These are some of the organisations we have been funding regularly:
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Photo Essay: Chaur Sahib
Chaur Sahib is an implement normally found next to the Manji Sahib where the Guru Granth is placed. The chaur is used to fan the Granth as a sign of reverence and respect for the scriptures. The chaur is usually constructed from yak hair mounted in a wooden or metal handle. The sevadar (volunteer) respectfully...
Photo Essay: Naqash (Print work of Kashmir)
Print work of Kashmir is a unique form of traditional printing that combines wooden blocks and hand pressed paper still practiced in Kashmir. These are later used by design printers, commonly known as Naqashs for printing Shawls and other clothing items.Intricate designs are created through vibrant colours, known as naksha by naksha walas. Nakshai work...
Photo Essay: Pebble artist, Kashmir
Manzoor Ahmad is a 34-year-old pebble artist from the village of Guzarbal, Ganderbal district. Being a nature lover, Manzoor uses natural materials for his art. He draws inspiration from the natural world around him and often creates images that are inspired by what he sees. He first began with creating artworks of pencil waste and...
Photo Essay: Yender, the Spinning wheel
A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from fibres. It was fundamental to the cotton textile industry prior to the Industrial Revolution. It laid the foundations for later machinery such as the spinning jenny and spinning frame, which displaced the spinning wheel during the Industrial Revolution. The basic spinning of yarn...
Photo Essay: Shikara construction
Ghulam Nabi Kenzu, of Baba Mohalla, Dal Lake,smokes a hookah, taking a break from his busy schedule of making shikaras to cater to the rising tourist foot fall in Srinagar. The shikara has become a cultural symbol of Kashmir. Like the Venetian gondolas, it is a wooden boat found on Dal Lake and other water...
Photo Essay: Metal Polisher, Amritsar
Polishing is a necessary stage in many manufacturing processes. Architectural metal, cookware, kitchenware, metal automobile parts, etc are some of the products that are polished before they reach the market. In other cases, metals can be polished as part of general repairs or restoration. Metal polishing is a finishing method that uses an abrasive material...
Photo Essay: Metal Embossing Art, Amritsar
Art apart, the metal, particularly brass, has remained the most important utility object in India since time immemorial. The use of brass was, thus, apparently considerable. According to J.L. Kipling, Principal, Mayo School of Art, Lahore; 65,468 maunds of brass was imported into Punjab in 1882-83. Rewari, Jagadhri, Amritsar, Jandiala, Phagwara, Gujranwala, Pindi Dadan Khan...
Photo Essay: Kashmiri Tomlah Shupp (Rice Cleaner)
Through out the world, in Europe, especially the Greek culture (& mythologies), China and the Asia, in all the paddy growing regions, a traditional handmade rice winnower (made of bamboo, reed, palm leaf, plant fibres – depending on the region and material availability) has been used. Winnowing is a process by which chaff is separated...
Photo Essay: Waghoo, reed mats of Kashmir
A waghoo/ wagoo/ waguv is a traditional reed mat usually spread underneath the sitting rugs, found in every Kashmiri home. Its purpose is to ensure that the rug holds onto the floor and doesn’t fold. It is a 300-year-old craft that involves interweaving reed and rice straws together to create a matting which provides warmth...