Meet Taanishi Inam, the Only Female Muslim Wine Entrepreneur in Assam

Guwahati, June 24, 2019:

Assam is a land of 'unity in diversity' and is known to be one of the most secular places in India. After Runa Rafique, the young 'piggery' entrepreneur who is the only Muslim lady to be running such a business, Taanishi Inam, a young wine entrepreneur has caught the eye of Inside Northeast.

Taanishi is a young entrepreneur from Assam who is making a name for herself by running a wine making business where she concocts the most mouth-watering wines using local fruits.

Taanishi says that she fist began flirting with the idea of making wine when extra fruits she would buy for her household would end up rotting.

"I first started with grapes, and the first thing I had to figure out was how I could utilize seasonal fruits. That is how it all started. Now, I make wine using a wide variety of fruits", she told Inside Northeast.

She then would go on to utilize the highly potent bhoot jolokia (the ghost chili). "I used to make a special wine with local bananas and I was wondering what I could add to give it a unique flavor I then ended up using the ghost chili...that is how this concoction came to be. It is the most beautiful wine, the ghost chili kicks in at the very end", she says, the excitement palpable in her voice.

Speaking about the taboo associated with wine in Islam, she said that she had never faced any problems in this profession despite being a Muslim woman. "Nobody challenged me, since I have always been associated with food. People loved the wine. In fact, the alcohol in the wine can be eliminated by making the wine 'finer'. I consider it fermented fruit juice. Moreover, I use everything organic", she says.

Taanishi has also been trying to impart her knowledge to the young up-and-comers in the field of entrepreneurship and has also delivered classes at the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) located in Guwahati.

"There is an actual possibility of turning this into a feasible profession, the Northeast has a wide variety of fruits, just imagine the endless possibilities!", she says.

Taanishi also says that wine has benefits. "Wine also has medicinal properties...it is fine as long as you don't develop a drinking habit. Have a little quantity each day", she adds.

Revealing the source of her inspiration for making wine, Taanishi says that her granny was a fermentation expert, and she later discovered that wine is made using the same process, which piqued her interest in the discipline.

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