This article by Prakriti Anand (Prakriti is currently pursuing her PhD in Ancient Indian History from the University of Delhi. She has worked with organizations in the spheres of heritage, art, and history and wants to continue contributing to the field of culture.
“If there is paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this”- is a loose translation of the Persian couplet (Gar Firdaus bar roo-e-zameen ast) often quoted to describe the beauty of Kashmir valley. Interestingly, however, there is no solid proof that this was written for Kashmir. People have discovered the same couplet inscribed in Delhi’s Diwan-e-Khaas and scholars believe this was a popular line among Mughal rulers, who preferred it to be written about anything monumental they built- whether the architecture of Delhi or Baaghs (gardens) of the valley.
Weaver Preparing the Yarn for Shawl
However, popular culture is not governed by historical facts only. There is a reason people associated “paradise on earth” with Kashmir more than any other Indian state. To find what makes Kashmir worthy of being called heaven, I started my journey from Delhi to Srinagar, an adventurous road, to say the least. The official purpose was to make a documentary on the crafts of Kashmir- Pashmina weaving, Kani, Aari, and Sozni shawls, paper mache work, and carpet weaving. However, as revealed earlier, my ulterior motives were to discover what the hype was all about.
We left in the afternoon, and by night time, Punjab’s roadside Dhabas, with their grand structures and homestyle food were ready to welcome us. The next morning we were greeted by lovely sunlight and unwelcomed news. It had been raining in Kashmir and the roads and highways leading to Srinagar were blocked. This simply meant, our one-day trip had been stretched into a more than 36-hour journey.
From then began a maze of uneven roads on mountainous terrain, a lot of off-roading, and praying that we do not fall in the ditches that kept on growing in depth. After a whole day and some more hours, in a pitch-black night, we finally reached Srinagar, and I had to wait a few more hours before I could start probing the city- “Why are you called heaven on earth?”
Coloring the Yarn for Shawls
Contrary to my plans of traveling to the best tourist locations in Kashmir, the team had been directed to visit the rural areas where the houses of shawl weavers and artisans were located. There went my plans of visiting the Shalimar Bagh and Martand Sun Temple.
Sozni Artisan Working on His Shawl
Still set on discovering the heavenliness of Kashmir, I entered the home of the master weaver. We were asked to leave our shoes outside but the home greeted us with a warm lining of blankets on the floor. With a little peeking, I discovered the interiors were divided into two sections- one where the male members sat together and worked on shawls and the other where women gathered with children, and young girls to work on their projects.
For the first time in a long time, being a woman felt like a superpower, because I was granted entry to the Zenana (women’s quarters), where the documentary crew could not go. We sat on the floor, in the company of women of all ages, who sat with their legs folded and a shawl spread in front of them, neatly embroidering one part of the large fabric, while chatting among themselves, with a casual glance and word to answer our questions.
“Do you get the time to work on the shawl after the household chores?” I asked. “Yes, we all help each other with cooking, washing, and other tasks, and we can find a few hours every day to sit and embroider.” The women get their work allocated to them by the city vendor, who provides them with supplies or money according to the demand of the customers. “The money is not too much, but it allows me to buy groceries for home every once in a while and take care of my expenditures”, said a young girl, deftly working on a Sozni (embroidered) Pashmina.
Aari Embroidery- on the shawl and the floor spread, art is everywhere you look
The male artisans in the other room were telling the team about the shawl that took them over a year to complete! “The eyesight almost always goes away”, said one of the older craftsmen, who was focusing on needling through one paisley design on a long white Pashmina. The long and absorbed hours of sitting in one pose, are taxing not only for the artist’s eye but for their feet and back.
Maybe this is the reason why the master artist in a traditional shawl Karkhana (workshop) since medieval times, was called “khandwao”- the blind master, who has sacrificed his eyesight to gain an infallible mastery over the craft, and guides the students through his memory of the patterns used.
Shawls in the Home of a Master Artist
No wonder the younger generation is moving away from the traditional craft and taking other professions by earning degrees and training. However, there are some artisans such as Naseer-ul Gaffar Sheikh, who after completing their studies have come back to work on the craft of Aari shawl making. These younger artists are only a handful and it makes one wonder- “For how long will the art of Kashmiri shawls survive?”
Day one had ended on a lip-smacking note, with Kashmiri Rajma chawal served in the dinner. “Heavenly”, I thought to myself without saying it out loud. There were still a few days left, and I could not openly declare, that without showing its top-notch tourist spots or snow-capped mountains, Kashmir was beginning to surprise me with its spirit.
At 10 am on day two, rains had started and with freezing hands, I was making my notes when I looked outside my bus window. On the side of the road, two men wearing Pherans ran towards each other and greeted one another with a sustained embrace. This scene is the closest I will come to describing what it feels like to be in Kashmir.
Carpet Maker on the Loom
The brainstorming had to pause because our next stop had come. Time to take a tour of a carpet factory. Upon entering the space, it felt more like a museum than a factory. Under the yellow lights and narrow areas sat the carpet weavers with an old radio playing classic Bollywood numbers. Visitors such as us were allowed to see the artisans in their natural habitat, and it was good to see a few families with kids, parents guiding the children, and asking questions to the weavers as they strolled in the workshop. “See how he works. Just like you write on a page word by word, he puts each thread and in the end, gets the whole thing completed. How much patience he has!” Said the mother to her child, and I could not have put it in better words.
A Design Printed on Paper (on the left) and the same design being woven on the loom
The entire process of carpet weaving is like doing calligraphy with threads. Large logs of trees from the Deodar forests of the valley are brought to the workshop to make the looms. The artists take designs from the master, trace them on paper, and prepare the weaving pattern before taking things to the loom. And then begins the process of creating a never-fading garden for our floors.
We were guided by the workshop owner, as we looked at the massive half-done carpets and the dexterous hands of the artists knotting and cutting the threads. The process is so sharp and quick, that even after witnessing it with our own eyes and knowing how it is done, it is difficult to believe that the many tiny knots come together to form patterns that seem to be painted by a thin brush. The names and histories of the carpet designs are as beautiful as the result. “Dal Tarah” (like the Dal Lake) is a pattern inspired by the layers of flowers that grow on the lake. “Qom” is an exquisite design inspired by the carpets of Qom or Ghum, a city in Persia, which was revived and popularized by Kashmiri carpet makers.
The Paper Mache Master Artist Showing His Collection
Do you know that paper mache boxes were used by European traders and elites as gift boxes for Kashmiri Pashmina shawls? And all this starts with a handful of mushy paper, that looks nothing like the beautifully handpainted paper mache artwork that we get in the end. Having finished day two with cups of Pipping hot tea, served with locally baked bread- Ghyev Tchot and Bakhrakhani, we were energized enough to look at one more uniquely Kashmiri craft, and paper mache did not disappoint.
Some Whimsical Paper Mache Artworks
As the rest of the team settled around the workshop that was located inside a lovely traditionally made, two-storeyed home, I slipped away to look at the display pieces. From edgy-looking statues of animals that will look perfect on the nightstand of a modern cat or dog lover, to felt and velvet lined drawers that will make the ideal home for a medieval queen’s favorite jewels, the sheer variety of paper mache art pieces was positively unexpected.
Probably impressed by the interest that I showed in the craft or probably taking pity on the confused expressions on my face, the master artist allowed me to appreciate a few gems of the workshop, one of them, a black gold painted plate. With a battle scene neatly painted and a layer of lacquer adding a seamless shine to its surface, I thought this artwork did not belong to the back of the workshop. It was worthy of being displayed in a museum or an art collector’s treasure.
Exploring the Paper Mache Collections
But this is where paper mache suffers, I was told. Amidst its world-famous cousins- the Pashmina and woolen shawls of Kashmir, paper mache seems to be the odd one out. Though it is popular among tourists as a souvenir, who readily buy a paper mache bird, animal, bangle, earrings, keychain, or a small showpiece, the true potential and beauty of this craft remain underrated, even today.
The craft seems to have had better days in the past when it was used to adorn the walls and ceiling of the historic Shah Hamdan Mosque as well as the ceiling of Shalimar Bagh. But the artists have not lost hope. Ingenuity has been one of the building blocks of Kashmiri crafts, and the artists believe in Paper Mache’s potential to transform with time while remaining rooted in the culture of the valley.
Kahwa and Cake, a Delicious Tradition
As we planned our return trip after over 50 cups of different kinds of teas, bread, and cakes from the local bakeries, here are the things I was sure of. The process of preparing and offering food in Kashmir is as elaborate as any traditional craft of the valley. Secondly, there is hardly anything luxurious about the dimly lit loom places where these crafts are made. Most of the artist’s homes are plain, with many still living in a blend of kuccha and pucca houses.
Thirdly, the weather in Kashmir is as uneven as its terrain- it can rain right when an artisan is planning to dry a shawl after coloring it. But the Kashmiri people have synced their lives with the rhythm of the weather, with each bump and obstacle becoming high and low notes that make a beautiful melody that is life in the state. This ability to take hurdles and use them for the sake of creativity is a virtue found in the best of Europe’s maestros. It is also a merit found in every home in Kashmir.
Almond Blossoms Drenched in Rain, a Scene from the Backyard of Paper Mache Workshops
As for the question “What makes Kashmir heaven on earth?”, I discovered that my definition of heaven was wrong. I imagined a flower-laden garden, sweet water in rivers, instrumental music in the background, and an unbelievable atmosphere. But as a popular song goes- “Heaven is where the heart is”. And by this definition, with its warm heart that makes a work trip seem like a homecoming, with evergreen crafts and guardians who look at the future with hope, Kashmir is nothing short of heaven on earth.
Based on a Visit to Kashmir. All Photos Courtesy of the Author for Exotic India Art ©
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