When Manzoor Ahmad Khan was barely ten years old, he found himself drawn to the rhythmic movement of hands and threads in his neighbour’s home in Kashmir. Watching Abdul Khaliq Mir weave carpets, he felt an instinctive pull towards the craft – one that would quietly shape the next six decades of his life. Under Mir’s guidance, Khan learned the basics of carpet weaving, gradually mastering its most intricate techniques through years of patience and practice.

Today, at seventy, Khan stands among Kashmir’s most respected carpet artisans. His work has earned him major recognition, including the National Award for handmade carpet weaving from the Government of India and the UT Handicraft Award, among other honours. Each carpet he creates is not merely a product of skill but a repository of memory and landscape. Among his most remarkable creations is a carpet inspired by the natural beauty of Kalaroos, where mountains, forests, and valleys are translated into knots of silk and wool.

Yet, behind the accolades lies a quiet anxiety. Khan watches with sadness as the younger generation turns away from carpet weaving, deterred by long hours of labour and meagre financial returns. Many artisans, too, are slowly abandoning the loom, leaving behind a craft that once defined Kashmir’s cultural identity. For Khan, the fading sound of the loom is not just an economic crisis … it is the slow unraveling of a centuries-old heritage, woven painstakingly through time, skill, and devotion.