into the bee-hive or mushroom business because she had been able to “gel well with this profession”.“Nothing is impossible if you have the will power,” said Nasreen, who takes care of three kids who are between seven and one-and-a-half years old. “Just like a good businesswoman, I want to be a good mother too.”
All-women bakery
Nida Ramzan Lone, an MSc in Information Technology, was earning a decent salary as a teacher but she wasn’t satisfied. So she decided to jump into uncharted waters and set up an all-woman bakery in her village. Hailing from the remote Ashtingoo village of Bandipora district, Nida’s bakery has been set up in collaboration with the Pune-based NGO, Aseem Foundation.
“I was working as a computer teacher in a school and earning a decent salary. However, I was not satisfied and wanted to start my own unique venture. I got the idea of starting an all-women bakery,” Nida told The Sunday Standard.When she got in touch with Aseem Foundation in 2016-end, the people there assured her help. With the NGO providing 50% funds for the equipment, the bakery was up and running in July 2017. Three girls work with her.
About 100 kgs of cookies, made out of apples and walnuts and branded ‘Kashir Crush’, are produced every month, Nida said.She is also the coordinator of another bakery run by the NGO in Uri, where four girls are employed. “Both units are run by women. Men only bring in raw material and take the finished product to the market,” she said.Nida’s cookies are sent to Pune, where they are marketed and sold by the Aseem Foundation. According to her one-year contract with the NGO, which is renewed every year, she cannot sell the cookies in the Valley.
Since there has been a good demand for the cookies, Nida is planning to increase production from March. “A quality check for the cookies is being done in Pune,” she said, adding she would soon start making cakes and other types of cookies.“I am getting orders for cakes and cookies from the local people. I am planning to introduce both in local markets here. I will do it after taking the NGO into confidence,” she said.
Asked if she faced any obstacles in setting up the bakery unit, Nida said, “My family supported me but some neighbours and relatives were totally against it. They said the bakery profession was the job of men. But over time, they have come round.”