Srinagar s 72-Year-Old Woodcarver Conferred Padma Award kashmirlife.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kashmirlife.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Kashmir's walnut wood carving, a prized craft, faces multiple challenges. The market is flooded with cheaper alternatives from Saharanpur, UP, diminishing the artisans' ability to compete. Additionally, the scarcity of walnut trees and smuggling of wood exacerbate the crisis. Despite government efforts, the younger generation shows little interest in learning the art, risking its future. Top artisans like Bilal Ahmad believe proper guidance and support can revive interest. The government should promote the art form, offer financial assistance, and provide opportunities for artisans. Preserving this legacy is crucial, as it faces challenges shared by other traditional Indian art forms. A comprehensive study is needed to analyze the sector and facilitate GI tagging.
Twenty six-year old engineering graduate, Sahil Manzoor believes that he can revive Kashmir s art and culture as a sand artist.He belongs to Dana Mazar locality of Safa Kadal in old city Srinagar.Under the local administration s initiative to .
Spy Stories: Deep Dive into Inner Workings of RAW, ISI, Makes Disturbing Claims thewire.in - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thewire.in Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Exceptional Carver
Khalid Bashir Gura
A collection of Ghulam Nabi Dar’s works that are awaiting buyers. His art is competitively expensive. KL Image: Bilal Bahadur
In one of the cramped alleys of downtown Srinagar, the city of Kashmir, a man in his late sixties drops chisel as he sees to shake hands with this reporter.
“I am not scared of the virus,” says Ghulam Nabi Dar, 68. His room where he does walnut woodcarving smells of wood. The wood dust covers everything: a red coloured small radio, wooden planks, an old tin trunk in the corner and stacks of paper with imprinted designs.