In a bid to put a spotlight on master craftsmen of Kashmir otherwise living in oblivion, a rare initiative has been launched by the Valley’s prominent craft house to allow these artisans to talk about their lives and stories, struggles and achievements.
For the first time in Aslam Ahmad’s 50 years of producing sozni artwork, he was allowed to share the story of his family at the Artisane, an art and cultural center, located in north Kashmir’s Kunzer area on Sunday. “My family has been associated with the craft sector for centuries. We continue to pass on the skills,” Mr. Ahmad said.
Similarly, Nazeer Ahmad, a carpet weaver from Srinagar’s Rainwari, took the audience through his journey of carpet weaving that started as a Class 2 student.
The Artisane, an off-shoot of the House of Ali Shah established in 1860, organised a rare felicitation programme, Karigar-E-Zaman (master craftsmen), to put a spotlight on the invisible hands and little-known faces behind the masterpieces created over decades in Kashmir.
“Karigar-E-Zaman is an attempt to celebrate master craftsmen and their contribution. It is to give recognition to the unsung heroes. Their felicitation is the beginning of a new dawn and new success story for Kashmir’s art. This will be a continuous exercise. We have also decided to pay stipend to female artisans who will teach women about the world-famous crafts,” Artisane co- founder Mehboob Iqbal Shah told The Hindu.
The felicitation session was attended by Dr. Javid Ahmad Wani, Director NIFT, Srinagar; Mahmood Shah, Director, Handicraft and Handloom and Saleem Beg, Convener head INTACH&K.
“It’s rare to see artisans and marketing teams sitting next to each other in Kashmir. Felicitations of master craftsmen is a good beginning. World needs to know how these artisans see these crafts on the lines of Ibaadah (prayers),” Saleem Beg, convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)‘s Kashmir chapter, said.
Mahmood Shah, Director, Handicraft and Handloom, said people from the industry need to celebrate the achievements of many such unsung heroes. “Such encouragement is the need of the hour. The handcrafts department is also reviving craft tours to take artisans closer to buyers. Geographical Indication (GI) tagging has come a long way to ensure that one line of quality is maintained. It has also revived buyers’ confidence,” Mr. Shah.
Meanwhile, NIFT Director Javed Wani said how the institute has decided to have a special admission quota for wards of Kashmiri artisans. “The NIFT offers fifty to 100% scholarships and fee rebates to wards of artisans who intend to pursue courses,” he said.
Mr. Wani said artisans in Kashmir were suffering from low remuneration and low esteem. “Such felicitation will help restore the dignity of these craftsmen,” he added.
