Kashmir Handicrafts Were Visible In G20 Summit at Delhi

by Syed Shadab Ali Gillani

SRINAGAR: From Kashmiri carpets adorning the floor of the conference room to handicraft products given as gifts to the world leaders, the essence of Kashmiri handicraft products made a mark of their own in the recently held G20 Summit, which took place last week on September 9 and 10 in the capital city of New Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with US President Joe Biden and other prominent leaders from the world’s most affluent economies, during the G20 Summit, held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 9, 2023

The main Summit Room of the Bharat Mandapam was decorated with a set of 12 carpets that were specially created in some of the remote villages of Kashmir by artisans skilled in the traditional Persian form of art.

The carpets were precisely designed and manufactured by India’s oldest carpet weaving firm, Obeetee, over the course of approximately 15 months. They are so detailed that they are connected by nearly 74 million hand-knotted strands. The Magnum Opus, which represents the Prime Minister’s desire to present Kashmir to the world in its greatest light, was created by over 50 master weavers from five separate villages outside of the Srinagar district.

The main Summit area was decorated with carpets in the shape of 12 separate carpets making a complete circle. The carpets were deeply rooted in the story of the flora and fauna of Kashmir with the medallion Ardebil as the beginning point. With international leaders including US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese among others, PM Modi had bilateral discussions there.

A traditional Kashmiri silk carpet.

At Obeetee‘s design laboratories in Noida and Mirzapur, each carpet manufactured with Kashmiri silk has its own narrative that has been painstakingly constructed. One talks about the tree of life, another centres the narrative on the birds of paradise, while still another depicts the region’s native flora, including the immortality-symbolising cypress trees.

Apart from this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted Kashmiri Pashmina stole in a Papier machie box to the spouse of the president of Brazil and to the spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted Kashmiri Pashmina Stole in a Papier machie box to the spouse of the president of Brazil and to the spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia on September 9, 2023

The fabric of this Kashmiri Pashmina stole is interlaced with entrancing stories. The wool is produced by combining, rather than shearing, a particular breed of Himalayan goat. Using centuries-old techniques, skilled artisans hand-spin, weave, and embellish their fragile fibres. As a consequence, a delicate, detailed stole that epitomises timelessness and workmanship is produced. The pashmina has represented royalty for ages. From being empresses’ favourites to being worn by contemporary fashionistas. Women of many generations have cherished these stoles for their stunning grace and texture.

The stole was presented in a papier-machie box, one of Kashmir’s most exquisite, eye-catching, and well-known crafts. It is a work of art that is crafted using a combination of copper sulphate, rice straw, and paper pulp and is famous across the globe.

According to Director Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir, Mehmood Shah, the figures shows that the export has increased by 98 percent as compared to last year, “Of course the handicraft products were showcased and gifted but the most significant thing is that GI tagged products were gifted, so that helps me in putting across the message that the quality products and emphasis on GI is also there.’’

He also stated that the handicraft products were showcased through private vendors, “Of course, our department is there to help. But the products are sent through private agencies.”

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the new Parliament building, showcasing state-of-the-art technology and adorned with exquisite traditional Kashmiri silk-on-silk carpets. The carpets, woven by 50 skilled Kashmiri artisans, including both men and women, were crafted in the remote village of Khag in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

The order for these 12 pieces of 8 x 11 feet traditional Kashmiri silk-on-silk carpets was entrusted to Qamar Ali Khan of Tahiri Carpets, as per media stories.

After submitting samples in September 2021, Media reports said that Khan’s company was chosen by a Delhi-based firm to produce these magnificent carpets for the prestigious Parliament House of India.

from Kashmir Life https://ift.tt/HcGAUZ0
via IFTTThttps://kashmirlife.net