A food festival named Aalaav was organised in Srinagar to celebrate traditional food and encourage more women to set up food businesses. The festival was organised by the Department of Rural Livelihood Mission of Jammu and Kashmir to celebrate traditional food and novel nutritional formulations.
Many women from the self-help groups took part in the festival. The department had invited all the women groups that earn their livelihood and give employment to other young women.
All the participants in the festival prepared and displayed famous vegetarian dishes of Jammu and Kashmir on the stalls in order to promote the self-help groups. The aim was to encourage young girls and women toward the food business and also to raise awareness for more women to set up business units in rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
The festival also aimed to make them aware of the schemes of the government under which they get financial assistance to set up these units to earn and provide employment.
Indu Kanwal, the Mission Director of Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission, said that the festival was organised with the motive of promoting vegetarian food in Kashmir and also creating awareness among women.
Rumina, another participant, stated that having food stalls at the festival is a very profitable venture for the young girls and that more such initiatives should be implemented.
“This provides a great platform for the young girls to set up their businesses. At this festival, we are able to earn around Rs 3000–4000 from each stall, so it’s really profitable. We would want more of such festivals to be organised,” Rumina said.
Asha, the festival coordinator, talked about the food presented at the festival.