Srinagar, Oct 9: Youngsters in Kashmir are taking up new professions and exploring out of box ideas to earn and be job providers as well. In recent years wellness centers and gyms have boomed in Kashmir. With people getting more health conscious with changing lifestyles, many are trying new ways to heal and stay fit. Naturopathy treatments like Hijama are gaining popularity in Kashmir with people looking at using fewer drugs and reducing the chances of side effects.
Basit Bashir, a young naturopathy therapist from Srinagar is trying to provide people with new options to go for a drug less treatment. His story tells us how youth are venturing into new markets by reading about the new trends in all sectors including naturopathy.
Basit, who is a trained Hijama therapist, said that after he completed his 12th grade, instead of going for routine graduation or hunting for usual profession, he wanted to do something different.
“From a very young age I was into fitness and I wanted to go in the same area. I worked with a senior Unani Doctor for four years to know the field and get experience in treatments like Hijama and other naturopathy treatments. That is where the journey started,” Basit said.
Keeping in mind that he wanted to open his own clinic one day, Basit quit the job and went to Mumbai and enrolled in a one-year year diploma in Hijama therapy. He said that it gave him a better hold on the work and helped him to carry out the process professionally.
“The Hijama treatment saw a boom in the past few years. Earlier there were negligible hijama therapy centers and people were not into it so much. However, now more and more people are going for such treatment as everyone knows that it benefits a lot. It is a prophetic way of treatment and being a Muslim majority place, people prefer it,” he added.
Basit said that once he opened his own naturopathy clinic at Pandach area of Ganderbal, he was not receiving patients for months. “It is because people were not that aware of the treatment like Hijama and other therapies that I carry out. That is when I thought of organizing workshops and free camps on these treatments. When people saw the outcome of treatment they wanted to do it more often. Today the situation is different and more and more people are coming to me. The beauty of this treatment is that you don’t have to be sick to perform hijama and other naturopathy treatments. You can do it anyway and it will benefit you without side effects,” he added.
Basit said that he did another one-year course in Chiropathy which is a good way to treat disorders of the nervous system.
Basit said that his aim was to contribute a bit towards drug less treatment in Kashmir.
“Over-the-counter drugs are abused in Kashmir and people are too much dependent on drugs. This treatment is good to help in toxins removal, hypertension, hair fall, joint pain, and many other issues. The good thing about this treatment is that it does not have any side effects,” he added.
Basit said today he has employed two assistants and is looking to add more staff.
“Family and friends supported me and I wanted to do something different in the wellness field. Instead of going for usual government jobs, I tried to earn by treating people while providing jobs to others too. It gives me immense happiness when my treatment shows positive results on patients,” he added.
Basit has kept a female assistant to treat female patients. He said that he wanted the treatment to reach all genders and ages. His clinic “The Valley Care Center’ has become a one-stop solution for all the naturopathy treatments like hijama and other therapies for nervous system and musculoskeletal systems. Basit said that dedication and will to contribute to society can make one do wonders. Basit is planning to open branches of his clinic in other districts of Kashmir as well so that people from all over the valley can benefit.