A Calligraphy Artist, a Fashion Designer and How to be a Woman Entrepreneur in Kashmir

Every morning 25-year-old Mehvish Dilbar from Srinagar opens a drawer of her cupboard, fetches a box filled with a variety of colors and brushes, places them next to the canvas pinned on cardboard, and calligraph the letters from the Quran. After completing her Masters in Linguistics from the University of Kashmir, the young artist stepped into the entrepreneurial field in 2015 via an Instagram page named “Palav”, which literally means clothes in the Kashmiri language. “There were times when we lost our customers as we couldn’t contact them online on time.” Recalling some of her online customers, the designer said, “A lot of people think that those who are doing business on Instagram are not professional and react very immaturely.” Ahmad, however, never lets these things pull down the spirit of her team. “Tul Palav’s motive is to design attractive garments and start a new trend in the market, while focusing on traditional craftsmanship,” said Ahmad. “I started Tul Palav to preserve and sustain the Kashmiri culture while keeping a grip on new trends in fashion as well.” After four years of starting her venture during which Ahmad has worked hard with dedication to make her venture successful, Ahmad plans to open a physical store in the uptown area of Srinagar.