A Dream Realized

Having started her business with a loan of Rs 2 lakh, Jamsheeda is today the proud owner of the popular Pakeeza boutique on the...

Certifying Pashmina

A trip to Delhi made Kashmiri artisans realize that fake Pashmina products are threatening their survival in the market making them explore options like...

Palhallan Potters

Although the art of making bakers’ kilns is on the decline across Kashmir valley, a group of families in north Kashmir’s Palhallan village who...

The Silken Story

From fifteen lakh kilograms of cocoons produced in 1940 to just three lakh kilograms in 2012, the once profitable silk industry is struggling to...

The Making of Chrar Kanger

Kangri is used by people across Kashmir valley as an antidote for winter. But it is the Charar Kanger which is the first choice...

A Dying Art

Not long back, kitchens in households across Kashmir were filled with utensils made up of clay. With the advent of modernity, new trends emerged....
Photo:Bilal Bahadur

A Fading Art

Kashmir produces one of the world’s most expensive handmade carpets but the artisans associated with the lucrative Qaleen industry are abandoning the trade of...

Pashmina Politics

Centuries after Kashmir made Cashmere a global fashion statement, the Rs 600 crore heritage Shawl sector feels compelled to use raw material imported from...

A Desire to Design

With the launch of Kashmir’s first designer clothing store at Raj Bagh, Zubair Kirmani, a Delhi-based Kashmiri designer, has made his entry into this...

Awfully underpaid

With reduced wages Kashmiri artisans are getting poorer with each passing day, pushing them into despair and keeping away others from joining the crafts....

Woust` Khazir, The Master Craftsman

 He created a wonder when he carved a life-like apple tree from a log of walnut wood. Khazir Mohammad Qasba, popularly known as Woust`...

A Tweed Story

Tweeds from Scotland to Srinagar do not have much difference in quality, comfort and the manufacturing process. But the Harris Tweed sells ten times...

Indelible Impressions

From Samarkand to Srinagar, Ashiq Hussain narrates the 600-year-old journey of stylish Samovar to the snow-bound valley of Kashmir through the Silk Route. The use...

Woolen Treasure

Carpets in Kashmir are known to be artistic, creative and warm as well. Syed Asma reports on the common man’s carpet, the Namda-the main...

Fields of Fortune

Kashmir is home to one of the rarest and most expensive spices in the world: Saffron. Shams Irfan walks through the historic fields of...