Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Feb 5: The well-known Kashmiri Meenakari work is taking its last breath and it is on the verge of extinction with the last surviving artists finding it difficult to manage the family affairs.
Nazir Ahmad Pahalwan (72), son of Ghulam Nabi Pahalwan of Teergaripora, Rajouri Kadal, Srinagar, a last surviving artist of Meenakari said that he has been associated with this work since 1968.
Nazir has learnt this art from his father and continues to do Meenakari work whenever he gets any order.
Narrating the difficult situation, Nazir said Meenakari work has gone very down and he hardly gets any order, which makes his struggle to earn a livelihood difficult.
“There were few Meenakari artisans but due to no demand in the market, they switched to some other job,” he said. “My own son is working as a fitter as he refused to take the legacy forward due to the low market.”
He said that nobody at present is ready to learn this art, adding that demand is on decline for the last 15 years.
Meenakari work is being done on gold and copper items by writing different names and other things.
Despite ailing health and bad financial conditions, Pahalwan has kept the dying art of Meenakari alive for the last 50 years. He continues to do ‘Meenakari’ from the dilapidated workplace in the premises of his residence at Rajouri Kadal whenever he gets any orders.
“Old Kashmir ‘Meenakari’ pieces are treasured by collectors and museums. Nowadays, we only come to see old Kashmir Meenakari pieces in museums and art books. Kashmir was once a renowned center for meenakari on silver, gold, and brass. The process of meenakari involves the use of special micro tools and needs a lot of patience,” he said.
He said the government can make efforts by attracting youth in this work so that the legacy is preserved and the dying art will be kept alive for the future generations.
