As Christmas approaches, Kashmir’s papier-mâché artisans are busy fulfilling bulk orders value crores, months prematurely. The area exports roughly ₹15 crore value of Christmas decorations to dozens of nations globally, together with the UK, US, Germany, Australia, and plenty of others.
These handcrafted ornaments, which adorn Christmas bushes, partitions, and ceilings around the globe, are meticulously created by Kashmir’s expert artisans. They start crafting objects like Christmas balls, bells, and tree ornaments as much as 7-Eight months earlier than the pageant.
The demand for this stuff has surged lately, not simply inside India, however throughout the globe, significantly in nations with massive Christian populations, the place Christmas is well known with nice enthusiasm.
Among the many artisans, Maqbool Jan, an award-winning papier-mâché artist, has been a key participant on this flourishing trade. His handmade creations, starting from Christmas balls to tree decorations, are bought throughout the globe, making properties sparkle with festive cheer. “We eagerly anticipate Christmas,” says Maqbool Jan, “as a result of it brings us work and sustenance for our households.
Yearly, new designs emerge, mixing the outdated with the brand new, pushed by the creativity of the subsequent era. Our merchandise are shipped worldwide, reaching nations just like the US, Germany, Australia, and past, months earlier than the pageant.”
The demand for Kashmiri papier-mâché decorations has grown considerably, because of their magnificence and craftsmanship. Although cheaper, machine-made merchandise from China can be found, they don’t match the attraction of the handmade objects from Kashmir, that are in excessive demand on account of their high quality and artistry.
Because of this, Kashmir’s papier-mâché exports, which embrace Christmas balls, bells, Santa heads, and tree ornaments, are bought in bulk, with orders typically reaching into the crores.
Shahnaz Yousuf, an exporter, explains, “There’s a robust demand for our high quality objects, each in India and internationally. Our merchandise are exported in massive portions—lakhs of Christmas balls and different decorations are despatched to the UK, US, Germany, and plenty of different nations. By January or February, we begin receiving new orders, and it takes us 7-Eight months to meet the demand.”
Importantly, all these decorations are eco-friendly and sustainable. Papier-mâché, a French strategy of turning uncooked paper into inventive objects, is hand-painted and designed to create distinctive, lovely objects.
Regardless of the small Christian inhabitants in Kashmir, the valley buzzes with pleasure within the months main as much as Christmas, because the festive decorations produced right here attain properties throughout the globe. This thriving trade not solely showcases Kashmir’s conventional craftsmanship to the world but additionally gives employment to hundreds of individuals within the area.
