About the Book

Kashmir is known for its arts and crafts. But there is no single book so far which deals
overall and totally with both known and lesser-known crafts of Jammu & Kashmir State.
This book portrays a comprehensive study providing wealth of information and visual
documentation on the beautiful part of ndia comprising Jammu! Kashmir valley and
"adakh. # state with rich craft and cultural heritage deserves to be better known in its
crafts conte$t of people and culture.
#s a close and living relationship ties land to people and people to craft and culture! the
book opens with brief description of this relationship.
Since traditional skills co-e$ist and change in the course of changing conditions! the book
covers some of the more important as well as lesser known crafts in their historical
background! present and potential for future.
%evelopment being a constant process! the book also reviews the actual craft situation! its
scope! design! craft training! the domestic marketing and e$ports of crafts! concluding on
the most important factor- the craftsmen and their welfare.
The book is invaluable in many ways. &ver '(( pages of e$cellent photographs and
typical design motifs capture vitality of Jammu & Kashmir crafts. )eneral readers!
planners and administrators as well as traders and e$porters will find highly useful the
details the book provides with the personal touch of author*s rich e$perience over the
years.
About the Author
%.+. Saraf ,born #pril! '-'./ hails from Jammu and Kashmir. 0e did his 1.#. in
2conomics and took a special course in 1arketing at the 0arvard Business School!
3.S.#. 0e has been associated with such prestigious bodies as the ndia 4rafts 4ouncil!
the #merican 1arketing #ssociation and the British nstitute of 1anagement.
1r. Saraf started his professional career with the development of crafts in Jammu and
Kashmir and held several positions in the State - )eneral 1anager of the )overnment
4entral 1arket for 0andicrafts ,'-5(/ to the %irector of ndustries & 4ommerce ,'-65-
67/.
8rom his home state! 1r. Saraf moved to the 4entral )overnment holding various
positions in the handicraft field from '-67 to '-97 - %irector! 0andicraft: )eneral
1anager! 0andicrafts and 0andloom 2$port 4orporation of ndia: ;ice-4hairman!
4entral 4ottage ndustries 2mporium: 1emer-Secretary! #ll ndia 0andicraft Board and
lately %evelopment 4ommissioner for 0andicrafts! )overnment of ndia.
1r. Saraf has been intimately associated with the development of handicrafts for the last
56 years. <idely travelled and the author of several reports and papers! he has been
involved with a number of pro=ects in Jammu and Kashmir! ndia )overnment as well as
some other countries having worked on several 3.+. assignments. 1r. Saraf*s last book
>ndian 0andicrafts - their potential and development '-.?> has been highly acclaimed as
containing standard reference material.
1r. Saraf is still actively associated with the state of Jammu and Kashmir! being on the
Board of %irectors of the two state corporations dealing with handicrafts and handlooms.
There can be no better authority on the sub=ect of arts and crafts of Jammu and Kashmir
with which this book deals profusely.
Preface
t is almost half a century ago that first came in contact with the official aspect of
Kashmir crafts. was at the time a student at Srinagar. t was a morning in '-@5. had
gone to the office of the state director of industries. #fter going through a gamut of office
personnel! was met by the head-peon ,=amadar/ Tara 4hand! himself the least of them!
was most imposing. 0e wore Khaki with a towering turban from one side of which hung
gold Aari threads. was told to wait.
waited patiently for some hours. wanted to discuss the Buestion of handloom weaving
and hand printing in Samba! my hometown! where my father was engaged in the
manufacture and supply of handlooms to the department. , vividly recall how as a child
used to watch with interest the manufacture and transaction of local Samba crafts- its
centuries old tradition of hand printed cloth! its hand woven fabrics and embroidered
footwear. The craftsmen! many of whom knew personally! worked in their homes and
sold their products in the local market./
#fter kicking my heels on the bench for some hours in front of the khaki personage!
remember thinking that were director! would perhaps attempt to listen to people
directly more attentively! particularly those actually engaged in craftwork. # director! it
seemed to me! e$isted to serve the maker of crafts and not the other way about.
#s luck would have it! only si$ years later found myself beginning to serve the crafts of
=ammu and Kashmir myself- when my first venture was to attempt an organiAed outlet
through a state government central market for handicrafts at Srinagar. Through
subseBuent years! from '-67 when was director of the #ll ndia 0andicrafts Board till
'-97 when retired as %evelopment 4ommissioner! my contact with Jammu and
Kashmir crafts remained a close one. "ater as adviserCconsultant! handicrafts and
handlooms! =ammu & Kashmir! as director on the Board of J & K 0andicrafts ,Sales &
2$port/ 4orporation! and the J & K State 0andloom %evelopment 4orporation! the bond
grew stronger. 2ven now! as a member of the state committee of handicrafts and
handlooms development! it seems to me that the overview that comes from planning and
organiAation cannot e$ist without knowing craft at its root level.
4raft as a saleable product is one thing. 4raft in the local and regional lives of people
who make! use and inherit certain specific traditions is Buite another. The two are of
course related. t is the nature of this relationship that began to interest me more and
more.
The crafts of the Kashmir valley are of course famous the world over. Still! many people
may be interested to know more about them in their own conte$t! particularly some of the
lesser known crafts.
#lso! very little is known outside Kashmir regarding the more recent developmentsD
There were barely @((( carpet weavers '( years ago. There are more than 5(!((( now.
4ertain crafts have entered a partial dispersal system appropriately enough! in the move
from cities and towns to rural areas.
#nother significant feature is the large number of women who have been encouraged to
make crafts a way of earning and support. recall with pleasure that as director of
industries in the mid 6(s set up the first centre for training girls in carpet weaving. The
more orthodo$ raised their eyebrows and were highly skeptical. But today! happily!
hundreds of women are engaged! for instance! in weaving carpetsD a male prerogative.
Traditionally! again in Kashmir men have been the only commercial embroiderers. They
are still the ma=ority. 0owever! many women are slowly finding personal and
professional fulfillment in these crafts.
should like to thank colleagues and friends in Jammu and Kashmir! more particularly
those connected with the %irectorate of 0andicrafts and the School of %esigns. Their
generosity! wisdom! knowledge and suggestions have been of invaluable help to me in
preparing this book. have also drawn upon the generous help of the office of the
%evelopment 4ommissioner for 0andicrafts! )overnment of ndia! and the 0andicrafts
and 0andloom 2$port 4orporation of ndia ,0024/! besides are two state corporations
dealing with handicrafts and handlooms. Eegarding travel! have drawn freely upon the
literature published by the ndia Tourism %evelopment 4orporation and the State
Tourism %epartment. They have also helped me with photographs.
To the School of %esigns! the S.F.S. 1useum! Srinagar! the %ogra #rt )allery! Jammu!
4rafts 1useum! %elhi! 0024! the State %irectorate goes the credit for a number of
photographs. 1r. 1. 0ussain! 4hief photographer! State 0andicrafts %irectorate helped
me generously for which am immensely grateful. 1y younger brother! Sura= Saraf! has
also supplied me with some rare photographs of the arts and crafts of Jammu region as
well as authentic information about them. should also like to thank 1r. 1adan 1ahatta
for his professional assistance! the +ational nstitute of %esign and 1r. Eupinder Khullar
for supplying me selected slides.
must thank 1r. S.F. Sahni for his valuable advice and help in starting on this book. #lso
1r. 1ohiuddin Shah ,present %irector! J&K Tourism/ for supplying information on
tourism and certain photographs! especially those on "adakh by 1r. 0. SatA.
am particularly grateful to my dear friend! lola Basu for her advice and support with the
manuscript and the consistent good taste and direction with which she helped me select
the visuals.
1ost of all! it is the craftsmen themselves who made this book possible. t has been my
great =oy to know them personally and to work with them for over forty years.
Introduction
# word about the title of this book. <hy *art* and *craft*G
4raft as we know it indicates a method of making or Buite literally - manufactureD >the
direct control over the product and its production by the workman*s hand or tool>.
t is to be remembered! however! that originally in this country the word silpi contained
no distinction between terms that were to evolve later in the medieval period: such as the
distinction between *fine art*-lalitkala - and *craft* - hastyakala.
&nce established! this hierarchy of value between >high> art and >low> or utilitarian
artisan-craftsmanship entered and became an engrained part of our social consciousness!
particularly in our attitudes to the maker.
But! what if we assume! as was originally assumed! that whatever is made well is in fact
creativeG This makes more sense when we reflect that this is a country where
iconography! mastery of an inherited skill and socialCdesign functions are traditional and
collective.
Farticularly damaging from a design point of view is the very thinking that has freBuently
led to our estimating an ornament at the e$pense of integrated solutions! such as
structural design and material utiliAation! as in the functional purpose of crafts in daily
life.
&ne obvious reason for this has been the historic rift in social usage that came from
increasingly feudal patronage. #nother is the inevitable distortion of indigenous balances
that heavy '-th century ;ictorian demands generated in those crafts that the empire
found it commercially worth while importingD the >e$otic>!! >oriental fantasy>! richly
worked surfaces at the e$pense of other values have taken their toll.
1eanwhile! the older guild system of craft production had already broken down into
imperial workshops working on commission for feudal and for e$port markets. The
craftsman was viewed as >ncome generating> for a system larger than himself. #nd he
was worked hard.
The significance of local markets and the many festivals and fairs! where the craftsman
himself continues to buy his necessities! is a story that has taken us longer to realiAe. The
craft used in daily life have a certain simplicity! vitality and robustness. But even here it
is well to remember! there is Buality and BuantityH
n ;edic and 0indu ndia! all creative e$pression was believed to be derived from a
single inspiration. +ow! not only did Kashmir lie directly in the passage of the ;edic
peoples into ndia! but its subseBuent position in relationship both to peninsular ndia and
to Taksasila! the ancient centre of 0indu learning and ndo-)reek influences! cannot be
over-estimated. 1uch has been made of Kashmir*s traditional geographical isolation. Iet
its closeness both to 0indu thinking and its strategic position in regard to trade and hence
to the cultural map of the world has perhaps been forgotten in the process.
Kashmir*s traditional position on the ancient silk route that connected Fersia and Fersian
influence with china and 4hinese influence strengthened its hold on slam as much as
with the 8ar 2ast. <hat is now the state of Jammu and Kashmir including "adakh! still
holds together in a cluster as it were the socio-cultural and religious influences of
0induism! 1ahayana Buddhism and slam. These influences are inevitably reflected in
craft and in the craft conte$t.
Iet the point before fine art! decorative arts and craft began to view themselves
separately is itself accurately reflected in the #itareya Brahmana ,7D6D'/. #ll creative
work ,silpani/! it is said! is as it were an imitation of the divine. <hether it be a clay
figure! a bronAe cup! a garment! worked gold or mule chariot! all are works of art. 0e
who understands this! it goes on to say! understand that all creative work is intended for
self-culture ,atma-sanskriti/. By the act of making! the >sacrificer> integrates himself
through the rhythm that perpetuates itself through nature.
>Silpani> are perceived as >supporting> the heavens themselves.
The fact that creative activity of the widest kind was seen to e$press a >holy> e$perience
of life! that all disciplines converged to e$pand a single worldview! and that craft was
itself viewed as related to nature on one hand and to the integration of the maker*s self on
the other! consider particularly significant. t is for this reason that speak of arts and
crafts lest the bond between these be forgotten.
The ndian artisan was originally both a structural designer and a craftsman. By the time
of the 1ughals the function of designer and artist had clearly separated from that of
e$ecutor. This remains true of most of the Kashmiri crafts.
+evertheless! the designer ,naBBash/ and the craftsman ,karigar/ collaborate closely. This
has led at its finest to the interaction of craft communities in the work of production. #t
its less fine! carelessness can and has shown through.
<hile the specific direction of certain crafts has been governed by the taste and
distinction of certain courts besides great centers of religious culture! the crafts of the
people have survived. Iet! village crafts in Kashmir will remain robust only so long as
their actual use and social function is alive.
t craft is man*s first technology! a craft at its finest represents the finest that can be
commanded with simple tools. "et us! then! not forget those essentially refined and
intricate techniBues intended too for the discriminating! those to whom a rarity is
something worth waiting for. 1any fine Kashmir crafts fall into this category.
"et us remember too the landscape! its generosity of seasonal colour! the still te$ture of
sky and water! the richer te$ture of autumn leaves! of saffron! of lotus and window and
pale spring flowers or mellow summer fruit. The poetry of these influences can be seen in
the finest kani shawls! in carpets! in embroidery! in the miniaturist techniBues that
reached even papier mache. The craftsman*s eye is open. ndeed! his perception of his
own natural environment is a perception that has left the lives of most of us today. t is to
this perception as much as to the actual work of his hands that we continue to respond.
CONTENTS
Freface 6
ntroduction .
Section Land-People-Culture '@
One:
Section
Two:
Craft-Skill-!a"e 6'
T2JT"2S 6?
0andweaves! shawls! 2mbroidery! 0andprinted te$tiles! )arment
making! 0oem furnishings! Kniting! +ara-Faranda making
8"&&E 4&;2E+)S .-
4arpets! +umdahs 4hain-stitched rugs! )abbas! &the floor coverings
<&&%-<&EK '(6
Fin=ira ,"attice work/ Khatamband! wood carving! "athe-cum-lacBuer
work! 4hickri woodcraft
F#F2E 1#402 '?5
0istory of art! Frocesses! Fainting! %esigns! %evelopment! "adakh
masks
12T#"-<&EK '@?
Statues! <eapons! 3tensils! 2namelling! Jammu metal-work! "adakh
metal-work! TurBuoise-ware
S";2E<#E2 '6(
)lorious past! Jammu! "adhkh! Kashmir
J2<2""2EI '6?
Tradition and influences! &rnaments! "apidary! 4ostume =ewelery!
%ogra =ewellery! "adakh =ewellery
B#SK2TEI #+% 1#T <2#;+) '75
Bamboo work! <icker-willow work! Kangri! <aggoo! Straw work!
Falm leaf work
"2#T02E #+% 83ES '99
Tanning and curing! 8ur products! "eather goods
4"#I #+% 42E#14S '.(
0istoric finds! 3nglaAed earthenware! )laAed %algate pottery! Jammu
pottery! "adakh clay products
F#+T+)S '.6
Kashmir painting tradition! %ogra style! Basohli school! <all
paintings! 8olk paintings! "adakh tankhas
ST&+2 4E#8T '-9
Sculpture! #rchitecture! Kashmir*s current stone work! Jammu
tradition! "adakh statues and stone carvings
Section
Three:
Or"ani#ation and $e%elop&ent ?(5
State support! Froduction! Training! %esign development and research!
1arketing! 4raftsmen themselves
Anne'ure ?6(
. Some Typical %esign 1otifs
. Stall-holders! )overnment 4entral 1arket! Srinagar
. TourismD Fresent Fosition and Frospects
;. 1aster 4raftsmen-Eecipients of #wards
)lossary ?.@
Select Bibliography ?.6
Ficture 4redits ?..
nde$ ?.-