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Khanpora Budgam: Khanpora village, located in central Kashmir’s Chadoora, stands nestled in paddy fields, but weavers here are busy, working overtime to complete the order of 11 hand-knotted carpets that will adorn the halls of the new Parliament building in New Delhi.
The carpets were ordered after the designs were selected from various carpet companies in Kashmir. Since then, weavers have been busy for months getting these hand-knotted silken carpets ready.
They are floor carpets measuring 8x11 feet in size. We hired more than 50 expert artisans to weave these carpets, and this month, we have to hand over the last pieces of silk carpets,” said Kamar Ali Khan, whose company had bagged this prestigious project.
The carpets are ready and are going through the final stages of washing. The last carpet was being weaved by a group of artisans and within a few days, all the carpets will reach New Delhi.
“For us weaving the carpets for the new Indian parliament building is an honour, and this will even give a boost to our carpet industry,” said Khan.
“There is a blend of art and culture in these carpets and designs,” explained Kamar Ali Khan, adding that it took them a year to complete the order.
Kashmiri’s silk carpets are famous the world over for their design, yarn and weaving qualities. Now there is a fresh hope that the present order could change the fate of this industry, which slowly was losing its sheen and glamour. Over the past few years, life has been tough for those associated with the carpet industry, but recently it got a shot in the arm when carpets were provided with GI (Geographic Indications) tags which have the potential to open up the door to a worldwide market.
“It’s a good step and what better place than Parliament to display Kashmiri carpets? After this, I strongly believe that more and more people in the country will follow and more orders will come for Kashmiri artisans,” said Sheikh Ashiq, president of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who is also on the board of directors, carpet export promotion council set up by the ministry of textile. “Once our parliament flooring is decorated with our Kashmir silk handmade carpets, I am sure in coming days more orders will follow,” he said.
Even for weavers, it is a moment of joy and pride and they say their hard work will be recognised by the top people in the country.
“It takes months and sometimes years to weave a carpet. We always want our hard work to be recognized. The fact that our work will be displayed at the country’s highest institution is a mark of recognition for all the weavers involved,” said Mohammad Ali, a weaver who was part of this project. “All the weavers who were attached to this project managed to earn good money compared to other projects,” he added.
Annually, carpets worth ₹ 300 crore are exported from Kashmir to various European countries and the United States. The carpet dealers are expecting a rise in orders from within the country after these carpets are laid in the new parliament complex.
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