J&K government trains weavers to keep famed Kashmiri carpets alive

SRINAGAR: With many carpet weavers weaning away from the craft in recent years due to a slump in the international market, Jammu and Kashmir govt is training new artisans to keep the tradition alive. On Thursday, officials stated that around 11,000 workers from various districts of Kashmir Valley have received training in carpet weaving.

“The weavers have been trained on modified carpet looms which shall go a long way in penetrating niche markets for the famed hand-knotted carpets , which is the second-most exported handmade product from Kashmir,” Zubair Ahmad, director of Indian Institute of Carpet Technology (IICT), Srinagar, said.

Ahmad said distinguished master weavers were roped in to train skilled and semi-skilled carpet weavers in several batches. “This training will go a long way in safeguarding the rare skill of weaving intricate hand-knotted carpets, which have a huge demand within the country and abroad,” he added.

To make the training programme lucrative, IICT offers a monthly stipend to trainees. “For these short-term training programs, which last four to six months and accommodate 20 trainees each, the monthly stipend ranges from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,750 under various skill-based schemes of the Union textiles ministry,” Ahmad said.

Despite a global recession, ongoing international conflicts, and wars in the Middle East — a key market for Kashmiri handicrafts — exports of hand-knotted carpets from Kashmir reached Rs 838.7 crore in the past three financial years, Ahmad said.

Kashmir’s carpet tradition is believed to have begun during the time of Sufi saint Mir Syed Ali Hamdani and Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin in the 14th and 15th centuries, when artisans from Iran and Central Asia were brought to the region. According to Saleem Beg, convenor of INTACH Kashmir, large-scale production took off during the Mughal era, when master craftsmen settled down in Srinagar and helped build a weaving community. For generations, carpets have been central to Kashmir’s handicrafts sector, providing jobs and sustenance to thousands across the Valley.