How Mehraj unboxed his online biz dream

The expansion came at a time of huge unrest in the Valley after militant Burhan Wani’s death last summer.

“Our artisans would call us and say that we were their only link to customers so we had to deliver,” Mehraj recalls.

Reaching office during curfew was impossible, so they began work early morning from 5am - 7am before it came into effect and post 6pm till late night.

But the unrest also had other repercussions. One employee was hit by a pellet gun, another rounded up and taken to the police station . He says, “We lost 60% business during that time and we haven’t still recovered all of it. But for me, it was important to circumvent the problem, not cry about it.” Three people came down to set up an office in Delhi . Courier services were not working so they had to go to the airport themselves.

While Mehraj says his Kashmiri identity was not a hindrance , he admits prejudices abound. He’s received messages calling him “an agent” and comments like “Don’t order from them, they may pack a bomb.”

His other peeve is that media often asks him about Kashmir’s violence or Pakistan, which has nothing to do with his work.

But he is unfazed. “The income of an artisan was lower than that of a daily wage labourer. Right now, we have managed to double that income. We want to make it five times,” he says.

Kashmir’s rich tradition of arts and crafts took a hit in the 90s as militancy peaked.

Mehraj says to keep up quality and eliminate fakes, they got a rigorous system – for example, the Pashmina has to pass 31 parameters. Mehraj doesn’t divulge exact numbers on revenue but confirms a fund-raising round this year. “Everyone wants to build a marketplace. We want to create an ecosystem and have social impact. We are a business with a heart.”