BREAKING NEW GROUND

Kashmir isn’t the easiest place to set up a business. But an author, fashion designer, teacher, and businesseswoman has defied all odds. Besides running the first and only design school in Kashmir Valley, she has now founded a unique cheese factory, cafe, and homestay in Tangmarg.

- ANUBHUTI KRISHNA

IN 2015, WHEN Insha Qazi returned to Kashmir after studying in London, she realised that the region had few employment opportunities for the youth. A civil engineer and business management graduate, Qazi did not want to settle outside of her home state, like many others her age had, but not having employment options meant that she either had to leave or create an opportunity of her own. She chose to do the latter.

Having witnessed the penchant of Kashmiri youth for creativity and recognising the potential of local arts and crafts, Qazi decided to set up a fashion design school in Srinagar. Fashion, she believed, could make a strong statement for the Kashmiri youth who had had no opportunity to pursue it so far. And so, in 2016, she set up what was the valley’s first design school. By her own admission, the first few months were hard. “We were threatened and intimidated by extremist groups, and some sections of the society tried to present us in a negative light,” recalls Qazi. She, however, persisted. The school did not just pick up, but in just a couple of years, its students were participating in prestigious fashion shows, running successful businesses, and making money.