Think about Kashmir and what comes to mind? Apart from thescenic beauty of the place, it is renowned for its carpets, shawls, scarves andsweaters. The carpet industry of Kashmir is an important part of the place anda matter of pride for India. This article aims at studying this industry as awhole the past as well as the present.


The carpet industry of Kashmir has its origin in Persia. The carpets made in Kashmir were largely influenced by Persian motifs. However, inthe 16th and 17th centuries, artisans in Kashmir began giving specialized touches to the carpets produced in the region, giving thema distinctive character of their own.


Carpet manufacturing units in India are mainly concentratedat Amritsar, Agra, Jaipur, Eluru, Warangal in Andhra Pradesh, parts of Uttar Pradeshand in Kashmir. The Kashmir carpet industry has emerged as a specializedindustry, providing a livelihood to a significant portion of the peopleresiding in the area. Other than its natural beauty and the shawl and sweaterindustry, Kashmir is very well known for its carpet industry.


The Kashmiri carpet is a product that has captured thehearts of people the world over, mainly on account of their intricate designsand their durability. Apart from the traditional use of the Kashmiri carpet asa covering for the floor, it serves some other uses too, like that of a wallhanging or as bedding.


The art of carpet weaving in Kashmir has been passed on fromone generation to another, with most of the weavers still preferring to hand-weave the carpets rather than use a mechanized process. The process of production of certain carpets having rather intricate designs has been known to go onfor long periods of time, sometimes as long as 3 years.


Kashmiri carpets are traditionally made either from silk orfrom wool. Sometimes, a combination of wool and silk is used. Artisans arenowadays making use of mercerized cotton for the production of these carpets. Thebase of these carpets is made either from cotton or silk.


Kashmiri carpets are comparatively more expensive on accountof the materials used (wool and silk) as well as the elaborate production process involved. The price of a Kashmiri carpet ranges from Rs. 500 to Rs. 50000,depending upon the design and the material used. The use of mercerized cotton byartisans began as a measure to curb the prices of these carpets. In spite oftheir higher price, Kashmiri crafts are treated as an investment because oftheir unique qualities.


The tree of life is a design that is very commonly found on Kashmiri carpets.Flowers and trees as well as other motifs inspired by the natural beauty of Kashmir are also largely found on carpets made here.


The process of production of a Kashmiri carpet is long andlaborious, involving a number of steps such as cultivation of silk or wool, treatingand dyeing it, deciding the pattern of the carpet, weaving and then adding thefinal touches. The person who designs the carpet is called Nakaash in Kashmir, while the weaver and the person who does the dyeing are called Kalimba andRanger respectively.

 

However, it is a sad fact that this beautiful industry is dying a slow death. The artisans whose families have been engaged in the preparation of carpets for generations are slowly turning to other professions on account of the low profitability involved in carpet making. Nearly 90% of the demand for carpets in the country is met by the carpet-producing units in Amritsar, Rajasthan, Agra, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Export of Kashmiri garments has gone down. Figures indicate that the export of carpets was 400 quintals in the year 1973-74, which rose to 5750 quintals in the year 1995-96. This again went down to 650 quintals in 1999-2000. The major export markets for these carpets are USA, Germany, UK, Australia and Canada.


Some of the major reasons behind the lack of growth of the Kashmir carpet industry are lack of financial resources, lack of modern technology, availability of duplicate Kashmiri carpets, lack of training as well as lack of innovations. Artisans are nowadays trying to experiment with different types of fabrics and designs so as to breathe new life into the industry.


A few artisans have started making use of computers for the preparation of designs. IICT i.e. the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology has developed a software called Naqash for the development of designs easily and speedily. It has also set up a carpet designing studio to add a modern touch to the traditional art of carpet designing in the area.


The steps that are being taken for the protection of the industry are on a very small scale. It is necessary that effective measures be taken to save this wonderful art and to help the industry reach the position where it should be.



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