Journalism of Courage
Born and brought up in Kashmir,Feroz Hussain,an MBA,chose to combine his entrepreneur skills over a job in multinational company to uplift the lives of weavers of the valley
Born and brought up in Kashmir,Feroz Hussain had seen the violence and anguish faced by people in the region and wanted to do something to help. Though he did not have a career plan in place,post his MBA at the University of Iowa,he ignored all the job offers that came his way. A friend of mine told me how he met a widow who wanted to send some money to her son who was studying elsewhere. With nothing but Rs 100 left,she had no food to survive herself, recalls Hussain. When he met the widow,he saw her skill at needle work and asked her if she was willing to work for him if he provided her with the raw materials. She got together with some other women and started weaving Kashmiri carpets and shawls.
While he visits Kashmir every few months,the 26-year-old is based in Pune. He first came to the city in 2001,during a school trip when he was in 8th standard. Two years later,he moved to the city to complete his education. At the age of 17,Hussain helped out on a statewide programme – approved by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed,the then chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir that sent 100 orphans to be educated in Pune. These kids never had the chance to study in an environment that was not a war-zone. Pune is an educational hub and compared to Kashmir,it’s much calmer, he says.
Although his own family are still living in Kashmir,Feroz isn’t planning on going back home. Mom still worries about me. She had hoped that I’d take up a government job and be settled for life, he says.
