This papier mâché-on-cloth map of Srinagar took two years to make

Muhammad Maqbool Jan at his Srinagar home and studio. He has won the National Award four times, and the UNESCO Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts in 2007-08. (Photo: Irfan Amin Malik)

Muhammad Maqbool Jan, a papier mâché artist, has been working on a map of Srinagar as it used to be under the Dogra kings for over two years.

Putting the finishing touches on the 5 x 7 ft cloth piece, Jan, 57, says: “I am brushing up a map of my city to show how it looked during Dogra rule, and what we have done with our collective inheritance as a people. I want young people to see the breathtaking landscape that houses Shikara boats, the finest architecture, picturesque Chinar trees, handicrafts, the pristine Dal Lake, Wular Lake and Anchar Lake.”

Jan, a resident of Lal Bazar, Srinagar, is the recipient of four National Awards and one International award.

(Photo: Irfan Amin Malik)

Inside Jan’s home in Mughal Mohalla of Srinagar’s Lal Bazar, papier mâché work is a family affair.

In a small room, Jan paints the map on a white cloth in silence. In the same room, his wife Masrat Jan, a three-time award-winning artisan is doing papier-mâché work on different items. Jan’s brother Firdous Hussain Jan, 48, and sister-in-law Gowhar are also accommodated in the room to do the artwork. They learnt the artisanal skills from their ancestors.

A senior artisan, Jan has spent 4-5 hours daily on painting this map. “I expect it will motivate people and the government to save Srinagar city as well as artists. Tourism is only possible if we can save our city, ” Jan says.

He added that a “historic shawl” inspired him to create the map of Srinagar using papier mâché on cloth. “I saw a photo of a map of Srinagar on a shawl drawn by Sozni work—one of four artworks com­missioned by Maharaja Ranbir Singh for the Prince of Wales. I decided to create the same map by using my papier mâché skills,” he explained.

Through this map, Jan says, he hopes to tell the world how artisans become anguished when they see rising pollution devastating their cities. For example, how urbanisation has shrunk Dal Lake, how water bodies have been disappearing and how poor civic sense is destroying cultural and heritage sites.

Jan wants to see his map work displayed in the Indian Parliament, or a famous museum. “Displaying this map in Parliament will give a boost to artisans. The map will also tell the world about our glorious past, culture. Through this map, I am telling people about our lost heritage,” he says.

Jan was awarded the prestigious UNESCO Seal of Excellence for handicrafts in 2007-08. Every month, a large number of tourists visit his home to buy papier mâché items.

(Photo: Irfan Amin Malik)

Papier-mâché involves the use of brightly coloured paper pieces or pulp bound by an adhesive to make various decorative items. The art was introduced to India in the 14th century by Iranian Muslim saint Ameer Kabeer Mir Syed Ali Hamdani who came to Kashmir along with skilled artisans and craftsmen.

According to artisans, the Iranian method of making papier mâché melded with similar art forms from Central Asia led to the discovery of the method contemporary artisans like Jan use today.

Currently, two important parts to Kashmiri papier mâché—Sakhtsazi and Naqashi—exist. The first, Sakhtsazi, involves making the foundation of the papier mâché figurine or object with the paper pulp, while Naqashi is the final step of painting and decoration. Jan, who has been working as a papier-mâché artist for the past 40 years, says that the number of artisans in Kashmir is decreasing with each passing day. “Due to lack of government support and attention, the art and craft the old Srinagar city is famous for is slowly dying out. The remaining artists and craftsmen should be encouraged and supported,” he says.

There is no institution in Kashmir Valley where people are taught the art of papier mâché. Jan learnt the art from his ancestors soon after he lost his father at the age of 3, and is now training young people in it, to enable them to earn their livelihood. His two children, however, are studying and have no interest in continuing Jan's papier-mâché practice.

“Paper mâché has snatched the light of my eyes and sometimes I am not able to see properly," Jan says. He reiterated that only government support can keep the art alive.