Kashmiri artisans spin stories of survival and revival

Srinagar, Apr 15: Tanzeela Hussain, who is doing her Master’s in Persian from the University of Kashmir, also weaves Waguv, the traditional Kashmiri straw mat, during her spare time to keep the family tradition alive.

“I learnt the craft from my parents when I was in 12th standard, as I wanted to carry the family’s legacy forward,” she said at the inaugural ceremony of the ‘Know Your Artisan’ exhibition organised by the Department of Handicrafts and Handloom, Kashmir, at Kashmir Haat in Srinagar, where her family had set up a stall exhibiting how Waguv is woven.

Waguv is a 300-year-old Kashmiri craft where reed and rice straw are woven together to make mats that are known to keep one warm in winter and cool in summer.

Tanzeela had come to display this craft that her family, hailing from Mir Behri, Dal Lake, has been involved in for generations.

Her father, Ghulam Hussain, said that while he had learnt the craft from his father and grandfather in childhood, he had left it within a few years.

Hussain credited the Handicrafts and Handloom Department, Kashmir, for reviving the craft.

“It was only 15 years ago that I restarted weaving Waguv with the department’s handholding,” he said.

Today, along with his wife Amina and daughter, Hussain is involved in keeping the Waguv craftsmanship alive.

He said that he had ensured that the craft survives and passes on to his next generation as well as others who want to learn it.

Apart from his daughter, Hussain also taught the craft to 20 other apprentices.

Thanks to Hussain, they have all started earning a livelihood from the craft.

Like Hussain, Abdul Salam Kumar, a potter who has been making pottery goods for the past 45 years, was exhibiting pottery craftsmanship.

He said that the craft was witnessing a revival, with people preferring pottery utensils over plastic utensils as it is both environmental-friendly and its usage, unlike plastic, does not have any side effects on health.

The earliest evidence of pottery and use of terracotta in Kashmir comes from the Neolithic sites of Burzahom and Gufkral.

Over time, pottery-making in Kashmir evolved from early handmade, coarse artefacts to wheel-thrown, burnished, and glazed ware.

While Kumar displayed his craftsmanship on the potter’s wheel, a dozen-odd young girls expressed keenness to try their hand at the craft.

Kumar did not disappoint and shared his expertise with them and helped them craft their own pottery items.

He was even generous enough to offer these girls the pottery goods they made on his potter’s wheel.

At another stall, Mushtaq Ahmad Dar of Kanihama, who weaves Kani shawls, was exhibiting how the Kani shawls are woven. Students from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Srinagar, who were on a study visit, were curious to know about this centuries-old craft, and Dar gave them a demonstration, leaving them mesmerised.

Kani shawls, originating from Kanihama village on the outskirts of Srinagar, are woven with small wooden bobbins using colourful Pashmina fibre instead of a shuttle to weave the pattern thread by thread.

Nearby, the exhibition stall of Ishfar Ali, a painter and papier-mâché instructor at the Department of Handicrafts and Handloom, Kashmir, was the cynosure of all eyes, attracting onlookers with his colourful paintings.

Ali, who is known for his mastery in realistic portraits, watercolouring, and Islamic calligraphy, said he took to painting after being influenced by famous Kashmiri painter and artist, Masood Hussain.

He said that the new generation of educated youth should venture into this field and keep the craft alive with their new and innovative ideas.

Kashmir paintings are known to often feature a rich blend of Persian and indigenous Kashmiri styles characterised by vibrant colour landscapes and Islamic calligraphy.

Director, Handicrafts and Handloom, Kashmir, Massarat-ul-Islam, said that the department, under its ‘Soulful Kashmir’ campaign, was organising the ‘Know Your Artisan’ exhibition to help these artisans and craftspeople connect and interact with buyers and marketing professionals.

“The idea is to help in the transfer of craftsmanship through these artisans by connecting them to the younger generation and also potential buyers,” he said.