Jammu and Kashmir: H&H deptt organises 3rd Srinagar Craft Safari  

As per the statement issued by the department, the third edition of the safaricommenced from the Tracing Unit of Bashir Ahmad at Alamgiri Bazar Chowk.

Tracing is an initial process of Sozni, Zari, Crewel and Ari Staple craft wherein thepattern is embossed on the base fabric by specialized tracers known as Naqash,with carved blocks of walnut wood dipped in a watery solution of charcoalpowder mixed with a binder. 

The team which included the officers from the Handicrafts and HandloomDepartment, intellectuals, academic scholars, journalists, tour operators andother fields proceeded to the unit of Ghulam Mohi ud din who is a master artisanin the Sozni craft and has been honoured as Shilp Guru Award. 

The unit happens to be one of the pilot karkhana under the recently launchedKarkhandar scheme of the Handicrafts & Handloom department. 

The team continued its safari to the workplace of Syed Fida Hussain who is one ofthe rare artisans engaged in the craft of Paper Pulp at Abiyar Zadibal.

The Paper Mache pulp is what gives Paper Mache products all those fantastic shapes, theirdetail and their dimension. 

The safari continued its visit to the Carpet Rafugari unit of Altaf Hussain. CarpetRafugiri is the process of repairing a hole in a carpet and employs the darningstitch, in which the thread is “woven” in rows along the grain of the carpet, withthe stitcher reversing direction at the end of each row, and then filling in theframework thus created, as if weaving. 

The team then headed to Shah Handicrafts, a Paper Mache unit owned by SyedAmjad at Ali Park Zadibal. 

The paper-Mache technique of using paper pulp formaking decorative objects was first adopted in Kashmir in the 15th century. 

It isbased primarily on paper pulp, and is a richly decorated, colorful artifact;generally, in the form of vases, bowls, or cups (with and without metal rims),boxes, trays, bases of lamps, and many other small objects; the products aremarketed primarily within India, although there is a significant internationalmarket.The Safari concluded with the visit to the Shawl Rafugari unit of. 

Abdul MajeedParray at Kathi Maidan Zadibal. Kashmir owns the pride of spreading the craft ofrafugari (darning) to the rest of the country.