A VIRTUAL YARBAL

Part of folklore now, Yarbal in Kashmir was not the spot of gossip alone, it was a source of community interaction and involvement. Following the footprints of the past, a young engineer has started a virtual platform, perhaps the biggest gathering of Kashmiri women where problems are divulged, discussed and disposed. Besides, support system is offered to promote women entrepreneurship, reports Saima Bhat

- Saima Bhat

She found him cheating on her. Uncertain about her decision to give her would-be-husband a second chance, a lady posted her problem on a female exclusive Facebook platform. In response, it was a flood on the virtual yarbal.

“I preferred sharing my problem on this group in a state of desperation,” the lady said. “I was seeking unbiased suggestions and the response helped me in the decision-making.”

This female exclusive group connects 40,000 women. It was started on January 6, 2019, and named Yak jut, a Kashmiri name meaning a joint effort. Started by Syed Hanaz Tariq, 23, an automation engineer, currently serving an Electronic and Automation Company in Pune, this is perhaps the major virtual group of Kashmiri women.

It is home to interesting and peculiar issues and concerns that the women confront. In most of the cases, the members hunt for solutions within the members. “The whole night, she cries herself to sleep. The next day she looks in the mirror and gets ready as if nothing has happened. Facing the world, her family and friends; trying to act normal, she smiles awkwardly and moves ahead. Sometimes she tries to live up to the societal expectations, sometimes she lives for her children, and sometimes she just exists. Years pass, her hair turns grey and one day she ceases to be. How many of us value a woman as an individual rather than the roles she assumes-of a mother, a daughter, or a friend?” Hanaz always thought about the different issues faced by women.