South Kashmir man wins hearts ,perfectionist carves birds on shawls

Sameer Ahmad

Anantnag:

Mohd Ayoub Lone,42, an artisan cum designer from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district  creates handicrafts to form lovely patterns in flowers and birds on the finest of shawls as his livelihood. He has a wife and a daughter who support him in his work, besides two other children.

Approximately 25 years ago, lone moved to Khanabal Anantnag to learn handicrafts from Abdul Aziz Dar, who hails from khanabal area and was well known in this profession during that period. In the beginning of his employment, he was paid Rs. 55 per foot by a master artisan.

He was able to get in touch with some of the handicraft sector’s sellers during his work with the master artisan. The entrepreneur must be fast-thinking and risk-taking, and Mohd Ayoub had both, which allowed him to design unique things for sellers on shawls.

Once he passed his 6th grade, he started painting and mostly making birds. Mohd Ayoub hails from south kashmir’s seer Hamadan area of Anantnag district.

Kashmiri handicrafts are renowned around the world for their uniqueness. Kashmir is known for its handwoven carpets, shawls, stitchwork, and embroidery.

Mohd Ayoub, an untaught man, never expected that he would break the record for carving birds on shawls, at least 100 people in Anantnag district have learned how to do it from Lone. Mohd Ayoub makes his living through his skill.

Having many successful handicraft designs under his belt, Ayoub is not only actively involved in introducing handicraft products to the market, he is also receiving offers from the people to make and design birds on shawls.

Mohd Ayoub Lone told Arising state that he believes in the beauty, empathy and balance that exists in our natural environment, the Almighty has painted and placed everything so perfectly in place that who better than a Kashmiri artisan can celebrate it, he explained.

Lone claims he didn’t receive any benefit from the administration or the department despite the fact that his products were exhibited.

Added that there should be a proper rate from the government, because they are getting low rates from contractors, he is currently taking Rs 85 per foot to design the shawl,said Lone.

Many art forms die and are forgotten, but I still stand by my profession and form delightful patterns, flowers, and birds on the finest of shawls.

Muhammad Ayub made the first bird on the shawl twenty years ago by looking at the wallpaper, and since then, he has created over ten thousand different flowers and birds on the shawl. Lone asserted that  even the officers of the concerned department  adulate his design and hand work.

A few years ago, Mohd Ayub made the largest Numda (carpet), which was about 900 feet long, and he was awarded in Srinagar for it also.

While talking to the Arising state AD Handicrafts Anantnag ,Muqabail Lateef praised Mohd Ayoub Lone for his marvellous art of designing various kinds of flowers and birds on hundreds of shawls. He added that he has also visited  his home last week and he has done a great job in the field of handicrafts profession. ‘The department  supports and encourages hardworking people and will continue doing so, stated Lateef.