Protect the prized handicrafts
Over the past few months Kashmir’s handicrafts sector and the craftsmen associated with the trade are making headlines. Not only are the artisans bagging several national level awards but the government too is not letting any stone unturned to promote the crafts known since centuries.
The efforts of the government and the life put in the masterpieces by the well trained and experienced craftsmen has resulted in securing the interest of the buyers world over as the artefacts are finding a space on the shelves of known retail outlets.
Notably, 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, 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.
Few months back, 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.
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.
The authorities here need to step in and initiate a verification and enforcement drive across tourist hotspots including Srinagar, Gulmarg, Tangmarg, Pahalgam, and Sonamarg so that no fake practice is allowed to flourish or even exist.
All the registered handicraft outlets need to be inspected for product authenticity, certification display, and adherence to ethical trade practices and 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.
