The faded king
Kashmiri craftsman used to make the best Shahtush shawls – considered one of the finest fabrics in the world. A ban on trade of...
Embellishing legacy
Ali Muhammad Beigh’s family has brought laurels to state by excelling in the prized Sozni embroidery craft. What’s more, the family doesn’t want to...
Crafting a fake
Low quality machine made shawls from Punjab and other states, sold in the name of Kashmir brand are hurting Kashmir’s handicrafts besides rendering many local...
Crafting penury
Once an envious craft, papier mâché is now a cause of penury for its craftsman. Shazia Yousuf visits Kamangarpora, the locality in Srinagar known to...
Weathering a storm
When circumstance left her husband incapacitated, Shamima turned to Pashmina weaving, and went on to set up an enterprise that helps thousands of women...
Programming Taleem
Khan studied computer programming at home and soon went out to design software to digitize land records in Urdu. Khan’s software was installed on...
Facing a cut
Embroidery and cutwork is a dying handicraft, with very few artisans left in the trade. Sumayyah Qureshi meets septuagenarian Aziz-din-Banday to get an insight...
GI registration and beyond
Kashmir artisans heaved a sigh of relief after Chennai based GI Registry awarded them an ownership of the craft. Bureaucratic hassles are, however, putting...
A Tweed Tale
Weavers in Inder and Badibagh villages of Pulwama once sold tweed to international markets in Europe and America. Second World War dealt the first...
Bond is calling … r u there?
The Scottish have promoted and protected Harris Tweed, and made it the most sought after tweed in world. While Kashmir Tweed matches its European...
Tackling recession
NASEER SHAH
Recession has started taking its toll and the artisans in Kashmir’s handicraft sector are becoming instant targets of falling sales abroad. A Rs...
BLOODLESS MURDER
They were launched as promising businesses but interfering politicians rendered them unviable. In effect shaking the lives of thousands of their employees. Haroon Mirani...
A Lost Mat
Paltry returns and social stigma attached to waguv weaving is killing the trade fast. Kashmir is on the verge of losing an indigenous skill,...
Back on global radar
A buyer seller meet has brought international buyers for Kashmir handicrafts direct to Srinagar, building links between Kashmiri traders and the buyers. Haroon Mirani...
Survival on a prized craft
Despite growing demands of Khatamband ceilings, not many artisans are eager to pass on the craft to their children. Surviving on the prized craft...