This year handmade Kashmiri pashmina shawl stole the show during the recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar as it was distributed in thousands among the guests, soccer fans who visited to watch the match.
Waseem Rifat, a Kashmiri businessman who got the contract of weaving the pure Kashmiri pashmina shawl and taking it to Qatar told?Indiatimes?that he has been working with them since 2006.
¡°I have been in touch with the Qatar government for the last many years. I have been delivering them the consignment of Kashmiri shawls and they have always loved my services and rates,¡± he said.
The 40-year-old entrepreneur said that many other shawl exporters from the valley had tried their luck to get orders for the FIFA World Cup 2022. ¡°But fortunately, our one was selected because they wanted something which is cheaper and of pure quality,¡± he said.
Waseem said that guests and visitors were provided with over 70,000 pashmina shawls. ¡°I manufactured the order within 45 days. It was all possible because of the 3,000 - 4,000 artisans who worked on the project and met the deadline,¡± he said.
He said that this was a challenge for them to complete the weaving of shawls in a short span of time. ¡°When the first consignment reached Qatar, they were shocked and said I have done a miracle,¡± said Waseem who runs a shawl manufacturing unit called Aslam Exports.
Waseem who has studied computer networking called this as a ¡®special order and design for him¡¯. ¡°It was not only about pashmina shawls in specific length and breadth but also the FIFA World Cup and its logo was to be made in a special design. Moreover, the artisans worked in two shifts- day and night to complete the work on time,¡± he said.
He said that the government was leaving no stone unturned to promote the pashmina shawls at national and international levels but he added that this needs to be expanded.
¡°During my conversation with the foreigners in Qatar, I was shocked to know that they have no idea about the Kashmiri pashmina shawls. I introduced this to them and in fact, I gifted it to many visitors there,¡± he said.
¡°I believe that more campaigns and advertisements need to be done so as to take the Kashmiri pashmina globally,¡± he said.
When asked that pashmina weavers complain that they are always being paid a very meager amount for their hard work, he said, ¡°But I never did like this. I pay my artisans best according to their work and we want this business to keep afloat because thousands of lives are involved with this business and is a source of livelihood for them.¡±
As many as 6500 pashmina shawls were GI labelled in the year 2021-22.
As per a statement, the Department of Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir has initiated widespread publicity in promoting the GI-tagged crafts through print and digital media, moreover, all the major airports were used as a platform to spread awareness, far and wide.? ? ?
¡°The results are evident as can be ascertained by the fact that 6500 Pashmina shawls were GI labelled in the year 2021-22 against the labelling of 4500 Pashmina shawls since the inception in the year 2013- 14 marking an exponential increase of 1156% over an average annual rate.¡±
Pashmina shawls are a fine variant of shawls spun from Kashmiri wool. Kashmiri wool itself is obtained from the Changthangi goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) native to the high plateau of the Ladakh region.
Pashmina is one of the six traditional crafts of Kashmiri origin, including suzani-embroidery, Kani-shawl, papier-mache, khatamband, and walnut wood carving, which have been granted the Geographical Indication (GI), which is widely used in the international market. It is a symbol of their uniqueness.? ??
Every winter the goats from whom pashmina are acquired shed their coat. About 80-170 grams of wool is shed. In the spring the undercoat is shed, which is collected by combing the goat instead of shearing them as is the case with other wool collection activities. The pashmina wool is produced by the people known as the Changpa, a nomadic people who inhabit the Ladakh region. The Changpa rear sheep in a harsh climate where the temperature drops to minus 40 C.
Raw pashmina is exported to Kashmir where the combing, spinning, weaving, and finishing are traditionally carried out by hand by a specialised team of craftsmen and women. The major production centre of pashmina shawls is in the downtown area of Srinagar.
Kashmiris use pashmina shawls in winter most so as to keep themselves warm from the harsh winters.
A pure handmade pashmina shawl sells for Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000 at the manufacturing stage and later it costs up to Rs five lakh.
Interestingly, there is a huge market for Kashmiri handwoven shawls in Saudi Arabia. This can be gauged from the fact that last year, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was seen wearing a Kashmiri shawl while presiding over a meeting of the Public Investment Fund.
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