Preserving Cultural Crafts

I’m so heartened by the stories of individuals, families and governments striving to preserve and revive traditional crafts all over the world.

In the on-line publication YourStory, Saranya Chakrapani features Shahida Khanum’s efforts to revive the indigenous crafts of her ethnic tribal community of the Gujjars who live in a remote village in Kashmir.

At the start of her venture Khanum states that “all she aimed for was a job—preferably a government job—to complement her husband’s income, who works with India’s Border Security Forces (BSF). However, sparse opportunities and the compulsion to travel for work made Khanum take a closer look at her roots to find business opportunities.”

“When it came to our own roots, we had nothing to show and no reference points to go back to because the younger generation had completely moved away from the jewellery, accessories, and apparel indigenous to us… I thought, why not start something of my own that would serve both purposes.”

Read more at: https://yourstory.com/socialstory/2024/05/reviving-traditions-shahida-khanum-preserving-gujjar-community-crafts-jammu-kashmir