Three corporate stalwarts; Sanjay Kaul ex Country Head Apple India, Ajay Kaul ex CEO - Jubilant Food Works, India, Mukesh Kachroo ex CTO - Gain Capital, USA set to launch a Digital Platform to Preserve and Promote Kashmiri Pandit Culture

GURGAON, India, Sept. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- iqwat is the first-of-its-kind, community-based digital platform to preserve and promote the culture and legacy of Kashmiri Pandits across the globe. Kashmiri Pandits have faced exodus 7 times. The most recent being in 1990. As a result, Kashmiri Pandits have been uprooted from their land of birth and have been living in a displaced existence. This has led to the gradual erosion of culture, language, and heritage. Recognizing the challenge and driven by a passion for the community, three corporate stalwarts; Sanjay Kaul (ex Country Head - Apple, India), Ajay Kaul (ex CEO - Jubilant Food Works, India), and Mukesh Kachroo (ex CTO - Gain Capital, USA) have joined forces to launch iqwat.

iqwat is a virtual platform where Kashmiri Pandits can come together and engage in professional and social networking to seek, explore, inspire, and collaborate. It is a bridge between yesterday and today, a way to stay in touch with their roots, culture and rich traditions. It is a platform to revive the folk tales and songs that have been lost to time, rekindle the legacy, inspire and engage talent and provide a foundation for the youth of the community to rise and shine.

The app will be rolled out in two phases. At the time of launch, Phase One will feature a section that illustrates the history of Kashmiri Pandits dating back 2000 years with a special focus on the year 1990. The Spirituality section highlights the spiritual journey of the community with a focus on Kashmir Shaivism and prominent spiritual leaders and saint. The Showcase category features the upcoming talent and will encourage and support the youth in advancing their respective careers. Other segments include culinary section, festivals and key days, and a section featuring and celebrating prominent Kashmiri Pandits. All of this is created in a context that is extremely easy to access and consume for users of all ages. 

Phase Two will focus on developing an eCommerce marketplace, digital corporate centre, cultural and entertainment initiatives, matrimonial feature along with many other components. The app will give a chance to KP entrepreneurs to seek out business partners and list their products and services to cater to a global audience. Some of the other features include a section that will showcase talent and calibre of young KP professionals and connect them to jobs and internship opportunities, and most importantly a section to showcase the rich philosophical heritage of Kashmiri Pandits in context of traditions, ceremonies and Kashmir Shaivism.  

iqwat is scheduled to launch in January 2021. To engage the community and build worldwide momentum, a Global Talent Hunt is underway. The event was launched digitally on 19th September 2020 and will run till 19th October 2020 without any physical touchpoint. This is the first time that the Kashmiri Pandit community will engage in an international level event with prizes worth in lakhs. Participants can visit www.iqwat.com , choose from 6 contest categories and upload their entries. So far, over 500 registrations have been received from 20 Countries in a matter of just 3 days with very strong traffic hitting the website.