Our Vision
Curate experiences that safeguard ‘Brand Kashmir’ by giving control of the Kashmiri narrative to Kashmiris themselves.
Our Mission
Telling ‘own voice’ stories from Kashmir through our food, fashion, craft, art, music and culture.
Why we do what we do?
Often when Kashmir is spoken about, it is either to simulate ‘pseudo-intellectual’ discourse in the context of an unpleasant conflict, or through a narrative spun by TV screens pumping out mindless propaganda. This has not just led to a shameful dehumanization of every aspect of the Kashmiri people but has also reduced them to no more than a statistic, a death toll, a number – an inconvenience.
Over the years, the long-standing conflict in Kashmir has caused the erasure of our identities, histories, art, craft and culture and as young Kashmiris living outside Kashmir, and encountering such experiences on a day to day basis, the onus of taking charge of our own voice, our own narrative and our own story, and the tools that we intend to use for the same, is on us.
How have we been doing things so far?
Each event, each vertical, each outlet under Manzar shoulders the onus of opening avenues of dialogue and letting people know Kashmir, not through what others say and show but through what they experience with us.
Koshur Saal, organized under our events vertical, brought together over 700 people for an evening of fun, culture, community and tradition. It provided a platform for Kashmiris artists to bring their talents to the forefront and enthral the onlookers with their original work of art, music, poetry and comedy. The evening saw Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits coming together on a common social platform for the first time in 30 years. Our events continue to be a space for amplifying Kashmiri voices.
Through Wardan, our fashion vertical, we work on facilitating skill development and creating sustainable job roles for our craftsmen by promoting handmade products. We bring to the market traditional Kashmiri arts and crafts like Crewel or Aari embroidery, Sozni embroidery, Tilla and Douv embroidery, Papier-mâché, Willow Wicker weaving, Khatamband, Walnut wood carving, Silver Carving, Copper carving (Kandkaari), Leather and Fur crafts, Silk weaving, Pashmina weaving, Namda making, Carpet weaving etc in a new avatar. We also work on a profit-sharing model with Kashmiri Artisans to create high-end couture pieces for our clients across the world, promoting sustainability and art together. We also cater to brides looking at owing a unique trousseau that they can cherish forever
Through Sarposh, our FnB vertical, we have successfully introduced Kashmiri Cuisine in Bangalore, especially authentic Kashmiri Wazwan. We are promoting and palate-ising, not just the food, but also the overall experience of community eating leading to dialogue and discussion We strive hard to ensure the authenticity of the food that we serve, staying true to the original recipe and cooking styles, with most of the non-perishable ingredients flown in directly from Kashmir Our flagship restaurant, bakery and tea room has been designed as an experience centre, as an ode to everything Kashmiri and serves authentic Kashmiri wazwan in a ‘Trami’ as well as à la carte and offers a host of Kashmiri teas and Kehwas served with traditional breads and bakery items. Sarposh also takes up catering assignments besides delivering food online.
What do we intend to keep doing?
Our journey at Manzar began in 2019 and we’ve only grown with every experience we curate. For the years ahead, we intend to keep pushing the horizons with each of our three verticals.
We are in the process of ideating new seasons of Koshur Saal which would give a platform to budding Kashmiri Artists creating conscious content to present their talents and amplify their voice. With the upcoming seasons, we hope to reach out to Kashmiris and Non-Kashmiris alike, creating avenues of discourse around Kashmir that is driven by Kashmiris. In the near future, we are also expanding into the event management industry, taking up organizing food festivals, curated experiences, weddings of NRKs and more!
The primary goal of Wardan is to ensure our Kaarigars get their due worth and their crafts get recognized. To this end, we work towards their skill development and sustainable livelihood generation. To fulfil our aim of helping Kashmiris crafts reach a global platform, we, besides making the products available worldwide, also alter the design philosophies to appeal to today’s markets without compromising on the basics of the craft itself. We are also working on building a mentorship model that will connect young impressionable Kashmiri children with master craftsmen and artisans of Kashmir to learn our dying crafts at a young age.
At Sarposh, we intend to ensure Kashmiris across the world can continue eating the food of our cultures and use the gastro-nostalgia to preserve Kashmiri Culture while living away from home. It is our endeavour to make Kashmiri food accessible around the world and to that end, we are in the process of launching preservative-free, semi-cooked, packed versions of some of our most loved dishes. Our restaurant cum tea room and bakery has been developed as an Experience Center that is an acute representation of everything Kashmiri and it is our intention to develop more such Experience Centers cum Restaurants across the globe and do more of curated experiences that bring people together for food and meaningful conversations.
Our team
Azmat Ali Mir,
Co-Founder Director / Chief Operating Officer
azmat@manzargroup.com
Azmat is a founding partner at Manzar and assumes the role of the COO. After studying Computer Science Engineering, Azmat worked with multiple Ed-Tech and youth leadership start-ups before joining a design firm. Having spent considerable time working in the crafts and events sector, she decided to take the entrepreneurial plunge and founded Manzar in 2019. Her creative flair and experience of over 7 years in Leadership, Management, Sales and Operations help drive the company towards its vision.
Syed Azeem
Co-Founder Director / Chief Financial Officer
azeem@manzargroup.com
Azeem is a co-founder at Manzar and has previously worked in various sectors including Hospitality, FMCG, Education and Manufacturing. He has over 18 years of experience in sales, marketing and credit management. Alongside Manzar, Azeem also has a ten-year-old existing venture in the storage, warehousing and automation industry. His financial acumen, clear judgement and interpersonal skills help pivot the company for growth. He assumes the role of the Chief Financial Officer at Manzar handling all financio-legal decision making at the company.