Ghulam Ahmad Dar: One of the last guardians of Kashmir’s fading Namda craft

Pulwama , Feb 13: Inside a dimly-lit workshop, Ghulam Ahmad Dar cards sheep wool preparing to make a Namda--the felted rug.

Dar is the last remaining Namda artisan in Monghama village, which was once home to over a dozen artisans, in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.

The deep folds on his face betray the story of this dying art.  "I am the only one in the village, struggling to scrape a living from this age-old craft", said 70-year-old Dar.

Dar remembers the good old days of craft when he would remain “buried in work.”

"I had dozens of artisans working with me", said Dar, while working on wool carding.

Namdas are crafted from sheep wool involving a felting technique instead of the traditional process of weaving.

Over the last two decades, Namdas have nearly vanished from the drawing rooms of people across Kashmir and were replaced by the machine made carpets.

"People in few rural areas still use Namdas while a few urban families buy them for decorative purposes", said Dar.

The shortage of raw material including pure wool, lack of skilled artisans,  and the arrival of modern furnishing have led to the declining demand for Namdas.

According to Dar, it has become way difficult to procure pure wool for Namdas.

"Additionally, the new generation is hardly interested in Namda art as they do not find the craft lucrative", he added.

The export of Namdas saw a complete decline from 1998 to 2008.

In an attempt to revive the heritage  craft, the government under a Skill India’s Pilot Project as part of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), imparted training to 2200 candidates from six districts--Srinagar, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Budgam, and Anantnag-- in Namda craft.

In 2023, when the first lot of Namdas were exported to the UK, Prime Minister Narendra Modi showered praise on the artisans.

He termed it a great news for Kashmir's cultural heritage.  "The Namda art could be revived, if the government takes it seriously", said an artisan from neighbouring Budgam district.