Kashmiri carpet industry once famous all over the world is losing fast the market and if the trend continues the carpet industry like other traditional crafts will become a past history of the Kashmir craft. The Kashmiri carpet which was once famous for its texture is dying and the reason for the decline of the carpet industry is that both the carpet weavers has lost interest in the trade due to the failure of the concerned stakeholders in promoting this art which was once used to an employment generating trade in valley. As of now carpet weavers have shown increasing tendencies to switch over to other lucrative modern trades in absence of a market intervention initiative from the concerned departments of the Jammu & Kashmir Government. The trade that once generated employment opportunities to thousands of youth is Kashmir is now rarely seen the trade of interest of craft lovers in Kashmir and the situation could get worse in the coming years if immediate measures are not taken to the restore the pristine glory of the carpet industry. Since the concerned stakeholders have not taken measures to increase the decreasing no of skilled carpet weavers during recent years in Kashmir valley, consequently the trade has ceased to be a lucrative job in Kashmr and the fact of the matter is that the new generation does not show any interest in this craft. There was a time when we used to export our carpets to the whole World and kashmiris used to be proud of the carpet trade world over but the switch over of the carpet weavers to other lucrative trades has made the future of this craft very bleak.
There was a time when we used to export our carpets to the whole World and kashmiris used to be proud of the carpet trade world over but the government apathy has made the future of this craft very bleak.
Irony of the fact is that most of the demand for carpets in the country is now met by the carpet-producing units in several states of the country including Punjab, Rajasthan, Agra, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. In other parts of the country an impression is being created that there is hardly any innovation in Kashmir carpet now while the fact is that we still follow the same designs and patterns that were available with us decades ago. If we want to gain market, we need to innovate the craft more and more month after month and year after year and it is for the stakeholders to take immediate measures for reviving this dying art in Kashmir.
