Shahid Jeelani
In a quiet corner of Ganderbal, 19-year-old Imsa Mushtaq is living a story of courage, resilience, and quiet transformation. A first-year student and skilled Pashmina weaver, she is balancing two demanding worlds, her classroom and her loom to build a better future for herself and her family.
Imsa's journey took a dramatic turn in 2023, when her father fell seriously ill with high blood pressure. The family’s financial stability collapsed almost overnight. With her younger brother and sister still in school, the burden of responsibility fell heavily on her shoulders. Imsa had to make a painful decision: pause her education to support the household. But her father, despite his condition, urged her not to abandon her studies. “Work if you must,” he told her, “but don’t stop learning.”
Taking his words to heart, Imsa began working as a Pashmina weaver, earning a modest ₹4,000–₹4,500 per month. The work is painstaking, time-consuming, and often undervalued. Yet she does it with quiet dignity, studying during the day and weaving late into the night. Her loom has become both a source of livelihood and a symbol of determination.
The road she walks is steep and often lonely. Yet every setback has become a lesson, every hardship a motivation to press forward. Friends, neighbors, and teachers describe her as a beacon of perseverance in a time when many young women are forced to abandon their dreams under the weight of circumstances.
For the young women of Kashmir, Imsa Mushtaq is more than just a name — she is living proof that extraordinary strength can emerge from the humblest places. Her story reminds us that resilience is not about avoiding struggle, but about rising again and again despite it.
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