Moosa Akbar

Student Reporter

Riya Behl

Editor

large_01-DSCF6424-MA-Srinagars_wood_carver_still_chiselling.jpg

medium_01-DSCF6424-MA-Srinagars_wood_carver_still_chiselling.jpg

small_01-DSCF6424-MA-Srinagars_wood_carver_still_chiselling.jpg

thumbnail_01-DSCF6424-MA-Srinagars_wood_carver_still_chiselling.jpg

01-DSCF6424-MA-Srinagars_wood_carver_still_chiselling.jpg

“Ghulam Nabi, your eyes will deteriorate. What are you doing? Go to sleep!”That’s what my mother used to say when she found me carving wood late into the night. I rarely stopped even after her scolding! I have practised my craft for over 60 years to reach where I am today. My name is Ghulam Nabi Dar and I am a wood-carver from Srinagar city, Kashmir. I don’t know when I was born but I am in my 70s, and have lived in this city’s Malik Sahib Safakadal locality my whole life. I studied at a nearby private school and dropped out in Class three because of my family’s financial situation. My father, Ali Muhammad Dar, used to work in the neighbouring Anantnag district but he returned to Srinagar when I was 10.He started selling vegetables and tobacco in the city to support us – his family of my mother, Azzi, and 12 children. As the eldest, I helped my father and so did my brother Bashir Ahamad Dar. When there wasn’t much work, we used to wander around and my mamu [maternal uncle] once complained about this to my father. It was my mamu who suggested we do wood-carving work.

So we brothers began working for different artisans, carving polished walnut wood. Our first employer paid us both roughly two and a half rupees each. And that was only after we had worked for two years with him.Our second teacher was our neighbour, Abdul Aziz Bhat. He used to work for a big handicraft company in Kashmir that had international customers. Our workshop in Srinagar’s Rainawari locality was filled with many other skilled craftspersons. Bashir and I worked here for five years and every day our work began at 7 a.m. and would go on till after sunset. We would carve wooden jewellery boxes, coffee tables, lamps and more. I would return home and practise on little pieces of wood. There was a room in the factory where finished work was kept, and it was always locked up, out of sight. One day, I snuck in. When I saw all the designs of trees, birds and many more creations shining in every corner of this room, it was paradise for my eyes. I made it my life’s mission to master this art and thereafter would often sneak in to observe different designs and then try them out.  I got caught looking by another worker who accused me of stealing. But later he saw my dedication to the craft and let me go. No one ever taught me the things that I learnt through observation in that room.

Earlier, people carved designs of chinar tree [Platanus orientalis], grapes, kaindpoosh [rose], panpoosh [lotus] and more. People have forgotten kaindpoosh designs and now prefer easy carving. I’ve tried my best to bring back some old designs and create at least 12 original designs; two got sold. One of them was a duck carved on a table and the second was a creeper plant design.In 1984, I submitted two designs for a state award given by the Directorate of Handicrafts,  Jammu and Kashmir. I won for both my submissions. One of these designs was based on a panchayat meeting, from a scene out of a village in Kashmir. In this design, people from different communities, Sikhs, Muslims, Pandits are seated around a table, along with children and hens. There is samavar [utensil] filled with chai, cups for it, a hookah and tobacco on the table. Around the table there were children and hens. After winning, I felt motivated to submit my work for the national award in 1995. This time I carved on a box. Each corner had a different facial expression and emotion: joy shone through laughter, crying shown with tears, anger and fear. In between these figures, I made 3D flowers. I won this award on my first try too. The president of India, Shankar Dayal Sharma, presented this award to me on behalf of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) and Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. It recognised my efforts towards, “keeping alive the ancient traditions of Indian handicrafts.” After this, people who used to give 1,000 rupees for a piece of work started to give me 10,000 rupees. Mehbooba, my first wife passed away around this time, and my parents insisted I marry again since we had three young children. My son and daughter studied till Class 12 and my youngest daughter till Class 5. Abid, the oldest, is 34 now and works with me. He won the state award on his first try in 2012.

Over the years, some important teachers changed my life. Noor Din Bhat was one of them, famously known in Narwara [locality] of Srinagar as Noor-ror-Toik. He was one of my favourites.I met him when he was bed-ridden and paralyzed on the right side of his body. I was in my 40s at the time. People used to bring him planks of wood from factories or a coffee table, and he used to carve them from his bed. He supported his wife and son with this income and taught this craft to few young people like my brother and me. When I asked him if he would teach us, he jokingly said, “You’re a little late.” My teacher taught me how to use the tools, sandpaper and create designs. Before he passed away, he instructed me to go to a garden to observe flowers if I ever felt frustrated or stuck: “See the curve and lines in Allah’s creations and learn.” He inspired me to teach this craft to others and take it forward. Earlier, my hand used to move a lot faster; I could work like a machine. Now I have become old and my hands are not as fast. But I am always thankful.

Srinagar’s wood carver, still chiselling

ఇప్పటికీ నగిషీలు చెక్కుతోన్న శ్రీనగర్‌కు చెందిన దారుశిల్పి

மரபுக் கலையை மீட்டெடுக்கும் ஸ்ரீநகரின் மரச்சிற்பி

ਲੱਕੜ ਦੀ ਨੱਕਾਸ਼ੀ ਨੂੰ ਮੁੜ-ਸੁਰਜੀਤ ਕਰਦੇ ਝੁਰੜਾਏ ਹੱਥ

ଶ୍ରୀନଗରର କୁଶଳୀ କାଠ ଶିଳ୍ପୀଙ୍କ ସୃଜନଶୀଳତା

ശ്രീനഗറിന്റെ ദാരുശില്പി ഇപ്പോഴും രൂപങ്ങൾ മിനയുന്നു

ಶ್ರೀನಗರದ ಹಿರಿಯ ಕಾಷ್ಠ ಶಿಲ್ಪಿ

लकड़ियों पर कश्मीर को उकेरने वाला नक़्क़ाश

શ્રીનગરના કોતરણીકાર હજીય લાકડા પર કોતરણી કરે છે

लकरी नक्काशी के पारंपरिक डिज़ाइन ला बचाय के उदिम मं लगे श्रीनगर के दिग्गज कारीगर

लकड़ी पर कश्मीर उकेरत एगो बुजुर्ग फनकार

আজও সৃষ্টিশীল শ্রীনগরের প্রবীণ দারুশিল্পী গুলাম নবি

পুৰণি শৈলীক নকৈ চোৱাৰ চেষ্টা কাৰুশিল্পী গোলাম নবীৰ

لکڑی پر نقش نگاری کی روایت کے امین، غلام نبی ڈار

Srinagar

At present, we can only accept donations in Indian rupees by Indian citizens. All donations made to the CounterMedia Trust are eligible for exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Here is a copy of our exemption certificate.


India is bigger than New Delhi. And people need to know more about the rest of this vast nation.


Younger, media-saturated generations are growing up knowing little about their country, but a lot about the elites of a few metros and towns. For a narrowly-owned, commercially-driven media, the dumbing down of a nation is part of standard operating procedure. The last available data of the Centre for Media Studies (CMS, Delhi) show us that reports from New Delhi account for 66 per cent of news on the front pages of major dailies. The CMS data also found that just about 0.24 per cent of front page news came out of rural India. The TV channels are not much better.PARI exists to change that.We are a non-profit organisation. We publish under creative commons, and do not charge readers a subscription fee or put-up advertisements. Nothing is behind a paywall and we are completely free-to-access by anyone. We guard our independence and receive no direct grants from governments and corporations, nor any funding that could dictate our content. So, we are dependent on volunteer labour, donations from individuals, foundations and institutions that see value in independent and free media.PARI is changing the way Indian journalism reports and documents the rural.India is more than the elite of a few metros and towns. We report on rural lives and livelihoods, languages, communities, migrants and more. We need your help to pull off this most ambitious of Indian journalistic endeavours. The scale of this effort costs money. Donate generously - and spread the word about PARI.&nbsp;

Donate FAQs


আমাদের সম্বন্ধে জানুন

পারি’র দুনিয়ায় স্বাগত

আমাদের যাবতীয় লেখাপত্তর নিখরচায় ব্যবহার করা যায়, আর আগামীদিনেও এই নিয়মই বজায় থাকবে। আমাদের কাজকর্ম ভালো লাগলে আপনি স্বেচ্ছাশ্রম দিয়ে অথবা অর্থ সাহায্য করে এই কাজে সহায়ক হতে পারেন।

Want to republish this article? Please write to <a href="mailto:zahra@ruralindiaonline.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">zahra@ruralindiaonline.org</a> with a cc to <a href="mailto:namita@ruralindiaonline.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">namita@ruralindiaonline.org</a>

Srinagar’s wood carver, still chiselling

Ghulam Nabi Dar is a national-award-winning craftsperson who is trying to bring back old designs

Related stories

A rain-scented walk in Sivagangai

Living on ravaged land

Biswas and the bamboos on his bike

Recycling energy, Godda style

Bhadels of Goa

Pookadai: still throbbing with morning life

Koli Kadlas

Malnourishment high among children of migrants: study

Wheels of the rural Indian West

Living Under a Red Cloud in Bellary

Vedla – earrings of the Maher community

Dreaming of water, drowning in debt

Kali: the dancer and his dreams

Farmer's diet worse than a convict's

In Yavatmal, life goes on

Suicides are about the living, not the dead

Death of a carpenter

Hoisa Shigmo!

Women farmers: weaving a life in Anantapur

Defiant in Dhinkia

Spice and all that's nice

Kerala's Green Army

The ‘jugaad’ not-a-mobile

Health as someone else's wealth

Calibrating in a Kudumbashree assembly unit