JAMMU&KASHMIR: In Muslim-majority Kashmir, a group of seven women has broken the gender stereotype by venturing into a field that was restricted to males. The group from Srinagar has taken up the job of selling barbeques and other fast food items, hitherto dominated by males. They have not only shattered a long-held perception but also helped themselves to improve their living standard.
The group of seven, three of them belong to the fisherfolk community in the outskirts of Srinagar, comprises three post graduates.
They send a clear message that nothing is impossible for women and taboos and stigmas are now things of the past. Rumeena Ahad, who has done Masters in Social Work and heads the group of seven, said in her community male members catch fish from the Dal Lake and the women sell them on the streets.
“I along with six other women wanted to do something to improve our living standard. Then seven of us formed a self-help group and underwent training in cooking. We underwent training in cooking different varieties of fish through J&K government’s Rural Livelihoods Mission for setting up our own food outlets or food stalls,” Rumeena told The Sunday Standard.
After completing their cooking course, the group of seven set up their food stall in the famous Tulip garden in 2018 and received an overwhelming response from the visitors.
“The response encouraged us and we thought of including barbeques and other fast food items in our food stalls. We underwent training in cooking mutton, chicken and fish barbeques. After receiving enough expertise, we began selling the barbeques on our food stalls, which we used to set up during government functions either at Kashmir Haat, and some other places,” Rumeena said.
Their journey was, however, not smooth. There were naysayers. Women selling barbeques and other fast-food items faced strong objections. “We faced strong opposition from some people but we stood by our resolve and did not give up. And today it is a reality and people have accepted it and moved on,” Rumeena said.
The group of seven has a Facebook page called ‘Dal Delicacies” to publicise their products and receive online orders.
“We have a good following on Facebook and also receive online and offline orders,” Rumeena said.
Another woman of the group, Gulshan Yousuf said it (this new experience) has led to her economic empowerment and helped her to take care of her family.
“I had lost my mother some years ago and my father married again. My brother is older than me and works as a labourer. But he does not get much work nowadays and this work of mine is providing economic support to our family. The income from this work is helping me and my family to have a decent living. It has made me economically independent,” she said. Gulshan said the group is earning decent profit from this work. While others are saving the earnings, “I am spending it on my family”, she added.
“I am satisfied and hope we earn more profits in the coming days,” she said. The authorities have been encouraging the women group by inviting them to set up their food stall during government functions or events. They had also set up a food stall ‘Millet Hub’ through JKRLM for foreign delegates at SKICC here during the G-20 tourism meeting in Srinagar in May this year.
Taking noted of determination of the group of seven women, the district administration has decided to allot a space for setting up a food outlet for them at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Srinagar to encourage all-women groups to script their own success story. The food outlet, which opens on Monday, will serve millets besides and other fast-food items.