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KASHMIR

Poaching haunts winged visitors!

SRINAGAR: Come winters and annually thousands of migratory birds visit Kashmir. But not all of them are lucky enough to enjoy the hospitality of their favorite habitat –the  wetlands as many such winged visitors get poached.

Braving the freezing cold of January, 12-year-old Farheen stealthily opens the window of her room to experience the soul soothing aura of central Kashmir’s Hokersar wetland, which lies just a few yards away from her house. Hoots, chirps and echoes produced by flock of birds is never less than a soulful treat for her or any nature lover.

From Water Ballards, Coots, Pintails and Teals to Shovellers, Gadwals, Tufted Ducks, Graylag Geese, Wigeon, Pochards and others, every winter thousands of birds take a long flight to comparatively less colder Kashmir wetlands from colder habitats in Siberia, China, parts of Europe and even Australia.

This annual migration, which lasts for about six months from October till March in the valley is always a treat to witness for any nature enthusiast, in particular the bird lovers.

Pegged between five to seven lakh, these migratory birds land in Hokersar, Hygam, Prichal, Shallabugh, Wullar and Dal Lake, the wetlands considered as a feeding ground for these birds.

Feeding on naturally available food present in the form of insects, worms and fish, the hovering of these migratory birds making patterns in the skies attracts attention of many birders and nature enthusiasts. 

“The birds are a prize to watch. Watching thousands of birds gliding up and landing down is always a momentous sight,” said Farheen.

However, after flying thousands of kilometers many of these winged guests only land in a deathtrap, as they get killed at the hands of poachers before their return.

Despite the government ban on poaching  and strict vigil by the government forces, killing of the birds goes unabated in and around the wetlands of Kashmir. Ducks, Geese, Swans to Mullards, for poachers all are in the target list.

Few years back, the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology or SKUAST Kashmir, under an initiative to study the migration patterns of migratory birds in Kashmir wetlands, fitted PTT(Platform Transform Terminal), a satellite based tracking device on many birds to track their movement.

To every member’s astonishment in the research team, the results were shocking.

According to Dr Khursheed Ahmad, Principal Investigator, the track of many such birds fitted with PTT was lost within few weeks as the device either stopped to send signal or signal went stagnant. 

“For a stagnant signal, one can assume that the bird has suffered a natural death but  if it goes off altogether, there is every likelihood that the bird has been poached,” Dr Ahmad told Valley Observer. “Our team met with cases where poachers had damaged the devices after catching or killing the bird.”

Not only guns, people use traditional traps and other hunting techniques to catch the winged visitors.

Occasional bangs in late evenings and the early mornings in deeper belts of the paddy fields are allegedly a “normal”  for the people living around Shallabugh and Rambergarh areas, the villages marking the boundary between the capital city of Srinagar and  Baramulla in north Kashmir.

 “Since these areas are close to Hokersar wetlands, many birds visit these paddy fields for food and presumably get killed by poachers,” says a resident of Rambergarh Srinagar.

Admitting the poaching of winged visitors outside the protected wetland areas, Sajad Ahmad, Range Officer, Wildlife says that most of the poaching takes place outside the protected areas of wetlands, as the birds fly towards paddy fields and other cropping lands for the easy availability of feed.

“It is during these flights outside the protected areas, they get easily killed, as the poachers find it very easy to shoot them outside protected areas,” added Ahmed.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police are also keeping a strict vigil on the poachers. Some months ago, a person accused of poaching was arrested.

Poaching mainly takes place for adventure or money. It’s largely believed that the poached birds are secretly sold for around Rs 1,000 “per prey.”

Ironically, the place globally famous for hospitality –Kashmir isn’t that hospitable towards the winged visitors, who visit the Valley unmindful that their long flight could be the last!

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BUSINESS

Kashmir willow basketry gets fresh lease of life

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.

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KASHMIR

Phaire-Kashmir’s yummy smoked fish

SRINAGAR: Braving the biting cold, a middle-aged fisherman, Mohammad Sultan starts his day in the wee hours only to ensure that he returns home by noon to prepare  one of the cherished winter delicacy from his days catch –Phaire  or smoked fish of Kashmir.

Back home, his wife Saleema  carefully cleans the larger sized fish in a tub. After cleaning the stock, she slightly tilts the tub to let the water drain out. At a few meters, her husband, Sultan arranges the heap of special dry grass in layers to make a grassy platform in their backyard at Central Kashmir’s Anchaar area in Srinagar.

The husband wife duo places the cleaned fish on a platform of grass and torch it to produce flame, smoke and heat. In a split of time, a prized catch gets engulfed in fire and smoke. After hours of slow flame and dark smoke treatment, Kashmir’s prized winter delicacy, Phaire  is ready  for sale.

Phaire

A fish partially roasted in smoke and flame is widely consumed by Kashmiris, mainly during winters. Cooked with Haakh or collard greens, tomato, raddish, lotus stem or dried brinjal, the Phaire does not only fill the Kashmiri kitchens with aroma but also satiates the “gastronomical sense of every food lover.”

During winters, a traditional dish ‘Phaire Haakh’ made from smoked fish and collard greens is vogue in traditional Kashmiri kitchens.

“This is my favorite form of fish. My children are also fond of it. We usually wait for winters to come to eat this fish”, says Mymoona Akhtar, a middle aged woman from Dalgate area while buying the smoked fish at  Nowhatta in Srinagar.

Mymoona is a not the only customer. Another woman in her fifties, Haleema  standing besides Mymoona also waits for her turn to get hold of her pack.

The making

The process of making smoked fish requires efforts of many people and is quite interesting in itself. The fish are first caught usually from the Dal or Anchar lake, then the women who are expert in cleaning it, wash and remove the waste part. After washing, the fish are laid down on the wild dry grass interwoven loosely shaped in the form of platforms and then dried for a while after which the grass is torched to smoke the fish on it.

When the fish becomes dark brown in colour and are properly smoked these fish are collected in a willow trays or baskets  and then sold in the market.

Mostly the women sell the Phaire  in the market in traditional willow baskets. Interestingly they also play a significant role in the making of smoked treat.

“My wife and daughter help me in smoking the fish for weeks together. While I usually catch some stuff myself for days together and buy the bulk of it from the fishermen from Dal lake side, my wife and a daughter engage in the collection of a special dry grass,‘naar gaase’ from nearby wetlands used in smoking the fish,” said Sultan.

Sells like hotcakes in cold

The demand for the smoked fish increases during winters. There is a common belief that the winter delicacy is a source of warmth in the colder months of winter. The same is reflected in the increased sale of the specially made fish.

Mohammad sultan has been in the smoked fish trade for decades. “I have been smoking the fish since my youth. I have learned the art from my ancestors. Though its demand diminishes during summer, my sales increase exponentially throughout the winters.”

Despite availability of fresh foods throughout the year, the taste and cultural legacy keeps its popularity afloat.

Cultural Icon

Despite round the year  availability of fresh food  in the valley now, unlike the past when the people had to bank mainly on dried  vegetables during winters, the culture of relishing smoked fish still prevails in the valley.

Many believe that it “is the taste and cultural significance of this winter delicacy which lures the people for this traditional  feast.” Often, many people still invite nears and dears for its feast.

“A friend of ours is visiting us tomorrow. So we decided to prepare Phaire Haakh, a traditional winter treat for him, as he has returned after a gap of two years from a gulf country,” said  Tasleema  while buying  smoked fish from Saraibala market in Srinagar.

“Firstly I will remove the burned skin from the fish, clean them thoroughly and then mix the stuff with a blend of spices and Haakh,” Tasleema added while explaining the preparation of Phaire Haakh in Kashmir kitchens to the Valley Observer.

Amidst a variety of food including exotic pasta, pizza and mommo being sold in Kashmir, the traditional Phaire stands distinct as it continues to be a cherished winter delicacy in the valley.

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KASHMIR

Hokhsyun: Kashmir’s winter delicacy

NASIR YOUSIFI

Srinagar: Zaitoon Akhtar,  a 42-year- old woman from Devsar hamlet in south Kashmir’s Kulgam carefully segregates the dried  brinjals from the long thread like slices of sundried gourd before the local vegetable dealer weighs the stuff on his handheld balance and negotiates the deal.

Every year Zaitoon sundries the surplus produce from her vegetable garden and sells it during winters. “I have been making Al Hache, sundried bottle gourds and wangan hache dried brinjal slices for several years now. While I use some of the dried stuff in my kitchen, I am able to sell the rest of it to a dealer for good amount, as there is always a good demand for these dried vegetables in the market during winters,” she says while showing a tangled mass of Al Hache or sundried bottle guard.

About 90 kilometers away, Shahida Bano from Chadoora Budgam in central Kashmir has a dozen odd transparent bags filled with dried vegetables hanging on the attic of her multi-storied house. “During summers there is surplus production of vegetables in our vegetable gardens. Since the price of the same is very less due to surplus supply in the market, I prefer to sundry the surplus vegetables and sell them during winter months for a good return,” says middle-aged Shahida seconding Zaitoon.

Be it a sliced brinjal, laced gourd, tomato chops, turnip halves,  their sundried form is destined to be a part of Kashmiri cuisine in almost every household, scenting the surroundings with peculiar aroma and taste during winters with -Hokhsyun or sundried vegetables.

With the demand from every nook and corner of the valley, the sellers of the dried delicacies dot almost every major market in the Kashmir towns and cities. “I have been selling these vegetables throughout the winters for many years now,” says Fayaz Ahmad, while standing besides the mass of dried stuff, put for sale on a push cart adjacent to famous Jamia Masjid at Srinagar’s famous Nowhatta market  in congested downtown.

Zaid Ali/VO

Asserting, though seasonal in nature, there is good demand for these edibles during winters, Fayaz says, while selling the slices of Ale Hache to a customer.

There are many customers from places like Kargil, Leh and Jammu as well. Kashmiri Pandit community in Jammu is also fond of Hokhsyun. “On an average, I send a consignment weighing hundreds of kilograms, comprising of dried veggies to these places by the end of autumn every year,” says Bashir Ahmad Dar a Hokhsyun dealer from Noorbagh area of Srinagar.

Lesser movement of people during winters, lack of proper agricultural activity and peculiar geographic location promotes the use of dried veggies in the region.

As the valley witnesses a good production of locally grown vegetables like bottle gourd, brinjal and tomato in summers, there is a tradition of sun-drying the surplus for the use in harsh winters. During the months of July and August, there is large scale production of gourds, brinjal and many other vegetables owing to increased trend of kitchen gardening and hybrid variety of seeds in the valley. “Growers or households, usually dry up the surplus produce for the winter use,” says, Ajaz Hussain, Agricultural Officer, from Jammu and Kashmir Agricultural Department, posted in Srinagar.

It is not only turnip, gourd, tomato and brinjal which are sun dried in large quantities, but people also sundry lotus stem, fish, pepper, spinach and  dandleon for consumption in winters. Though most of the vegetables are available in the valley throughout the year, some vegetables and fruits like gourd and pear are mostly dried as they are not easily available in the market during winters. 

Consumption of dried veggies has been a part of the Kashmir’s culture since ages.   Climatic conditions, geographic location and its unique culture are among many contributing factors as to why the people in this part of world still long for Hokhsyun.

According to Mohammad Ashraf, ex-Professor of History, in older times due to harsh winters, the movement of people used to get restricted. “Absence of any agricultural activity coupled by harsh life conditions imposed by the apathetic weather forced the people to pile the stock to survive those times.”

Zaid Ali/VO

The tradition finds its followers in these modern times too, as the region still goes through the period of harsher colder days during Chilai Kalan, when the temperatures plummet to sub zero for scores of days together.”

Famines are also one of the reasons for this tradition, says the historian, while deliberating upon the main causes for the practice. “For the fear of famine in earlier times, people took to stocking the consumable stuff in the valley… One of the reasons why people have a stock of consumables for months together here.”

Other reasons apart, it is essentially the taste that drives the people to make the dried stuff still a part of Kashmiri kitchen.

Zoona, a sexagenarian  woman says though she does not eat much at this age, she often keeps asking for Hokhsyun varieties to her children for its aroma and taste.

Though medical fraternity raises concerns about the hygiene  of Hokhsyun, the use of winter delicacy goes on in the valley.

“When not dried properly, the dried vegetables can catch fungus, a source of toxins which are carcinogenic in nature. But if dried and cooked properly, these are quite safe to consume,” says Dr Abdul Gani Ahangar, ex- medical superintendent from the Health department of Jammu and Kashmir.

Amidst the Chillai Kalan, 40 days of harshest period of winter, cuisines in both urban and rural Kashmir aromatize with Hokhsyun to much delight of vegetable growers. People are enjoying the popular Hokhsyun dishes like Gogje Paneer, Alhache-Chicken and Hoggad chutney in the valley. Here Hokhsyun is a winter speciality!

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BUSINESS

Vestaun: Sowing SEEDS of prosperity

Srinagar: In 2013, when Sana Masood, a young girl from Srinagar returned to her homeland, she brought along insightful experience from her career as consultant with multinational companies like FabIndia and Organic India, outside Jammu and Kashmir. Back home, the young girl proceeded with her agricultural startup –Sustainable Eco enterprise Development Solutions or SEED.

Nine years on SEEDS, a group of social entrepreneurs works with hundreds of beneficiaries to literally give wings to aspiring women engaged in small scale agricultural activities in rural Kashmir.

Having established three centres each in South Kashmir’s Bandzoo Pulwama, Central Kashmir’s Dara Srinagar and Uri area in North Kashmir, Masood’s organization is multidimensional in helping the small scale women farmers in these areas to earn for their primary activities in the fields.
From  imparting training to women farmers for various agricultural activities, providing quality seeds, professing organic farming, conducting exposure tours of these farmers to buying back the produce on market rates from these women, the organization is “at the forefront to help the small time or backend farming community.”

“Initially we used to impart training to few women only, but within few years, the centre has added more than 115 beneficiaries from nearby villages of Bandzoo, Khanbasti, Lassipora, Zasoo to name a few,” says Sana while referring to common facilitation and demonstration centre established by her organization at Tumlihal, Pulwama.

Experts frequently visit the centre to train the beneficiaries.

A women beneficiary Shaheena(name changed) from Tumlihal says “that last time Dr Nayeema Jabeen had visited the facilitation centre and I learnt a lot of things about the cultivation and processing of red chilies.” She says after getting affiliated to the centre, she has been able to earn handsome money from her backyard vegetable farming.

Seconding Shaheena, a number of beneficiaries from the surrounding villages say that they are benefitting in many ways from the centre.

Laced with an ideology of sustainable agriculture, the primary sector organization strongly advocates organic farming.

“Apart from training the women in various agricultural techniques, our stress is on sustainable agriculture. And that is possible through organic farming. So our main focus is to train these farmers in producing manure and growing the food without using any chemicals or fertilizers,” adds Sana.

At Uri centre, there are more than 75 beneficiaries and at Dara in Srinagar, a state-of-the-art centre equipped with multiple facilities is being built, she says.

Having leased some area of land, SEED has a specialization in growing ethnic and heritage lot. Fresh vegetables to pulses and medicinal plants to herbs, the organization has successfully tried hands at a variety.

Sana says they are able to grow a large number of ethnic varieties of vegetables and herbs in collaboration with local farmers in different parts of the valley.

“We prefer to own the cultivation of local popular crops as per the area. That does not only promote the local produce but also helps in cooping to the demand for various local agricultural products,” she further adds. 

Buoyed with the response of local women farmers, SEED has recently launched Vestaun, a brand name for their products. Vestaun in local parlance means feminine friendship.  “Picked, processed and packaged carefully, these products showcase Kashmir heritage.”

“Be it a Taraxacum Officinales  popularly called as Haend, dried vegetables ,rare mushrooms like guchi, ethnic pulses, red chillies, garlic or mint,” Vestaun packs them all.

Providing an opportunity to small scale women farmers, Vestaun offers ample platform to process and market their produce.

“Lot of our produce particularly in far-flung areas does not reach the market in time. So we need to increase the shelf life of these products. And, it can be effectively done through proper processing and packaging.”

It  is not only the vegetables, Vestaun, which eyes national and international markets, has brought a number of dry fruits, pickles and jams to the market. Lavender oil, walnut kernel, rose oil are the latest additions.

As the organization gradually expands, more and more people are willing to work with the SEED to reap the actual benefits from farming. And the women among them are at the forefront.

Sana says her organization is more focused on women because being women herself, she wants to “inculcate the feeling of dignity in women.” “Since a number of women are directly or indirectly engaged in agricultural activities, but their contribution seldom counts. It’s our mission that every valuable contribution of women folk particularly in the field of agriculture counts and they get their due profit share for their efforts,” says Sana explaining to flock of rural woman, the essence of her latest brand Vestaun.

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BUSINESS

Saffron bloom in Pampore fields

NASIR YOUSIFI

SRINAGAR: Leave the dip in day and night temperatures aside, autumn has turned on a spell in this Himalayan region. While the crimson Chinar leaf falling in the backdrop of red sun during evening hours give a specter, the violet petals of the saffron painting the Karewas of Pampore with colour and fragrance adds to the watchers-treat.

Amidst thousands of herbal bulbs dotting the Karewas sprout the saffron magic, the famed Saffron fields of Pampore in South Kashmir have thrown the valley into poetic gaiety.

By mid-November, it is a festivity around. During this period, Saffron harvest is at its peak in the valley. After a yearlong wait and hard work, it is time to reap the merry-crop.

Picking saffron flowers carefully from the vast stretch of fields outside Balhama stretch, middle-aged Fatima Bano along with her 12-year-old school going daughter Zainab is busy collecting the prized spice in her wicker bas-ket.

Not only elders, young and children too are at the forefront to celebrate the festivity of prized harvest.

“It is just like Eid here. Everywhere the people are busy plucking the posh, flower,” says Basit while helping the family to harvest the stock.

It is not only about harvest, along with the colours and aroma, people enjoy the local foods too during the harvest time. “I enjoy the morning Nun Chai and Makai tchout or corn bread, and satu or baked flour in the fields,” a jolly Zainab says, while holding the basketful of world famous saffron flowers.

As the festivity is in the air, how could be the people related with tourism stay immune to the saffron fever. In the first week of November, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department organized a mega festival in the Saffron fields of Pampore. Portraying culture, ethics and heritage, Directorate of Tourism Kashmir organized a daylong festival. The festival was attended by many dignitaries from Department of Agriculture, SKUAST, Cooperative societies and hundreds of saffron growers from the area.

Speaking on the occasion, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, PK Pole who was a chief guest highlighted the im-portance of world acknowledged spice from Kashmir. He said that it is collective responsibility of all the stake hold-ers to preserve and safeguard the reputation of internationally famed Kashmiri Saffron.

The saffron festival was attended by hundreds of people in the karewas of Pampore. Believed to have been intro-duced to Kashmir around first century BC from central Asia, Kashmiri saffron is the sweetest, most precious spice in the world.

Its strands are thicker and more fragrant than its counterpart from Iran, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the world’s saffron production. For Kashmiri farmers, crop sells for as much as Rs 250,000 to 30,000 a Kg. Most of Kashmir’s saffron is grown in Pampore, south of the state’s summer capital, Srinagar.

Kashmir saffron is known to rejuvenate health and is used in cosmetics, medicinal and beverage purposes. It has been associated with traditional Kashmiri cuisine and represents the rich cultural heritage of the region.

Most of the saffron produced in the valley is exported to overseas markets adding hundreds of crores to national economy.

There is good news year for saffron producers in Kashmir. The annual production calculated at the end of 2020 for this costliest spice has been 13.2 metric tons. This is the highest yield in a decade for this sector in the Valley. From the low yield of 1.5 Mts in 2011-12 to 13.2 Mts, this journey has been a mark of revival of saffron economy in Kash-mir.

Saffron, despite its price, is in high demand for its antioxidant properties. It carries a hefty price tag also because the process of converting crocus flowers into the thread-like spice is painstaking and labour-intensive: It takes around 160,000 flowers to yield a kilogram of saffron.

Each year, Kashmir produces 17 metric tonnes of saffron, on average, as per the agriculture department. Saffron is cultivated in three districts: Pulwama, Srinagar and Budgam in Kashmir and Kishtwar in Jammu province.

Last year Kashmiri saffron was granted a GI tag, a feat, experts believe would prove beneficial to the growers in the region.

Geographical Indication is a name or sign given to certain products that relates or belongs to a specific geograph-ical location or origins like a region, town or country. GI helps the genuine producers to earn profit in the competi-tive market and enables the customers to buy products having superior quality.

It is expected that this GI certification will help farmers in getting the best remunerative price and also help in preventing the prevalent practice of adulteration of Saffron, Kashmir’s globally-acclaimed crown of spices that equally adds beauty to picturesque autumn as winter approaches fast!

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BUSINESS

Kashmir carpets to grace Parliament House, boost handicrafts

NASIR YOUSUFI

BUDGAM: On a cloudy evening, Abdul Rahim Khan , a 33-year-old craftsman from Shunglipora village in central Kashmir’s Budgam was busy in helping his wife to milk the cow, when he received a carpet dealers call from nearby village asking for an immediate meet. Sensing urgency, Khan walked down two kilometers from his house to dealer’s home. On reaching the destination, his joy knew no bounds.

Khan is one among a few craftsmen, selected for making a handmade carpet for the highest institution of democracy in the world, the Parliament House of Sansad Bhawan in the national capital, New Delhi.

For a moment, the talented craftsman from a remote area in upper reaches of the valley could not believe the news. Though a school dropout, he knows the importance of the Sansad.

“I have woven more than hundred carpets during my 20 years career as carpet weaver. Where those have been used, God knows better. But this time, I feel really excited that my art will get showcased at such an important place,” exclaims Khan, who is into carpet making since his childhood.

Abdul Rahim Khan is not doing it alone. He is equally assisted by two more siblings, 27-year-old Tariq Ahmad Khan and 29-year-old Reyaz Ahmad Khan in running the loom. The trio is about to complete the prized carpet. “When any of the male members is off the work, a female member from the household works for that time,” Khan adds.

It is not only the Khan family from Shunglipora, there are few more groups of artisans from other villages near lush green Tosamaidan meadows who have almost completed the weaving of carpets for the Parliament House.

How it happened:
It all started in October of 2021, when a 62-year-old local carpet dealer, Ghulam Mohammad Khan Tahiri, the owner of Tahiri Carpets sealed a contract with a Delhi based firm for weaving the carpets. “They only provided us the di-mensions and shape of the carpet, rest has been left for us to decide the design and stuff of carpets,” says Tahiri.

A veteran carpet dealer with an experience of over 35 years in carpet industry, Tahiri immediately sensed the im-portance of the rug for the Parliament. He says, his carpet making company has mainly focused upon the design, stuff and the art used in these carpets.

As the work on these prized handmade carpets for country’s Parliament has been mostly done, the joy has come after a days of intense hard work.

“We have already made carpets for Raddison Group of Hotels and some other big corporate houses. But as soon as I learnt about this prestigious order, I sat down with my father, discussed all the peculiarities about the consignment. We decided to use a quality stuff and master craftsmen for the esteemed project. “After arranging super quality silk from Delhi , the second tough thing was a selection of 12 master craftsmen out of about 120 craftsmen working with us, for this important consignment,” says Qamar Ali Tahiri, Chief Executive Officer of Tahiri Carpets and son of veteran Tahiri.

The timeline for the completion of this project was also a concern. Usually, during summers, many craftsmen take to farming or other labour work in this area, while most of the craft work is carried out in winters. “So we had to moti-vate the craftsmen to work during summers too, for timely completion of work,” Tahiri adds.

Design and Make
With 11 feet in length and 8 feet in breadth, covering an area of 90 sq feet approximately, a trapezium shaped carpet is made from silk on silk, an arrangement when both threads and knots are made from silk. As per Tahiri, there are 288 X 288 knots in one foot length of the carpet.

The prized rugs have been woven in a famed Kashmiri design ‘Shikaar’. Known as the traditional design in local carpet industry, Shikaar is a depiction of jungle life. The images of Lion, Leopard, Deer, Elephant, Peacock or birds are perfectly portrayed on the frame.

“They wanted to craft these masterpieces in a traditional art. So we have chosen this old art for these carpets,” says Qamar while referring to one of the finished carpets, portraying a leopard roaming in a jungle.

The color combination of the prized rugs has been also taken care of. Qamar says, that they have used a combination of 12 colors. “Ranging from Red, Orange, Blue, Green to others, the colors have been used as per the scenery and animal portrayed on the carpet. I still remember, how we had dyed the thread dark red to portray the blood around deer for a scene portrayed on one of the carpets.”

Proud Moments
As the carpets from Kashmir made in traditional art are about to décorate the building that houses the highest law-making institution in India, the local artisans are upbeat with a news. Many artisans are hopeful that the develop-ment may augur well for Kashmiri handicrafts in particular the carpet industry.

According to Dr Shaheena Akhter, a lecturer in Business Studies, the projects like these have a potential to promote local handicrafts, “as they serve as a sort of encouragement for the artisans and opening of more marketing avenues for local craft.”

While the handicrafts from the valley struggle to bounce back to lime light, the likes of carpet-weavers -Abdul Rahim, Tariq and Reyaz they are hopeful of more work.
Says Reyaz: “For me more work means a sustainable livelihood and that is what we people crave for.”

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BUSINESS

Multitalented artist!

NASIR YOUSIFI

SRINAGAR: Shaded in crimson and yellow, as the water colors bring life to the painting hanging bright on canvas, a young artist dips his brush in silver color to give a final shape to his imagination. As soon as the artist sets to relax after hours of toil with his brushes and colors, a triumphant smile over the accomplishment of painting abruptly gives way to another thought process, as he gets a call from local producer asking him to record a shot for his role in a Kashmiri play.

Basharat Hussain, a 40-year-old artist is a prolific artist doing wonders in various field of art. Hailing from Ala-mgari Bazar area from Srinagar’s Shaher-e-Khaas or the Old City, Basharat is a miniature painter, papier-mâché artist, wall art expert, TV actor, theatre artist, a set designer and a renowned art teacher.

Starting his career as a papier-mâché artist, the Srinagar man has come a long way to emerge as a multifaceted personality in the world of acting and theatre as well. Basharat has recently won best director, actor and set designer award for his debut Kashmiri play ‘Archakaal’.

“I started my journey into this world right from my childhood. Since my father was a papier-mâché artist, the colors and brushes all around in my home and neighbourhood used to tempt me towards the art,” says Basharat as he refers to the specialized art in his birth place Zadibal, the area known as the hub of papier-mâché work.

Known as one of the finest artist in papier-mâché, the young artist has so far designed scores of new designs with traditional tinge.

After studying science upto class 12th, Basharat did his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Kashmir here.

Basharat says it was during the college years when the multifaceted artist in him groomed. “After doing some roles in college plays, I soon realized my acting potential. Once as a part of annual day celebrations in the college, I got a chance to perform in a skit. It was when I discovered my acting skills. A small pat, few words of praise from the teachers and friends were enough to dig out the actor in me,” he says.

An approved artist from Doordarshan Kashmir, Basharat has so far acted in more than 50 plays. For his splendid acting talent, the artist was awarded the best actor title in numerous plays performed at the theatre.

The ambitious actor did not stop here. After getting a fair exposure to the world of acting both in theatre and TV, the enthusiastic artist turned to set designing.

“Incidentally, the first theatre play where I designed the sets was a play in English, the Fading Memoirs. I also acted in that play,” says Basharat.

In 2018, he designed set for a Kashmiri play ‘Aalaw’, a masterpiece that got selected for 8th Theatre Olympics. Basharat says he still remembers the patting he received from M.S Sathyu , a renowned Director and set designer in the country.

Besides working with local theatre, Basharat has designed sets for many Bollywood firms shooting in the Valley.

The young artist has also worked as a director for theatre plays. Last year, as a director, his de-but play ‘Archakaal’ won him the accolades from artistic faculty for the all-round-performance. The play got some seven awards including the best director and set designer awards.

The passion for art has never stopped this young artist from taking on to different roles. Out of his busy schedule, Basharat spares many hours of the day for teaching art and imparting skills to students. Well, for that matter, he is regarded as one of the renowned art teachers in the valley.

“I want to transfer these skills to future generations. Art is a language of peace, coexistence and love. Through art we can make this world a better place to live. It is the means to develop aesthetic sense in the society,” the veteran artist says.

“Be it a painting, wall art, play or the set designing, everything is symbolic in the world of art. And every symbol has a specific message and meaning for the society. Art is a lucid medium to sensitize the common masses about the issues like drug menace, immorality, or other social evils.”

Desirous of reviving the theatre culture in the valley, Basharat aspires to take the culture to valley schools, so that the artistic values among the younger generation are groomed at the grassroots.

“There is a role of every responsible citizen to promote art in the society. The government has a major responsibility. The government should utilize the services of the artists and experts from the field to inculcate the culture of art among the youth especially the student community!”

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BUSINESS

Carving life out of deadwood!

NASIR YOUSUFI

SRINAGAR: With sheer passion and unmatched brilliance, a specially-abled artist, deaf and mute since the birth gives life to wood. He is the man with golden hands – 55-year-old Muhammad Yusuf Muran!

As soon as the clock tickles to 9:00 AM in the morning, sporting a festive smile, he comes downstairs and slips into the backyard of his house. After giving a thorough look, he selects a block of round wood among a number of cut logs, lifts it into his two hands and slips into a small room. Keeping the wooden block on a raised platform in his long but narrow workshop, the man begins to mark it all over with a marker. Hours after the intense chisel and hammer work, a triumphant smile flashes on his face as he is able to see the first outline of imagination.

Hailing from Srinagar’s downtown area or Shaher-e-Khaas, he produces a class of art in the form of artifacts and mementos carved in wood.

Nestled in the lanes and bylanes of the Narwarah area of Srinagar, Muran’s small workshop can send any onlooker into nostalgia. An elderly Kashmiri puffing a traditional Hookah, family enjoying the samovar tea in rural land-scape, a group of elephants strolling in a field, a large sized eagle spreading its wings, Sir George seated on magnifi-cent horse fighting a dragon and the replica of famous Jamia Masjid in Srinagar are among his outstanding artworks showcased at the workshop. Made at this small workspace, these replicas and mementos have won Muran a world-wide recognition and accolades.

“I am a staunch lover of wood carving art. I have seen many masterpieces from various artists, but this man has got a unmatchable class in his work. I have never seen such a perfect art elsewhere in the field,” says Sumaira, inte-rior designer and ardent lover of handmade art from Central Kashmir’s Budgam. This man has simply got golden fingers, she adds.

Defeating his disabilities with a mix of imagination and perfection, the deaf and dumb wood carving artist, has learned the art from his father and elder brother. “He has learned this art since childhood. Initially, he learned it from his father late Ghulam Ahmad Muran and then from his elder brother Abdul Ahad Muran, who passed away few years ago,” says Arsalan Yousuf, younger son of Muhammad Yusuf Muran.

“My father is like any other artist in the field, but one of the reasons behind the popularity of his artwork, I think, is his dedication and hard work. Every day, he works for almost nine hours on wood from 9 am to 6 pm except on Friday. In the first half of the day, he goes to local market for purchasing the raw material and in the other half, he visits different religious places to offer prayers,” says Arsalan.

“Almost a decade ago, our family faced a lot of financial instability. A chunk of a people used to benefit from my father’s hardwork. He was only paid peanuts while the major portion of the profit used to fill the pockets of the mid-dlemen.”

“However, after my cousin brother opened a wood carving store, our family has witnessed a huge change in in-come, as we are able to sell our products to customers directly now,” adds Saqlin, Muran’s other son.

“Presently, I am able to sell the products of my father both offline as well as online. I even receive orders on social media handles too. Our customer base is increasing day by day, as apart from the buyers within the country, many orders come from Arab and European countries. Since my father cannot talk, I am looking at marketing part of my family craft,” says Saqlin.

As the 200 year old family craft is finally paying benefits to Muran family, the business suffers the shortage of quality wood. There is a dearth of superior walnut and deodar in the market, the artisans say. “We have to often pay extra money for getting the quality material and that makes the craft more costly,” Saqlin adds.

Muran, who only uses quality wood of walnut or deodar for his work, takes special care while choosing the mate-rial for his artwork. “I have never seen him using substandard material”, says Saqlin while referring to his father who works in a corner of his workshop, carving a replica of “Old man holding Hookah”.

While Muran is busy in creating scores of masterpieces, annually earning the family a name and fame in the field, unfortunately, there are almost no new takers to learn the art from this brilliant wood carving artist!

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BUSINESS

Women farmers cultivate success stories in Ladakh’s Changthang

NASIR YOUSIFI

CHANGTHANG: The cold desert where climatic conditions otherwise prevent establishment of even small a kitch-en garden, is now a hub of modern agricultural practices. Nyoma, the high altitude village in the Changthang region of Ladakh is now a home to a variety of vegetables and crops.

Changthang is located in the eastern part of Ladakh Union Territory. With altitude ranging between 4000 to 7000 meters above the sea level -the region is one of the highest inhabited in the world.

Lying in the rain shadow of Himlayan ranges, the area experiences cold and long winters and a very less plant production.

Amidst the gusty winds outside, a young woman is busy pruning the soil inside a low lying tunnel made mostly of mud bricks. Her tunnel, located at Nyoma, one of the world’s highest altitude village is one among the scores of tun-nels and green houses growing green vegetables.

Dechan Chogdol, a 35-year-old farmer grows thousands of cucumber in her farm. Interestingly, she also grows a variety of other green vegetables in few more tunnels built on an open patch of her ancestral land.

Nestled amidst the barren mountains, the high altitude Nyoma could only produce few varieties of arid crops like barley or turnip till a few years ago. But thanks to modern agricultural practices, the region witnesses now an agri-cultural prosperity.

“Nothing grows in Changthang, these words said in a high level meeting about the prospect of agriculture in Ladakh’s high altitude region, pinched me a lot,” recalls Dr Jigmet Yangchin, Programme Coordinator and a head of Krishi Vigyan Kendra SKUAST-K, Nyoma.

“As soon as I left the meeting , I along with others devised a plan for mass agricultural reforms in the area. With the support of the department, our unit launched a mass awareness campaign among the farmers about the benefits of agriculture. Since the people in the region are mostly nomads, to motivate them to use new technological inter-ventions was a challenge. But we succeeded in motivating many people including women to take onto modern agri-cultural practices,” Dr Jigmet explains.

Dr Jigmet says that the green house in Changthang looks quite similar to any other green house in plains, but in structure there is a vast variation. “These houses are made from clay bricks which are arranged in two layers. The straw is used to fill in a gap between the two layers of bricks which acts as an insulator. The roof is made from wil-low and popular branches… The green house in the region have south fencing,” the senior scientist says.

“These green houses are low cost structures, since they are made from locally available resources. These struc-tures are designed to trap maximum amount of solar energy.”
Besides green house, the farmers in the high altitude region also use low tunnel and trench techniques to grow vegetables.

In a small low lying tunnel in the same village ,Tsering Angmo, a 55-year- old women farmer spends most part of the day growing mushrooms. “Few years ago, I was only growing barley or occasionally turnip, I used to grow in this patch of land. But thanks to KVK, that now I am able to grow a cash crop,” the progressive farmer says while refer-ring to bags of sprouting mushrooms in a tunnel.

Traditionally the region has been growing barley, a crop that successfully grows in arid conditions. For the want of conducive climatic conditions, the vast patches of land amidst the mountains have remained untouched.

Records available with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Nyoma suggest that there are around 500 farmers in the area and about 2200 in the whole Changthang region. Since most of these farmers are nomads producing meat and wool, however, there are many farmers now who are growing green vegetables and other cash crops. A large number of women in the nomadic community are showing a special interest in modern agriculture.

In Muth, a model village which is considered a hub of cucumber cultivation, Sona Chungdol grows a large quantity of cucumbers. “Cucumber is not an only source of income, I grow around six varieties of tomato and one variety of brinjal in these farms,” says Chungdol, while referring to a group of green houses and trenches made on her farm land.

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