In the picturesque valleys of Kashmir, a creative revolution is taking place with women breaking down gender stereotypes and creating a legacy. These women content creators and entrepreneurs are not just financially independent but have also become a voice for the revival of old traditional Kashmiri culture as well. Syed Areej Zaffar (28), the first female Ladishah (a form of poetry storytelling) and content creator is a keen observer and finds her joy in humour and satire. The political unrest during the revocation of Article 370 from the Constitution led her to move to Delhi to continue her studies.
Like many Kashmiris, Areej was also emotionally disturbed. She recalls, “With what was happening back at home it was difficult for me to channelise anything properly. I was looking for a medium to weave my emotions into words. One fine day, I let all my pent-up emotions flow on paper in the form of Ladishah and uploaded it online. This attracted a lot of attention.”
Areej penned her first Ladishah about the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act and the arrest of three prominent politicians Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah, and Sajad Lone. Wearing the traditional robe-like Kashmiri outfit (pheran) she recited it on camera and posted the video on her YouTube channel. Currently, she has 92.2K followers on her Instagram page: @areejological.
Into The Art World
A freelance artist and the first female Kashmiri muralist, Shafiya Shafi (29) lives in Srinagar and is deeply rooted in the language and culture
of Kashmir. While it was never a plan in Shafi’s diary to step into the world of art. She was pursuing her Master’s in Psychology.
However, state-level competitions and other recognitions led to her childhood passion. Shafi says, “Initially, I used to draw for myself. My illustrations were self-portraits to vent my feelings on a canvas because I was sliding into depression. Women have always been the central figure of my initial works. What I couldn’t convey through words, the women in my paintings would do that for me.” Initially, Shafi didn't plan to continue art professionally until one day a friend charged her for her work. Shafiya creates her artworks and shows it to the world on her Instagram account: @shafiya_ artworks.
Revival of Culture
Just like the revival of Kashmir’s 150-year-old poetry style, Ladishah, an idea to regain the market and tradition of other Kashmiri vibrant cultures struck Shafiya. She witnessed the struggle of shopkeepers to preserve the fading art of pottery, and paper mache. She started customising these artworks. “I learned on my own. My artwork wasn’t clean and pristine like the traditional artwork. However, I liked the roughness in my work and so did the people.” Once a staple of Kashmiri women's daily life, the charkha lay forgotten in storage. Shafi started painting charkhas to preserve the lineage.
Women Empowerment
Shafiya and Areej’s work is not only an embodiment of their hard work and independence but also an inspiration for several other young women and girls. Eight years ago, Asra Qureshi (30) never thought that her boutique store would get famous and she would be able to deliver packages outside India as well.
Asra Qureshi, a website developer turned entrepreneur is the founder of Kehzabr. She shares, “When I first received an order from Delhi, I got so excited. I couldn’t even believe that I got an order from outside Kashmir.” It was rare for a woman to run her own business back then but her family was her strong pillar.
Difficult Times
Asra faced an issue of several pending orders for brides after the revocation of Article 370 in Kashmir. From August 2019 to February 2021 there was ‘preventive security’ lockdown and communications blackout with no internet access.
The curfew in the area led all the non-Kashmiri artisans (karigars) to go back to their native places. However, the master along with three other artisans took the courage to complete the pending work.
Asra says, “Those were extremely difficult times for Kashmir. The artisans who dared and stayed back were residing at my place till they finished all the pending orders. Every business was affected during that time.” Areej recalls, “Either we had a complete internet shutdown or sometimes would get access to slow internet (2G). I would keep the video on upload at night and it would be uploaded the next day in the morning.” She further adds that sometimes social media was accessed through VPN for uploading content.
Road of Challenges
Areej faced challenges reviving Ladishah as it is traditionally led by elderly men from low socio-economic backgrounds. She was often asked: “Why are you doing Ladishah even though you come from a city?” She says, “For me, the concern was how to revive this art. An art form is neither poor nor rich or associated with caste and gender. It speaks for itself.”
Areej has now stopped creating Ladishah content and is focusing on vlogging and other ideas. Shafiya faced similar issues when her talent was equated to her educational background. Shafiya recalls, “Having no education in fine arts, artists would often get jealous of my work and recognition,” she says. Some people mocked her saying, ‘You are not even an artist’. People trolled her on social media through fake accounts.
The Current Landscape
With the freedom of internet access and young women paving the road to success for themselves, Kashmir is uprooting into a progressive society. Areej believes, “The Internet has been a blessing to the women of Kashmir for the exposure and independence that it gives them.” More girls and women can now see themselves in the space of business and feel less hesitant to break the gender norms arched by the patriarchal society. Asra finds it liberating to be financially independent and lead an example for young girls to be entrepreneurs.
Shafiya and Areej’s work is not only an embodiment of their hard work but also the inspiration for several other young women and girls. Eight years ago, Asra Quereshi never though her boutique would get famous outside India as well
like the revival of Kashmir’s 150-year-old poetry style, Ladishah, an idea to regain the market tradition of other vibrant cultures struck Shafiya. She witnessed the struggle of shopkeepers to preserve the fading art of pottery and paper mache
Women have been the central figure of my initial works. What I couldn’t convey through words, the women in my paintings would do that for me.” — Shafiya Shafi, 1st female Kashmiri muralist
When I first received an order from Delhi, I got so excited. I couldn’t even believe that I got an order from outside Kashmir.” — Asra Qureshi, founder of Kehzabr
The Internet has been a blessing to the women of Kashmir for the exposure and independence that it gives them.” — Syed Areej Zaffar, content creator, 1st female Ladishah
