Jammu and Kashmir artisans weave heritage on rugs for new parliament
KHANPORA (BUDGAM): Stooped over their looms, about 50 master craftsmen in this remote village in central Kashmir’s Budgam district are busy creating history. For, once they are finished with their creation – 12 silk-to-silk carpets – the exquisite rugs will adorn the floor of the new Parliament building on Rajpath.
Tahiri Carpets received an order for the thick woven fabric in November 2021, its promoter Qamar Ali Khan said. The carpets, each measuring 8 ft x 11 ft, do not carry contemporary patterns but will reflect a combination of Kashmiri and Indian traditional designs. The 12 carpets have four different designs – which have been incorporated from the traditional Kashmiri Pashmina shawl designs.
The carpets, Khan said, would be arranged in a circular order for the museum floor of the new Parliament building whose construction is likely to be completed by October this year. “It is a proud moment for us, for the artisans and the entire village that our artwork would be put on display in India’s highest democratic institution,” he said.
After receiving the order, Qamar short-listed 50 master artisans of his village to take on the task. The craftsmen have been working eight hours daily since December last year. Their deadline to finish the work, according to Qamar, is September-end.
Manzoor Ahmad, one of the artisans, said “this design was very complex. When we started work on this, we had to concentrate very hard. To weave this design needs mastery over the art”. Ahmed is aware that while he may never be able to see the work of art that will be on display at the new Parliament building, he would be happy that dignitaries visiting the place “would come to know about the artisans, our village and the famed carpets of the Valley”.
The weaving work on nine of the carpets has been completed while the remaining three will “hopefully” be done “within a week or so”. It took a group of four artisans to finish work on one carpet, which is testimony to the design’s complexities and intricacies.
Tahira, a woman artisan, begins work at 7 in the morning and winds up by 7 in the evening. “This is a difficult job that involves using coding. If one of us is lax or slips in concentration, the whole group gets affected. The work has to be undone before weaving again. So we have to put in 110 per cent concentration to ensure that quality is not compromised,” Tahira said.
50 weavers on the job
- Qamar, of Tahiri Carpets, short-listed 50 master artisans of his village to take on the task
- The company in Nov 2021 received order for the carpets
- The craftsmen have been working eight hours daily since December last year
- Their deadline to finish the work, according to Qamar, is September-end