Driven by the sense of creating a niche in online shopping, an engineering graduate from NIT Srinagar has come up with an online portal. Riyaz Ul Khaliq profiles the passion behind the portal
With internet world literally taking care of our daily needs, Kashmir is keeping up with the trend. The urban areas have seen a huge boost in the online businesses. With valley apparently limping back to normalcy, online shopping has taken up. So far, only outside companies would provide their services in Kashmir but now locals too have jumped in.
Having done his engineering from NIT Srinagar in Electronics and Communication, Mufakir Qamar Ansari, 24, is employing seven people to provide online shopping facilities to valleyites.
“While I was in my final year at NIT, the idea to start an online shopping portal came up in my mind,” Ansari said.
After doing his schooling from Standard Public High School, Soura, Ansari completed 10+2 from Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Soura before getting selected for engineering at NIT through AIEEE.
“I completed my engineering in 2013,” he said adding, “The teachers would always ask us to do something on our own.”
Mufakir has two other brothers, one of whom is leaving for Virginia for M. Tech programme next month. After graduating from Darul Uloom Deoband, Mufakir’s father taught at Hanfia Arabia College Noor Bagh before joining all women Jamiat Ul Banaat, Umer Colony Lalbazar as Professor.
“I never felt short of anything,” he said. “Support from parents is overwhelming today as well,” he says adding, “Though I am myself earning now.”
Ansari named his shopping web portal as Panun Kart. “The name is combination of two Kashmiri words which make it sound lovely, besides, it is catchy word,” he says.
Ansari spells his motive behind launching the online web portal in conflict torn Kashmir where investment is considered too risky.
“Panun Kart was basically designed with an intention of serving the Kashmiri people as the other e-commerce portals aren’t able to deliver products on time in Kashmir region which has caused lot of inconvenience to the people,” he writes in introduction to his portal.
“So we aim to let the people of Kashmir enjoy the hassle free and convenient online shopping experience. Unlike other e-commerce portals which take weeks to dispatch and deliver the products, we are determined on delivering the product within 24 hours,” he claims.
At Panun Kart Ansari has employed seven people, few of whom are qualified engineers: “They all are paid, and handsomely paid.”
Ansari informs that so far they have got a boastful response from Srinagar city. “But we are moving outside Srinagar,” he said and added that they want to give benefits of online shopping to those living in rural Kashmir.
The modus operandi of Panun Kart is simple. People log on to www.panunkart.com and order something. “Within 24 hours of order, the delivery of goods is ensured,” Ansari claims.
“We believe in providing high-end quality products to the customers and aim to bring the best global products at the doorstep of the new age shopper,” he claims.
This way, Ansari said, Panun Kart also earns: “The goods which are bought through our site are on discount rates. Once we deliver goods, we charge our interest which earns us profit.”
So far, Panun Kart has focussed on electronic gadgets but is planning to expand range of its goods. “We got huge response for electronic goods. Now we are introducing apparels, kitchenware, kids wear, Sports and Fitness, Fashion Accessories, health and wellness and Home Furnishing items,” he says.
“We are also associated with the Pashmina business and we have planned to include a section of Kashmir art into our e-commerce site,” he adds.
Ansari claims that ‘Panun Kart’ is the first e-commerce website of valley having Cash on Delivery (COD) and free shipping services.
Planning to venture out of Kashmir, Ansari says that Panun Kart is expanding to 4 South and 2 North Indian states.
With selling ordered goods earning him good bucks, Ansari says that they are now looking for sellers from the Kashmir valley who can collaborate with them for various product sectors. “We are approaching people to make them sell products through our site,” he says.
“This will not only give the people of the valley an amazing online shopping experience from which they can get the products at the best rates at their door steps but will also increase the sales and the growth of the sellers working with us. On the whole it will increase the business in the valley,” he says.
