“My name in Muhammad Arif and I am a Naqash (printer) by profession”, started he in a coy tone while he sat in his small room blackened by the smoke. Piles of colorful fabric and scores of small rectangular blocks on the shelves present a stark contrast off the dark room. “I was still in college when my father sent me to learn this Kasab (meaning artwork). It was the year 1989 and I was placed under the care of master printer, Muhammad Syed of Eid Gah. I trained under him for 6 years. After an intensive training for a year, Syed Sahab employed me for a wage of INR 1500 per month. Gradually he increased it to INR 4000 per month. After 6 years of working with him, I moved out to start on my own. This very room, were you are sitting, this is where I started 20 years ago.”
Muhammad Arif is a Naqash, a block printer by profession. Block printing is one of the basics in embroidered accessories. Be it embroidered Pashmina wraps, suits, scarves or any fabric for that, the naqsh (pattern) of embroidery is the first thing to be done after the fabric has been sourced. It is the trace of the design that is later worked on with aari kari, sozni kari and even paper mache prints. Traditionally done by hand using blocks or trace papers, Naqashi is quite a laborious task.
“Naqashi was introduced in Kashmir by Hamzah Naqash some 400-500 years ago. Hamzah Naqash had learned this art from Shah-e-Hamdan’s son in Khatlan, Tajakistan. Some believe it was in Tehran where he learned it. It was a blessed kasab and involved a lot of people hence households who derived their sustenance from it. Now as is happening, we humans are being replaced by machines. So be it, the world is turning towards consumerism without any actual taste for handcraft and art. These are what the times have become now.”
Why being a graduate did you opt for this work?
“I was not so good at studies and to keep off from falling into bad company my father sent me to train under Syed Sahab. He held the view that it is an honorable job and would keep me from meeting wrong sorts of people. Tourism and handicraft industry was at its highest peak in those times and I too caught up in it and was very happy with what I was doing until recent times. First the machine wave in Kashmir has taken away all the charisma of Kashmir Handwork. Second, the government is a mute spectator over it. And for the final nail in the coffin, last year floods hit the market very badly. I used to love doing what I did but now I am less motivated for it. I want to quit, but what can I do now, after all these years. This is what I have trained all my life to do. I have a family to feed, two small beautiful children to look after. This is all I have, this is who I am.”
“Syed Sahab once told me, “Don’t go after the money. Perfect what you do and see how money comes after you.” I firmly held to it for the longest part of my needful life. However, such ideals are not realistic at least not in the world we live in today.”
“I am interested in creating new designs along with working on the traditional motifs of badum (almond/paisley), chinar and sozin posh (sozni flower), but I find no takers for it. It is like people don’t want to let go of the old ways, it is like a matter of trust to them.”
So, how is work now?
“Our work is unacknowledged. We are not even registered with the handicraft department. It is like we have no existence! Having moved from pillar to post to get Naqashi its share due of registration as with other hand art works, the government has yet to take a stand on it. They turn us out on the pretext of being unauthorized to do so. How do they expect this profession to advance, to move on, when they pull away their hands like this? I have been working for last 26 years and no one, not even a single person came to learn it or join me. It shall die with us, a few workers that are left in the valley.”
What is your message for people?
“How does it matter, what I say. What will that change? I can only request our government to register us first. Then to ban the machine fakes of Amritsar that are sold as Kashmiri genuine products across the world dragging our blessed to a dark pit. The government should help us in branding, creating a label of our own. Unless and until the government awakens from its slumber, we artisans of Kashmir have a very dark time ahead of us.”
Source : https://www.kashmirbox.com/blog/artisans-of-kashmir-the-blog/muhammad-arif
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