CHITRAL: Nan translates to ‘mother’ in our local tongue and since this cafe is run by our women, we named it Nan Cafe, which should literally translate to a cafe of mothers, said Tahir Ud Din the co-founder of one of a kind cafe that serves local savory foods in one of the top tourism spots of Pakistan
We did not have any such restaurants or any businesses where women actively contributed so it’s a first here, said Tahir who is of the view that women participation can earn them decent income in the tourism spots of Chitral.
Entire cafe including its kitchen and the management is in the hands of our mother and sisters, he said.
Their journey set out from the house kitchen and emerged as one of the fines eateries of the region that has made its name not only locally but also in parts of the world.
Tahir says the idea of this cafe was wrought in the struggle that women put into our lives and the set of skills they have which is only reduced to house kitchens. “Our women don’t enter and compete in the markets to make a living because for some reason it has been against our societal traditions.”
People don’t like women serving food or selling items in the market, they look down upon it, he said.
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Though he said he had had hard time understanding why the society is against such harmless practice, it’s true that he did face his share of the resistance here.
“I don’t mind my sisters and mother working and making a decent living out of their skill set, then why this society?”
However, it’s nevertheless a sad event that Tahir’s family had to recede from their earlier position and had to retire the women in his family from serving roles, due to resistance from the people, to only kitchen and management roles.
He says that although everyone initially opposed their start up and ideas, people are now beginning to warm up to it and most of them have even become the regular customers here.
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