Women artisans in Indian-administered Kashmir have a special gift of traditional basket-making skills and rely on this skill to provide for their families.
The introduction of plastic has made it difficult for these women to maintain their employment, despite the fact that their products are environmentally friendly.
These women are among the last members of their families to master traditional basket making as the younger generation is reluctant to continue the practice.
These women from Panzath village of Qazigund district of south Kashmir have been engaged in the art of making these baskets from a young age after learning from their forefathers. T
They are facing difficulties in running their house due to significant demand and low prices. These baskets have long been used by Kashmiri families to remove stones and chaff from rice before eating it.
Fazi, one of these skilled women, says: ‘My late husband, Rasool Munshi, taught me this skill, he passed away about twenty years ago. They used to do this, but due to our limited income it was difficult for us to afford two meals a day. We somehow manage to run our homes.’
She says they followed their elders because they had no other choice.
‘We are raising our family through this line of work because we are unable to do anything else. We had no savings, so we had nothing.’
Making these baskets requires specific skills, including careful selection of sticks and the ability to join them together.
Despite the labor required to make this basket, women are paid less. ‘A lot of labor was required for little compensation and all raw materials have become expensive and must be sourced from the market,’ she says. There is nothing more for us than this profession, not even two meals a day.’
She adds that everything costs around Rs 100.
According to Fazi: ‘We don’t make much money because the price of animal skin is between Rs 150 and Rs 200 and the price of thread is Rs 70. We earn between Rs.100 only. and Rs.200 from basket sale. How much will we spend on household expenses and running costs?’
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Fazi’s son, Ghulam Mohammad, explained the steps involved in making the product, saying that they first buy akhtar sticks, soak them in water and then smooth their bases.
‘After scraping them, we take them out of the water and wash them once more. Then the baskets are made.’
He adds: ‘Then, to give the basket a secure grip, we wrap the base of the basket with animal hide. After some finishing, the basket is sold for Rs 200-300 per piece, with a profit of less than Rs 100 per piece.’
However, he denied that his business was significantly affected due to plastic products. According to him, plastic should be banned because it is harmful and dangerous to human health.
“These baskets should be used instead of plastic items as they are pure and environment friendly,” said Ghulam Mohammad.
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2024-06-09 15:17:09