Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir’s capital, Srinagar City, is counted among the most creative cities in the world, and the artisans of the valley have been working day and night to keep its art and craft alive. But some of the arts are dying slowly as the young people are not ready to take up the craft as a profession. One such craft is the walnut wood carving.

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Centuries-old walnut wood carving craft has given the industry some national award-winning artisans, but over time, the younger generation has shown very little interest in the craft, leading to a major decline of the wood carving industry.

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The local artisans say that the government needs to intervene to protect the craft and make sure it does not die. Artisans have been requesting the government to set up an institute or conduct workshops to train and incentivise young artisans for safeguarding the future of wood carving in the Valley. The artisans say that youngsters get scared when they see the work of award-winning artisans, as they think that they might never be able to learn it. But these artisans want the younger generation to learn wood carving and preserve the craft.

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“I have been doing wood carving since childhood. Since then, the number of people working in this field has been dwindling. Today only a tiny percentage of craftsmen are engaged in this craft. The work is very slow, nothing sells anymore. Many have left it, but I am still doing it. There was a lot of poverty in the crafts business even during my childhood, but now it has become worse,” said Nazir Ahmad Bhat, a wood carving artisan.

The artisans from the Kashmir Valley have been selling their wood carvings to people from across the world. The local wood carving artisans are considered the best in walnut woodwork and have never compromised with the quality of their work. The national and international market for the craft has been shrinking in recent years.

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“Earlier exports used to happen, things were going well for some time, but it has slowed down. I joined my father thinking I would take his art forward, but now I am not sure if I can,” said Bilal Ahmad, a wood carving artisan.

Experts in the Valley say that both the artisans and the material are shrinking. Those who are masters of the art are phasing away without creating artisans of calibre besides the dearth of material.

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“What makes Kashmiri wood carving important is the craft and skill level of the artisans, as well as the material. So, one of the issues is the slowly dying craft level with the demise of masters, craft persons. That’s a major issue as we don’t have replacements for the master craftsmen who are sadly dying down,” said Sameer Hamdani, a conservationist.

Only the government can help these artisans preserve the dying wood carving art of Kashmir, he added.