Meet Mohammed Yousaf Muran, Kashmir’s Deaf-Mute Wood Carving Maestro

Mohammed Yousaf Muran, a 67-year-old artist from the Eidgah area of Srinagar, has spent decades defying limitations imposed by a world that often overlooks the differently-abled. Deaf and mute since birth, Muran has transformed his physical challenges into a wellspring of creative expression, carving exquisite sculptures from walnut wood with extraordinary finesse and passion.

Each morning at precisely 9 am, Muran steps into his backyard with a quiet smile and purposeful resolve. After surveying the pile of logs, he selects a round block of wood and retreats into a narrow, elongated workshop at the back of his home. There, placing the block on a raised platform, he meticulously sketches outlines with a marker—blueprints of imagination soon to be brought to life. Hours later, with each precise strike of the chisel and hammer, a form begins to emerge. As the first contours of his vision take shape, a proud smile flickers across his face.

A master artisan with over five decades of experience, Muran began wood carving at the age of 15. Today, he is widely regarded as one of the valley’s finest craftspeople, creating intricate artefacts, sculptures, and mementoes from Kashmir’s prized walnut wood—pieces that are often valued in lakhs. Despite his brilliance, he remains the only known differently-abled woodcarver in Kashmir and has never received formal recognition from the state government.

His family watches with pride and concern. While they admire his dedication and view him as a symbol of resilience and inspiration, they lament the lack of institutional support and acknowledgment. Despite being nominated for the Padma Shri and regarded among the elite of Kashmiri woodcarving artisans, Muran’s talent has yet to be showcased meaningfully on national or international platforms.

Muran is also vocal—through gestures—about his frustration with the rise of counterfeit and machine-made walnut wood items flooding the market. These mass-produced goods threaten the legacy of a craft believed to have been introduced to the region in the 15th century by the revered saint Sheikh Hamza Makhdoom (RA).

Yet none of this dims Muran’s spirit. Driven by an undying love for his craft, he continues to chip away at wood—and at the silence around his contributions—with quiet brilliance, one masterpiece at a time.