The Craft City

Cities are not just about bustling markets, crowded streets and roads filled with cars. What gives depth to a city is the culture that undergirds it. What makes a city strong is the ethos and culture that it has nurtured over centries. Srinagar is a city that has a deep culture and a robust ethos.

That is actually what makes it a more than just a smart city. It is heartening to know that Srinagar has been officially decalred as a World Craft City by the World Crafts Council. The honour depicts a recognition of the city's heritage and the extraordinary skills of its artisans.

But we need to underline a question on this occasion. What have we done to that heritage and where are those artisans? That highlights a very sad picture of degeneration. It also highlights an apathy of sorts at an individual level and at the collective level.

Though we have many peopel here in the city who have been consistently emphasising the need to preserve the heriatage. Though we have people who talk about prmoting crafts and artisans.

Though we have instituions that work in this direction. But all this put togeher doesn't seem to be anywhere close to acomplishing the task. What does that mean? One simple way of looking at it is to redouble our efforts and  make up for the deficit.

But that also might prove inadequate in the end. The task at hand is to re-envision the whole thing and look for the newer ways of retrieving the lost wealth. One of the ways to do so is to raise awareness, and develop conciousness at the level of schools and integrate such effort with career chances and business building.

Second, a culture of respecting the artisans in terms of enhancing their societal estimation and rewarding them in temrs of monetary benefits is something we call as non-negotiable. If these two things are done, the hope to recover the city called Srinagar in terms of its craft and culture is a live hope.