Srinagar: There was a time when no building in the valley was said to be complete unless it had the traditional Khanyaari or Rainawari tiles. Whether it was a religious place or a government building, these tiles were a quintessential element used for decoration. Unfortunately, the artisans of these famous tiles can hardly manage to make a living today. The growing advancements in technology, market expansion and availability of more options have taken a toll on this traditional business in Jammu and Kashmir.
Haji Ghulam Muhammad Kumar (76), a resident of the Khanyar area of Srinagar city, has been making pottery, tiles and other items for decades. He is not the first person in his family to be involved in this work, his family has been associated with this work for many generations.
"There was a time when all 60 houses in the area used to do this. But now only a few people do it. In addition to the historic buildings of the valley, we also decorated the houses of many politicians with these tiles. And today, we are living hand to mouth," he said.
Kumar claims that he put his grievances before all the rulers of the time but nothing changed for him. "From Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah to Mehbooba Mufti, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Haseeb Drabu, I went to everyone with my problems. They also gave their assurance but nothing happened," he said.
Kumar, who himself is matriculated, believes that "if the administration provides us with land and a few other facilities, we will be able to revive this art. There is not much profit in this work, only daily expenses can be met. We can't manage to make savings from this meager income and buy land to set-up the industry," he clarified.
Showing his work space, he said, "This is my workshop, see how much occupied it is. No space. Orders come even today but they are not fulfilled much because our problems are not being solved." He further added, "I had displayed my tiles in an exhibition once. And a man from Mumbai bought about 400 tiles at double the price. When I asked the reason, he said he's buying them for the Mumbai airport."
Kumar still teaches people his art and despite the adversities, he keeps the hope alive that his legacy will rise again and people will not have to run after government jobs.
