Musings of an Entrepreneur During COVID-19

By Intibah Murtafi, Guwahati, India

I run my own cafe called The Zouq : Resto-Café, in Guwahati. I started it about four years ago. It was a realization of my dreams. It's a space with travel photographs and animated conversations. We also have a small library, and we often lend out books. Over the span of four years, we became quite popular as a space which has something to offer everyone. I built all of it from scratch. I am a hands-on owner; I am literally always there. I am part time cook, server, cashier, cleaner, host … anything to ensure that guests feel at home.

Here I have seen strangers become friends; I have seen people come in for a chat after a rough day at work; I have seen young performers practicing their art. We developed a sort of community– they became a part of my life. We exchanged conversations and swapped life stories. Unknowingly, we formed a safe space where people connect, share, and learn. Through storytelling sessions, people could be heard and not judged; they shared deeply personal stories, seeking (and finding, I hope) catharsis. We offered a free platform for many young performers, ensuring that they got a supportive and empathetic audience.

Now that the café has been shut for over two months, it’s been a hard time for me. Initially, I was just stressing. I did not know what to do. How would I sustain the café? And what about all the huge family of sharers who looked to it as their safe space? Many of the youths involved used the cafe for venting, for their mental health. How could I just shut it down? What about the community we managed to build, and what about rent and salaries?

The lockdown was a pause button in my life– the first time in my 31 years when I was actually forced to take a break. I was made to rest. I spent time with my family, started drawing again, started baking, reconnected with friends, tried talking to a few people about what I was feeling. While some of the responses were very supportive, some were, “Why are females so melodramatic?” so that didn’t help much.

After much soul searching, the thought popped in: “Why don’t we make the storytelling virtual?” So we’ve started this thing called “Stories of Solace” and took it online through social media platforms. People from all over are sending videos of themselves, sharing what they are doing and how they are feeling, during the lockdown. Some have talked about remembering things being normal, about coming to the café to play board games and lighten their evenings. They’re sharing stories online, and every alternate day, we edit a video and put it up.

I always thought of myself as an optimist. But this period has been an emotional breaking point for me. I honestly do not know how things will shape up, how this new normal will work for a small coffee shop. But I am absolutely sure about this: even if my café cannot survive the pandemic, The Zouq community will survive, and I will not give up on it. The fear of losing the café is real, but I know for sure we will overcome this; there is no shortage of good intentions. I know that even if I have to let the cafe go, I will still have this healing community. I’ve also been trying to channel some of the energy from my café to my friends and family. I’ll always be there for them, and I know they will be there, for me.