The traditional crewel work on Gaba, one of the oldest and most cherished handicrafts of the Kashmir Valley, is facing the threat of extinction due to declining demand. Syed Noorullah, a crewel artisan with 30 years of experience, has been adorning the Gaba with exquisite crewel embroidery work. However, many artisans, like him, are struggling...
Category: Others
Photo Essay: Kashmiri handmade Zari work
After less than a decade in Zari work, 26-year-old, Afroza Jan, from Kashmir’s Ganderbal district claims to be the only female Zari work artist from her village. She primarily works with metallic threads like copper and some alloys. Jan, who learnt the Zari work in 2015 from one of her relatives, was recently conferred with an...
Photo Essay: 115-year-old Kashmiri cobbler,Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh
Despite his age, 115-year-old Kashmiri cobbler, Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh aka Gul Sheikh son of Ahmad Sheikh from Kashmir’s Bandipora district, continues to mend shoes, which he has been doing since almost a century and is a faith healer of sorts. Sheikh claims to have also worked as a labourer in gardens belonging to Maharaja Hari...
Photo Essay: The traditional craft of Pinjirakari
Fida Hussain Baba from Srinagar’s Nawa Kadal area is striving hard to preserve the traditional handmade Pinjirakari work. In Pinjirakari, different designs are made by interlacing the wooden members (mostly deodar and walnut) and joining them with each other with minimum use of glue, same as in khatamband. Baba, who has spent around five decades...
Photo Essay: The Last Two Silversmiths of Kashmir
“The Silverwork of Kashmir is extremely beautiful and some of the indigenous patterns, the Chinar and Lotus lea are of exquisite designs.” – Robert Lawrence Roaffe Kaem or silver artistry of Kashmir is a dying art as just a handful of elderly craftsmen are left in the Valley who fear the art will die...
Photo Essay: Eco-friendly handicrafts of Kashmir
Tariq Ahmad Zargar, 55, from Karanagar is the CEO of kashmers.com. He returned to Kashmir after working for a digital marketing company for 30 years in Dubai. As a marketing Guru, Tariq Zargar understands the evolving consumer preferences. He saw an opportunity in Kashmir to showcase Kashmiri handicrafts in a new manner that will resonate...
Photo Essay: Dudran, Uri’s Milk Village
Located in Uri area of North Kashmir’s Boniyar Tehsil, Baramulla district, the picturesque village of Dudran is a testament to the preservation of ancient Kashmiri traditions. Dudran, as the name suggests, is a “milk village” rooted in the age-old traditions of cattle rearing and dairy dating back centuries. Each of the 70-odd households, like that...
Photo Essay: Kashmir’s Unsung Wood Carver
In the heart of Srinagar’s old city, 70-year-old master woodcarver Ghulam Nabi Zargar meticulously crafts intricate designs capturing the essence of Kashmir, from the serene landscapes to the rich tapestry of mythological tales. He has been painstakingly carving three-dimensional artworks, since last five decades in his workshop located in Kalashpora, Khanyar area of Srinagar. His...
Photo Essay: Padmashree award winning Jamawar artisan.
Padma Shri Awardee Haji Ghulam Rasool Khan, resident of Amda Kadal, Srinagar, is one of the few artisans working towards preservation of Jamawar work. Working from his workshop at home, he has been involved for decades in this unique art of patchwork of Pashmina Shawls. Ghulam Rasool Khan has produced several priceless Jamawar designs for...
Photo Essay: Lavender Harvesting & Oil Extraction
In 1970, lavender was brought to Kashmir from Bulgaria by Dr Akhtar Hussain, the then Scientist In-charge of the Field Station and founder Director of the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow. He introduced lavender cultivation at Field Station Pulwama which is about 35 km south of Srinagar. Although lavender was also...