The World Crafts Council International (WCCI), a Kuwait-based organisation working on recognition and preservation of traditional crafts across the globe, has picked Srinagar for mapping its craft clusters before its final nomination as the World Craft City (WCC) from India this year.
A three-member team of the WCCI, which is headed by Saad Al-Qaddumi, is in Srinagar to inspect craft clusters, processes involved, and the status of artisans.
“We are on a four-day tour of Srinagar. The team has inspected several clusters where artisans were working on local crafts like Pashmina shawls, carpets, papier mâché etc. We are evaluating how several crafts have kept itself alive, initiatives in place for artisans and the age-old practices involved. These are the parameters that make a city to qualify for the WCC tag,” Abhishek Chauhan, a member of the WCCI, told The Hindu.
The annual ceremony to grant WCC status to cities across the globe is aimed at “promoting, preserving and evolving handicrafts” and “building new market linkages”.
At present Srinagar is one of the probable cities in India. The final announcement about the city’s inclusion is likely in the next two months. “The craft work we witnessed so far in Srinagar is flawless. The world needs to know about it,” Mr. Chauhan said.
The WCCI has also proposed to hold its annual meeting in Srinagar in November this year. “We expect 200 delegates, including artisans from WCC-tagged cities across the globe. They will join us on the completion of 60 years of our organisation. The mega programme will help local artisans from Kashmir to interact with the best of artisans from across the world,” Mr. Chauhan said.
The WCCI, founded in 1964, is behind “fostering economic development through income generating craft related activities, exchange programs, workshops, conferences, seminars, and exhibitions across the globe.
“Our mission is to empower artisans, celebrate cultural diversity, contribute to sustainable development by supporting the rich tapestry of global craftsmanship, and preserving languishing crafts from extinction,” Mr. Chauhan said.
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage-Kashmir (INTACH-K) is collaborating with the J&K Handicrafts department to map the craft sector ahead of the final nomination.
Saleem Beg, convener, INTACH-K, hopes that the inclusion of Srinagar as the WCC will help in building linkages with those countries that influenced crafts of Kashmir many centuries ago.
“Kashmir’s craft is mostly influenced by Central Asian countries, which are in the list of the WCC. The distinction of being included in the WCC list will put a spotlight on Srinagar’s craft scene and introduce the centuries-old processes to the global stage,” Mr. Beg said.
According to official data, Srinagar, spread over 416 square kilometres, has a registered artisan base of 20,822 craftsmen, who are involved in multiple disciples of papier mâché, walnut wood carving, hand-knotted carpet, Kani shawl, Khatamband, pashmina, Sozni craft etc. The total craft related workforce in Srinagar stands at 1.76% approximately. The contribution of the handicraft to the overall economy of J&K stood at 2.64% by 2016-17.
“Kashmir is home to centuries-old practices of handicrafts in most disciplines like shawls, carpet, papier mâché etc. The world needs to know the intricacies with which local artisans continue to function. The WCC recognition would put a spotlight on the processes and would mean global acknowledgement and visibility to our crafts,” Mahmood Shah, director of the J&K Handicrafts and Handloom department, told The Hindu.
