SOPORE, April 30: One generation scrolls through its heritage on a smartphone, letting traditions slip into a digital haze. In the same town, a young entrepreneur sits in her home, dispatching Kashmir’s finest crafts, authentic saffron, dry fruits, and more to customers across the globe.
For Abru Janwari, a graduate from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, the venture is not just about e-commerce. It is, she says, a quiet cultural revival.
“I was in Bengaluru for my bachelor’s. There were no Kashmiri products there. And there was a lot of homesickness,” Abru told Kashmir Convener on the sidelines of a clothing exhibition in Sopore.
That sense of dislocation, she explains, made her realise how distant the world — and even her own generation — has grown from Kashmir’s handmade legacy.
“I did my research, made my website, and created an Instagram page. Everything is happening online. We are also doing international orders,” she said, adding that her brand, Kashmir Craft, now delivers across India and overseas.
But commerce, for Abru, is only half the story. “People are forgetting our crafts. The new generation doesn’t know what goes into a single kani shawl. I want to change that through my work.”
“My father, my sister — she is younger than me but supports me like an elder sister. My parents are very supportive. Without their support, nothing was possible. And Alhamdulillah, today I am not only focusing on expanding my business but on employment generation as well.”
In a message this Sopore enterpreneur said, “Just start. Even with a small step. I didn’t have any resources, just an idea. And I executed it. You will reach, Inshallah at your goal”.
She said her aim is to help people — especially women doing this work. “I want to make sure our crafts don’t become a footnote in history.”
Abru also appealed to the government: “They should give more schemes to younger girls so that they can use them, not be dependent, set their mark, and follow their dreams.”
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