Four months ago, Firdous Ahmad Khan returned to Kashmir from Delhi, leaving behind a lucrative job in multi-national company only to promote cricket bats manufactured in Kashmir at international level.
Two months later Khan, 28, who hails from Pujteng Sangam in restive south Kashmir’s Bijbehara town began manufacturing his cricket bat brand under Khan International Sports (KIS), an entity his family registered in 1994.
An MBA from Kashmir University, Khan went to Bangladesh to promote the bats.
“Now many players are using them including Shahid Afridi and Ahmed Shehzad,” he claims.
Khan said Kashmir willow and English willow, which comes from England are only two type willows cricket bats are made in the world.
“80 percent of cricket bats are being used of Kashmir willow as there are many reasons for that,” he said.
He said the back manufactured of Kashmiri willow is cheaper compared to English willow bats. A higher range Kashmir bat is priced at Rs.3000 maximum while lower range bat, mostly used locally, is sold at an approximate cost of Rs 700.
Khan believes Kashmiri willow made bats are better than English willow bats.
“The only reason foreign cricketers prefer English willow bats are because those bats are not heavier like Kashmiri bats,” he said.A Kashmiri willow bat is heavy in weight because of the climate in the valley.
“It takes around one and half year to dry the moisture of willows,” he said.
When Khan could find facilities in the valley to give quality to his brand, he started another unit in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. At his two bat manufacturing units, he has employed some 30 people, he said.
He also has a website to promote the bats more and more: http://www.kissportschamp.com/.
Good to see that youth of Kashmir are taking Kashmir forward and opening job opportunities with their start ups.
