As Srinagar has made it to the coveted list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Crafts and Folk Arts Category for the year 2021, the Handicrafts and Handloom Department, Kashmir has started a Craft Safari. As part of the Safari, the department has identified several artisans and clusters in old Srinagar city. At the same time, the safari has different routes. Going for a safari through a single route will take around two to three hours during which you will meet different craftsmen and also come across heritage structures of downtown Srinagar. The safari had remained suspended due to the Omicron threat but has been resumed now.

Kathi Darwaza – Abode of artisans in Hari Parbat foothills

In the previous five editions of the Craft Safari, we discovered the artisan clusters located at Safakadal, Eidgah, Zadibal, Nowshera, and Rainawari belts. A walk to discover the artisan of the Kathi Darwaza area is an experience to remember. The experience is unique because Kathi Darwaza is a historic place. Kathi Darwaza was the principal entrance to the Hari Parbat fort during the Mughal and Afghan rule in Kashmir and one also gets to see the architecture of the ‘kalai’ alongside discovering the art forms and artisans.

Aari Embroidery: Mir Abdul Majid

Aari staple or hook-work is a common form of embroidery in Kashmir. A huge number of local artisans, particularly women, practice the staple stitching technique. A poet, a master artisan, and a lover of nature, Mir Abdul Majid trusts his neat and intricate embroidery work which led him to work on fine masterpieces. His landscape embroidered pieces are so immaculate and breathtaking that one of them was kept as a souvenir by the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, recalling which he says that he had embroidered a fort scene which took him months to complete. His passion for this craft took him on journeys to display his work across India where he participated in exhibitions and trade fairs. He is a celebrated artisan, recognized for his intricate pieces. His work is showcased at the emporium where scarves, pherans, shawls, and suits with aari embroidery are put up for sale.

Sozni: Mohammad Aslam Khan

Sozni, also known as Sozankari, is a type of Kashmiri embroidery that uses fine needles and silk threads to adorn delicate pieces of Pashmina. Thousands of delicate stitches are used to weave abstract geometrical motifs and designs of paisley, florals, and formalized replications of nature on pashmina or other costly fabrics.

Mohammad Aslam Khan’s family has mastered the art of sozni embroidery for over a century. A sozni jamavar shawl that he considers his most celebrated work took him three years to finish. He believes that skill sustains craft and it takes perseverance and passion to master any art.

Pashmina Rafugari: Mushtaq Ahmed Jan

Preserving a piece of Pashmina is an art as it is to create it. Pashmina stands the test of time when kept with care and love. However, worn-out Pashminas can be brought back to life by the rare and skilled craftspeople called rafugars. Mushtaq Ahmed Jan, a highly-skilled rafugar uses a darning stitch to mend a torn or worn-out Pashmina. The process of darn stitching is tedious and requires attention to detail. It is like healing a wound. The weaving should be invisible and obscure on the surface as if never mended. A fourth-generation artisan, Mushtaq Ahmed is taking his family legacy of mending Pashmina to the local clientele in Kashmir

Pashmina Spinning: Khadija and Fahmida

There was a time when every Kashmiri household owned a ‘yender’ – a spinning wheel used to create hand-spun Pashmina thread. Pashmina spinning has a rich legacy that ensures financial sustainability and independence for a good number of women in Kashmir. The sudden decline in the practice affected both the quality of pashmina and women. However, women like Khadija and Fahmida are working hard to take the legacy forward and keep this creative practice alive. Khadija, 70, and Fahmida, 55 learned the craft when they were teenagers. They maintain a fine balance between work and household chores and spend 5-6 hours on average to spin sleek pashmina threads from refined pashmina raw material. Pashmina spinning helps them create a space where they do what they love and are good at. Skilled women train other women to learn the craft to ensure the craft’s sustainability.

Pashmina Weaving: Unique Handloom Cottage Industries

The process of weaving a piece of Pashmina after traversing a journey of various steps of obtaining the raw material, washing, spinning, winding, and dyeing is arduous and requires fine attention to detail at every step. The weaver tirelessly uses his hands and feet to weave each thread with the finest intricacy on the handloom the weft is made from the yarn twirled into small bobbins. Ghulam Nabi started learning the art of pashmina and silk weaving at the age of six and has dedicated a lifetime to this fine craft. He has passed on his legacy to his sons who are masters at pashmina spinning, warping, framing, kani weaving, and myriad other crafts. Taking his venture online, he provides certified pashmina on websites such as India Mart. To provide a voice to the concerns of artisans, he took the initiative to start the cooperative society called Cotton Handloom Weavers ICS Limited.

Moikashi: Basharat

Among the many steps of bringing a piece of Pashmina to life, mo-e-kash is a technique of picking off or extracting black hair from finished pashmina fabric that ensures the refined and subtle texture of the shawl. Basharat’s family is famous as they have been preserving the skill for around seven decades now. His family masters the art of pashmina spinning, rafugari, and mo-e-kash.