WONDERS FROM KASHMIR WILLOW

                                                                            

WONDERS FROM KASHMIR WILLOW

PHOTO  .AUTAR MOTA

Anyone  who  has lived in Kashmir can never  be ignorant about the Willow wicker work. Even those who visit this place as tourists ,    get attracted to the well-designed  willow wicker products sold in the city  markets.

 kangris ( firepots ) , Baskets , Chairs , tables ,Boxes , Packing cases , Lamp shades and charmingly quaint objects are made from willow wicker in Kashmir . These goods have abundant domestic and International market. In Srinagar  city, I found that the exquisite variety is readily available at some shops in Hazarat Bal . Perhaps this area is a hub  for manufacture and trade of  willow wicker objects having decorative or practical utility .  Shaak-saaz or the willow wicker gatherer and Kaaneul or the weaver are two key persons in this activity. Wicker is abundantly available from willow tress in Kashmir  . Once cut from tree , this wicker is soaked in water  to make it soft . It is necessary to peel off the skin and apply a coat of varnish to the finished product  to give it shine  and enhance its  useful life . In Hot and dry climate , the objects need to be sprayed with water  so that these do not turn brittle and break.

This activity is not confined to city only . infact some excellent willow kangris and baskets are  brought to  srinagar city  from places like  Tsraar , Anantnaag , Traal , Bijbehara , Pattan and  Qazigund  .Permit me to end this post with lines from a Gazal of urdu poet Jaun Elia

Jo guzaari na ja saki hum se

hum ne woh zindagi guzaari hai

Uss se kahiyo kay dil ki galion mein

Raat din teri intezaari hai.

Bin tumhaare kabhi nahin  Aayee

kyaa meri neend bhi tumhari hai

khush rahey tu ke zindagi apni

Umr bhar ki ummeed waari hai

Hijr ho ya Visaal ho kuchh ho

hum hain aur us ki yaadgaari hai

( Jaun Elia  )   

 ( Autar Mota )        

Sunday October 7, 2012 Time 10.35 PM  … Good Night                                             

                                                                              

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.