SRINAGAR: Creating novel designs and adapting to changing trends, Valley’s willow wicker artisans rise to the occasion to keep the age old willow wicker basketry relevant in Kashmir.
After sharpening their tips, a man carefully chooses reeds from a bunch of wickers in front of him. One-by-one, he soon weaves them onto a wooden frame. Seemingly after hours of intense thought process and sheer display of intricate skill, Ghulam Ahmad, a 52-year-old wicker worker carves these wicker reeds into a beautiful basket at his residential workspace in Ganderbal’s Kachan village. The area is known for its age old craft- Kaeni Kaem or willow work in local parlance.
Kaeni Kaem
Locally also called as Shaakhsazi, the willow-wicker work is a handicraft involving primarily weaving of baskets from willow reeds. Remote villages like Umerher, Kachan, Shallbugh in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal are the traditional hub of willow wicker-work in Kashmir.
From somewhat pliable slender twigs to decorous creations, the willow wicker undertakes an interesting journey.
“After cultivating willow twigs, they are harvested and arranged into bunches according to their length and width. Then each bunch is boiled in a large boiler. One by one each twig is then peeled and arranged in a bunch arranged in lawns and open spaces for sun drying,” says Mushtaq Ahmad, a willow grower from Ganderbal while narrating the process involved in willow-wicker harvest.
The wicker reeds used as a primary raw material in the age old cottage industry are cultivated in abundance near wetlands in Ganderbal.
Most of the harvest units, the majority of which are located in Umerher village are labour intensive, carrying out wicker processing manually. From here, the naturally brown coloured wickers find their way into large number of households in Shallabugh and Kachan villages, where willow-wicker craftsmen weave them into a range of products primarily the baskets, vases and kitchenware.
But till a few years ago, in the absence of any takers, the traditional basket makers were left in lurch.
The Depression
Baskets, flower vases, chairs, trays and Kangri are the significant willow-work products made in the valley. People in valley have been traditionally using these items since ages. However, the availability of comparatively economical fancy and polished Chinese products replaced the traditional wicker products over the years.
“As the markets were flooded with the trendy products mostly machine made from China, the taste of people too changed. Most of the people discarded the use of the traditional basketry items,” says Zahoor Ahmad Wani, a basketry shop owner from Srinagar. “There was a time when, Kangri, a traditional firepot used during winters in the valley was the only item in demand.”
But thanks to sharp wit of a group of artisans from Central Kashmir’s Shallabugh and Kachan villages who have not only sustained the art but are successfully passing it over to newer generations.
A fresh beginning
Leave the willow décor aside, few years ago apart from making Kangris and few baskets, there was almost no work for the Kashmir’s willow-work craftsmen. This was the time when Kadam, an NGO came to the rescue of Kashmir’s traditional basketry craft. Kadam not only mentored the craft, it helped the artisans to craft market driven designs from wicker through in person trainings.
“What we could make was only the traditional designs and products. However, after getting training from Kadam, our way of work has changed. Our designs have changed completely. Our products are now market driven,” Ghulam Ahmad told the Valley Observer.
“The trainings have been much beneficial in grooming our skill. Our products now match the international standard and off late there are many orders from international buyers too. At a time our younger generation was reluctant to learn the craft but for the last few years, lot of youngsters have shown their interest in this traditional craft and have infact taught it,” added Ghulam Ahmad while giving a final shape to willow drawer for Sofa.
The artisans from the village are now producing a wide range of products which include basketry, kitchenware, home décor, plantery, lamp shades, trays, wall plates, cradles, home utility and even sofas.
The technical intervention from Kolkata-based NGO facilitated by government has helped in bringing the artisans together to revive the age old rural craft in the valley.
According to Imtiyaz Ahmad, Cluster coordinator from Kadam, the government is really working in close coordination with the organizations to uplift the craft and to have an impact. “Our approach is twofold- one, to upgrade the skill of local artisan community related with the trade and two, to facilitate the market access.”
“We are continuously upgrading and reaching out to artisans through several training modules . So far a large number of artisans particularly the willow-wicker craftsmen from Ganderbal have participated and benefitted from this programme,” he said. With new push for the craft and the production of cheeky designs, the Kashmir willow-wicker products have an easy access to global market platforms like Myantra now.