At a time when her peers wanted to become princesses, Azmat Ali Mir’s childhood fantasy was to own a caravan food truck and serve grilled hot dogs.
But this fantasy got lost as she grew up. She became a computer science engineer and moved to Bengaluru in 2018 after her wedding.
In Bengaluru, she immensely missed her home in Srinagar and everything associated with it, especially its native food and language.
In 2019, she wished to catch up with her college friends who were settled in the city and created a WhatsApp group. An hour later, 200 people joined the group.
“Later, this number grew much bigger than what I anticipated. I ended up hosting a ticketed event for 1,000 people,” she adds.
For this event, she sourced spices from Kashmir as well as traditional bands, comedians, singers, poets, and chefs called Wazas from her wedding.
“It was a massive success. It was the first time Kashmiris got together outside Kashmir,” she proudly recalls.
This event motivated Azmat to launch Sarposh, a food startup that gave her an opportunity to represent her region’s food in an authentic manner.
The eatery offers a wide range of authentic Kashmiri delights from the multi-course meal Wazwan which includes tabak maaz (Kashmiri-style lamb ribs), methi maaz (made with lamb intestine and fenugreek leaves), rogan josh (lamb curry), and more.
Azmat also tried to create a homely vibe with Sarposh’s ambiance. She incorporated traditional craft items like walnut wood, papier mache, pashmina, and pottery, into the decor of the space.
“We have given cosy spaces, a carpeted floor seating area, and a lounge area to relax. One should not feel that they are walking into a restaurant, but rather walking into a living room of a Kashmiri home,” she adds.
Today, her 70-seater eatery remains packed with 100 percent occupancy in multiple rotations.
Azmat says, “I would have never in my wildest dreams imagined that my life would take this turn. I am so grateful that finally, I am doing something I am genuinely passionate about.”