Embracing technology and specialised skills is essential for transforming Kashmir’s rich heritage and creating a new era of economic growth in the digital landscape
For centuries, Kashmir has been making its name for the beauty it holds, its fertile land and its rich heritage. From its saffron fields to its almond blossoms, the timeless aesthetics to its arts and crafts. Economic activities have not only sustained families from these industries but also preserved centuries-old culture. But in this age of technological advancement, this tech-driven world is asking us a question: Isn’t it time that Kashmir exports its skills, not just its materials?
Globally, the economy tends to shift rapidly. Almost every industry is struggling or will struggle under the burden of automation, geopolitical changes, and uncertain climatic changes. On the other hand, the digital world is growing on a large scale—reaching remotely to areas even where there are no roads. The internet has become a marketplace, a university, a startup hub, and—most importantly for us—a gateway.
According to a report from World Economic Forum: “By 2027, 44% of worker’s core skills are expected to change. Technology literacy, digital marketing, and design thinking are among the fastest-growing skills.” (The Future of Jobs Report 2023)
Speaking of my native land, Kashmir is no less when it comes to digital literacy. Even it is not short on talent. We’ve always had the best of the storytellers, highly skilled craftsmen, and out-of-the-box thinkers. All we now need is a mindset shift: to learn and acquire those digital skills and treat them the way we treat all our resources and assets. From digital marketing to graphic designing, from content to copywriting, from UI/UX development to making an entire digital product or a service, these aren’t just trends they are some career-defining paths that only cost you a laptop, an internet connection and of course your undeterred determination.
Some reports from Economic Times /TRAI India (2023) quote: “Jammu & Kashmir has over 20 million internet subscribers and a literacy rate among youth of over 85%—a strong foundation for digital growth.”
Take me, for example. While sipping a cup of Noon-chai, at home, I work with Apexure, a London-based agency that specializes in designing high-converting, visually appealing landing pages that drive practical results, for global clients. No passport validation, no visa and no relocating. Just my skills and a good internet connection are all that’s needed to help my company’s foreign clients go live in digital spaces.
Apexure is also one of the leading agencies that have actively been functional in incorporating Kashmir into the global digital economy. By establishing a presence in the heart of Kashmir, Karan Nagar, Srinagar, Apexure has not only generated employment opportunities for local talent but has also enabled them to contribute to national and international projects without leaving their homeland.
Being the smartest in the market, Apexure doesn’t only focus on building massive websites but also building smart, high-conversion landing pages that turn a visitor into a customer. Taking this as an example, this particular ROI-driven niche skill, known as conversion rate optimisation (CRO), is something few have mastered so far, yet it’s something anyone with quite some determination can learn. This brings us to the conclusion that if someone from Pampore can earn selling saffron to the world, someone from the same area can also develop a SaaS product that brings in revenue from across countries.
But to make this happen smoothly, first things first our education system and policies need to be reformed. Starting from our schools and colleges, these prevailing niches need to be introduced. Digital marketing, freelancing, the latest tools, software, and niche tech skills, at first, need to be integrated into our curriculum. Local institutions, second, should initiate the boot camp culture and create workshops on every prevailing technology from programming to designing, e-commerce to SEO so that we easily contribute to the digital realm and hover over digital trends.
I’m writing this piece not to encourage you to abandon our heritage but to make it shine on digital screens. In fact, to me, the efforts we put into detail, our aesthetic craftsmanship and our creative roots make us a perfect fit for a global digital space. All we need is determination—and of course a good bandwidth.
The world doesn’t reward those who know a bit of everything but those who are exceptional in delivering a particular thing they’re a master of – whether from Standford or Srinagar, Bangalore or Baramulla, Pune or Pampore.
It’s time that we step into the digital frame and show them that Kashmir is not just a piece of land with immense beauty, but also a place with digital brilliance.
About the writer
Saraf Ali Bhat is a software engineer, an author and a compulsive storyteller. Everything that happens to him, everything he sees or reads, suggests a story. ‘The Smile Worth A Billion Poems’ was a collection of his teenage musings (late 2017). Two years later, he had to leave his home to go live in a distant city, alone, the result of which was the book, ‘Triggered Sorrows’.
Saraf Ali Bhat
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