New Delhi: It is 3 O’clock on a cold winter afternoon in Srinagar. Light showers bring the temperature down to 13 degrees Celsius. In a large room, a man grinds dry red chillies. In another corner, a cluster of women fills the air with laughter as they assemble packets of Kashmiri red chilli powder, ready to be shipped to retail stores across the city. At the center of it all sits Sumarty, a 35-year-old in a wheelchair, gracefully directing and supervising the proceedings. Sumarty, the visionary founder of Sadaf Masalay, commands the scene with a blend of authority and warmth.

Sumarty was a teenager when she was diagnosed with Polio. It left her bedridden. The doctors said, “She will not be able to walk again”. Sumarty’s life changed overnight, leaving her in a state of shock. She stopped going to school and isolated herself.

“I wondered what people would say about me.”

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Sumarty’s family took her to Mumbai for treatment. She underwent multiple surgeries all to no avail. She was provided with specially designed shoes to assist her in walking, but their weight created more problems than solutions. She was left with no option but to discard them. But her unwavering attitude helped her rise above her disability, shattering stereotypes in the process.

Her first venture was a boutique, which she ran for eight years.

And it’s not just work for Sumarty! She is an award-winning district-level basketball player.

Sumarty credits her success to her father. She says,

“Everyone around me questioned my abilities. They would say, in times when our educated children are jobless, what would she do? But my father gave me the strength to shut the noise around me and focus on my abilities.”

Sadaf Masalay caters to reputed retail stores in Jammu. Sumarty hopes to have one unit in each district of the state.

She says,

“I’ve faced many setbacks but always bounced back. Where I am now is a result of those challenges.”

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