Ghulam Mohammed Beigh, a 70-year-old sozni artisan from Zadibal, Srinagar has been embroidering Pashmina shawls from the last 40 years and continues to do so with his children to keep the glorious craft alive. Beigh grew up in a family of artisans, where his father, grandfather and uncles all were associated with Pashmina embroidery. Every member of this family is a state or national award winner.

“I believe that my kids and their kids will continue to inherit this art from us even after my death, but I cannot be sure of this. The younger generations lack patience which is a key ingredient in every process of Pashmina making. I wanted to train hundreds of men and women in Sozni embroidery, but a few are willing to learn”, says the Shilp Guru award winner. ”

Some shawls have embroidery covers the entire base, making it barely visible at the borders. Some pieces are embroidered in a way that the front and the back looked identical. These rarely made shawls are called Aksi Do Rukha.

His needlework shawls have been purchased by prominent personalities in India and abroad, including the renowned Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan. The Beigh family has a legacy of excellence in Sozni work, with all artisans who have passed through their family being honoured with national and international awards, including the prestigious “Best of the Best” award. He received three state awards in 1987, 1988 and 1989, and the National awards in 1996 (for his Jamawar shawl) and 1997 (for sozni work). His brother, late Shabir Ali Beigh had also received  national awards and the Art in Action Award from the Oxford University Press in 2007.