{"id":92750,"date":"2025-12-09T22:43:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T17:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/?p=92750"},"modified":"2025-12-09T22:43:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T17:13:10","slug":"know-your-artisan-jks-handicraft-legacy-shines-nationally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/09\/know-your-artisan-jks-handicraft-legacy-shines-nationally\/","title":{"rendered":"Know Your Artisan: J&K\u2019s Handicraft Legacy Shines Nationally"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two Artisans Bag Top National Awards, Two Others Earn Excellence Certificates<\/strong><\/p>\n

Srinagar\/New Delhi, Dec 9: Jammu & Kashmir\u2019s celebrated craft sector received a major national boost on Tuesday as two master artisans were conferred with the prestigious National Award by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, while two others were honoured with Certificates of Excellence at a ceremony organised by the Ministry of Textiles in New Delhi.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As per news agency JKNS, those awarded the National Award include Manzoor Ahmad Khan, a master carpet weaver from Rainawari, and Khawaja Nazir Ali, an acclaimed Sozni embroidery artisan from Alamgiri Bazaar, Srinagar.<\/p>\n

Similarly,Mashkoora Hameed from Budgam (Sozni embroidery) and Mir Arshad Hussain from Srinagar (papier-mache) were conferred with Certificates of Excellence for their outstanding craftsmanship.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Terming the achievement a proud milestone, the department said the national recognitions underline how J&K artisans continue to keep centuries-old craft traditions alive while earning admiration across India and globally. It added that the four awardees were also highlighted during the department\u2019s recently held \u201cKnow Your Artisan\u201d campaign aimed at promoting local craftsmanship.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe entire artisan community of Jammu & Kashmir celebrates this accomplishment with immense pride,\u201d the spokesman said, adding that these honours further strengthen the UT\u2019s position as a premier hub of world-class handicrafts.<\/p>\n

As part of its broader vision, the \u201cKnow Your Artisan\u201d initiative \u2014 focused largely across Kashmir \u2014 continues to play a pivotal role in connecting citizens, tourists, and markets directly with master craftspeople.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The programme provides artisans a dedicated platform to showcase and sell their work, while offering the public hands-on learning experiences, interactive craft corners, and live demonstrations that highlight the authenticity of J&K\u2019s handmade traditions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Last month, during the ongoing Know Your Artisan Showcase, the global appeal of Kashmir\u2019s crafts was once again evident when a foreign tourist expressed profound admiration for the valley\u2019s artistic mastery. Visiting the exhibition at Sher-e-Kashmir Park, Srinagar, she praised the event as a vibrant blend of heritage, creativity, and originality.<\/p>\n

Organised by the Department of Handicrafts and Handloom, Kashmir, the exhibition enables visitors to interact directly with artisans, watch traditional making processes in real time, and witness the living heritage that has shaped Kashmir\u2019s cultural identity for centuries.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Earlier this month, during the Know Your Artisan Showcase, a foreign tourist while speaking to JKNS, described the experience as \u201cbeautiful, excellent, and amazing,\u201d emphasizing that such platforms reveal the true essence of Kashmir\u2019s artistry. She said the exhibition reflects \u201cwhat real production and originality of Kashmir mean,\u201d calling it a rare glimpse into the heart of India\u2019s craft legacy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She further noted the importance of supporting genuine handmade crafts at a time when imported, machine-made items often overshadow local artisans. \u201cAnyone visiting here can immediately recognize the difference \u2014 the people, their effort, and their creativity. It\u2019s all so beautiful,\u201d she added while exploring stalls featuring papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9, walnut wood carving, and fine embroidery.<\/p>\n

The ongoing \u2018Know Your Artisan\u2019 showcase continues to draw strong public response, emerging as a meaningful bridge between Kashmir\u2019s master artisans and a global audience, and reaffirming the valley\u2019s position as one of the world\u2019s most treasured craft destinations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Saturday, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Anshul Garg, reviewed the functioning and progress of the Handicrafts and Handloom Department (H&H) in a detailed meeting.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

During the briefing, the Director H&H highlighted the success of the \u201cKnow Your Artisan Series\u201d under the \u2018Soulful Kashmir\u2019 brand and proposed institutionalizing future editions with integrated artisan stalls, cultural presentations, live craft demonstrations, and stronger market linkages to benefit local craftspeople.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He also apprised the Div Com of the land transfer process required for setting up the ambitious Craft Tourism Village at Sonpah near Doodhpathri, an initiative expected to become a major craft-tourism landmark.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emphasizing structured planning, the Div Com directed formulation of a comprehensive roadmap for organizing \u201cKnow Your Artisan\u201d programmes across schools, colleges, and educational institutions to deepen public engagement with local crafts from a young age.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He further stressed synergizing the department\u2019s annual activity calendar with the Tourism Department to ensure craft-based events are showcased at tourist destinations, heritage sites, Yatra stations, and vibrant zones around Dal Lake \u2014 including during winter sports activities.<\/p>\n

Highlighting the role of tourism stakeholders, the Div Com called for capacity-building of tour guides to encourage visitors to explore Srinagar\u2019s craft clusters. He also advised onboarding hoteliers and tour operators to expand collaborative efforts toward boosting artisan visibility and market access.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Regarding complaints of counterfeit handloom products being sold to tourists, the Div Com issued directions for strict enforcement and firm action against erring hoteliers involved in selling fake items, underscoring the administration\u2019s commitment to protecting the integrity of J&K\u2019s authentic crafts.(JKNS)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two Artisans Bag Top National Awards, Two Others Earn Excellence Certificates Srinagar\/New Delhi, Dec 9: Jammu & Kashmir’s celebrated craft sector received a major national boost on Tuesday as two master artisans were conferred with the prestigious National Award by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, while two others were honoured with Certificates of Excellence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92751,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kashmir"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92750"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92752,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92750\/revisions\/92752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}