Dal Lake showroom offer varied wood carving ‘marvels’
Mahwish Mushtaq Khan
Srinagar: Dijoo Arts and Emporium, located in the middle of picturesque world famous Dal Lake is one stop destination for tourists visiting Kashmir.
Tourists often visit Dijoo’s shop for purchasing wood carved motifs and customised souvenirs.
Bashir Ahamed Dijoo, owner and manager of Dijoo arts and emporium is a highly skilled master of the wood carving art who boasts of a 52 year long experience in creating beautiful pieces of art from wood.
“I learnt this art from my father at an early age and then overtook responsibilities of his family business in the following years,” Dijoo said.
He is highly respected among his contemporaries and can shape and chisel even an ordinary piece of wood into creative accessory.
“I have been into this business for a long time now. I started very young and perfected this art by 20. It is not just a business for me, it is my existence and my father’s legacy,” he said.
Dijoo says that relationships that he has built with people from all walks of life, visiting my shop from all over the world, was the best part of this job.
“Money comes and goes but the bond with your profession matters a lot,” he said.
A visit to Dijoo’s emporium never disappoints a visitor as it is full of pieces of art ranging from as Rs 10 to fancy items worth Rs two lakhs.
From tables, chairs, writing desks, dining tables His store is stacked with jewelry boxes, photo frames, toys for children and various other articles used for interior decoration.
“I have known Bashir Ahmad Dijoo for past 22 years now. I often ferry tourists as well as old customers including some locals to his emporium in Mena Bazzar(Dal lake),” said Noor Mohammad a local Shikara walla.
“Tourists are often awestruck by his work and always purchase something or the other from him. He is a hardworking and God-fearing man,” he said.
He said they earn benefits for taking tourists to Dijoo’s emporium as they get five percent of whatever he earns.
“It creates a small businesses network between him and Shikara wallas,” he said.
However, the journey was not always smooth for Dijoo. Apart from an emporium he owned a wood factory for 20 years which he closed due to lack of skilled workers and political uncertainty in the valley.
“I earn enough thanks to the Almighty but at the same time any business in a place like Kashmir suffers badly from time to time due to political uncertainty. I have incurred huge losses especially in last two to three years”, he said.
Dijoo has three daughters and he believes that chances of taking forward his art are bleak.
“I have no one who can carry forward my business reigns. My daughter has a son, but he is not interested in this type of work which leaves me with a successor issue but then my creator is the best planner, he must have a plan for me,” Dijoo said.
Notably, Jammu and Kashmir is known for its rich heritage of art and crafts. The unique artistic work and grandeur sets Kashmiri handicrafts apart from everything else.
The vast cultural and ethnic diversity of Kashmir has enabled a variety of techniques and crafts to flourish on this land.
