In A Land Without Internet

With the Internet blackout stretching for more than 120 days in Jammu and Kashmir, start-ups which began with much fanfare are closing down. Peerzada Ashiq reports on young Kashmiri entrepreneurs who are leaving behind their homes and dreams to seek employment elsewhere

- Peerzada Ashiq

The office of FastBeetle was buzzing with activity on August 4. It was business as usual for the company, located in the historic premises of the Indo-Kashmir Carpet Factory in Srinagar, often referred to as Asia’s largest carpet factory. Phones rang constantly and the staff were busy replying to the steady stream of email enquiries. Sheikh Sami Ullah, 28, who has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, exuded confidence and pride when he spoke about the success of the venture in the otherwise unpredictable market of Kashmir. Sami Ullah did not know then that the Kashmir he knew would change irrevocably the next day.

It was only a year ago that FastBeetle, an online courier service for local businesses, was founded, but it tasted success quickly. “We had a modest beginning like any other start-up. However, from just a dozen merchandises on the web, the online platform grew to market 200-plus locally made goods in less than a year. The dashboard of customers reflected a dedicated 15,000 customer base. The turnover touched ₹2 crore in a year,” Sami Ullah says.

As its customer base grew, FastBeetle got the Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, Shahid Chaudhary, to launch its mobile application on July 24, 2019. The start-up tied up with known local apparel brands like Tul Palav and Hangers and even approached online market giants Flipkart and Amazon for joint future plans. Soon it opened offices in Baramulla, Anantnag and Sopore. “It was unbelievable that eight employees and six delivery boys could create such magic. The future looked safe and secure,” says Sami Ullah, whose father works in the government.

Sami Ullah researched the market for a year before the company’s launch. “We did not want to launch a start-up only to have it fail. Many others joined and we paid from our pockets to realise the dream. The Internet was our lifeline,” he says.