Don’t sell fakes
Kashmir handicrafts are making headlines these days. The efforts of the artisans to create masterpieces and the support by various government agencies to promote the trade globally, is finally paying huge dividends.
Not only is the trade witnessing a revival post the covid era, but here in Kashmir many young people have started to adopt the craft once again and are learning to create masterpieces.
Kashmir handicrafts have been in demand for their authenticity and professional designs. Be it carpets, woodwork, papier-mâché, Kani Shawl or other shawl types or any other handicraft from Kashmir, their uniqueness and exclusivity has always remained authentic and pure to the core.
However, many such instances are coming to fore where the consumers have felt cheated as the sellers have sold them fakes bringing disrepute to the trade and hurting the artisans as well.
Recently, a carpet dealer based in the popular tourist destination of Tangmarg was blacklisted and deregistered for allegedly selling a machine-made carpet falsely marketed as a handmade Kashmiri masterpiece to a tourist.
Taking the issue seriously, the Department of Handicrafts and Handloom also acted fast and ordered criminal proceedings against the trader, marking a significant move to curb fraudulent practices in Kashmir’s artisanal markets.
The case surfaced after the duped tourist—believed to be from outside Jammu and Kashmir—raised concerns about the authenticity of the carpet soon after purchase. A preliminary inquiry was launched by the department, which revealed that the item was mass-produced using machines and lacked the hallmark features of a genuine hand-knotted Kashmiri carpet.
Kashmiri carpets—especially the hand-knotted silk and wool varieties—have long been recognized globally for their exquisite detail, durability, and heritage value. Registered under the Geographical Indication (GI) Act, these carpets are painstakingly woven over months or even years and are a lifeline for thousands of artisans across the Valley.
However, the rise in machine-made imitations, often imported or locally manufactured, has dealt a severe blow to this traditional industry. These fakes are frequently passed off to unsuspecting tourists as original, fetching high prices while costing a fraction to produce.
Notably, the authorities here have taken up the matter seriously as the Directorate of Handicrafts has launched a verification and enforcement drive across tourist hotspots including Srinagar, Gulmarg, Tangmarg, Pahalgam, and Sonamarg.
Though all registered handicraft outlets are now being inspected for product authenticity, certification display, and adherence to ethical trade practices, the process should not stop here.
The department besides, issuing advisories to tourists and buyers, urging them to demand GI-tagged labels, bills with item descriptions, and proper authentication certificates before making high-value purchases, should also rope in all registered dealers and advise them to help stop all fake practices.
The department also needs to take proactive steps to ensure tourists are not misled and stress should be laid that the use of QR codes linked to GI certification to verify product genuineness instantly should be made mandatory.
Importantly, many artisan associations have started welcoming the government’s initiative on curbing sale of fake handicrafts as they too have complaining for long about the unfair competition from dealers selling machine-made goods under the guise of heritage handicrafts.
