Kashmiri Women Are Fighting to Keep the Centuries-Old Tradition of Papier-Mâché Art Alive

Papier-Mâché’s Long History In Kashmir

While papier-mâché is a French phrase (translating literally to “chewed paper”), the craft in Kashmir is traditionally dated to the 15th century, when historians argue it was introduced from Persia during the reign of Kashimiri king, Sultan Zainul Abidin. 

Some historians however suggest it was actually introduced some 50 years earlier by Persian Sufi saint Mir Syed Ali Hamadani, who arrived in Kashmir in 1372, along with hundreds of his disciples and companions. Hamadani is credited with organizing the Muslim community in Kashmir and bringing along artisans who taught papier-mâché to residents of the valley.

Most practitioners, like Jan’s grandfather, learned the art from the previous generation, who can trace their roots all the way to Hamadani’s disciples. 

Jan, however, only began practicing seriously at 19, due, in part, to Kashmir’s fraught political situation. In the 1980s, a violent uprising against Indian rule led to a prolonged and bloody conflict pitting Kashmiri separatists against the Indian Army; thousands of Kashmiris were killed, injured, or disappeared between 1989 and the early 2000s, according to human rights groups. The conflict forced thousands of Kashimiris inside their homes as the government enforced curfews, while separatist groups often called for days-long shutdowns in protest of alleged rights abuses by the army.

Though Jan had been focused on her studies due the insistence of her father, a government officer, she found herself newly ignited by her childhood passion once stuck inside by the curfews. By her twenties, Jan had become a master artist, capable of producing intricate scenes like the Mughal Empires courts or Kashmir’s diverse variety of animals and plants. 

“This work not only earns me livelihood and respect, it is also a major source of my spiritual health,” Jan told ARTnews. “This place where I work is like a shrine for me and the work that I do is sort of a prayer.”

Jan’s husband, Maqbool Jan, is also a master papier-mâché artist, having won numerous national and international awards, including the UNESCO Seal of Excellence Award in 2008. 

Far more typical however is Haleema, a 55-year-old woman from the Budgam district in central Kashmir. Haleema first began working in papier-mâché in her father’s factory at the age of 9. She recalls drawing a flower on a papier-mâché ball and quickly becoming a pro. For Haleema, practicing the art is a duty.

“It is not something that I do for a living, but it is something that I do as payback. I don’t want this art to die.” Haleema told ARTnews, as she explained the emotional connection she has with the art.

A staunchly religious woman, Haleema was diagnosed with stage-3 stomach cancer in 2014. She said she found that the art gave her courage as she battled for her health.

“Couple of months after my cancer recovery, I started spending time on art again. But this time my focus was on mostly Islamic art,” she said. Haleema said that she primarily engraves Quranic verses and other holy names on her paper mache work now.

Papier-mâché Faces A Perfect Storm 

Despite the best efforts of dedicated artists like Masrat Jan, Haleema, and Maqbool Jan – who himself has trained over 50 practitioners –  papier-mâché faces numerous challenges to its survival in Kashmir. 

“This art is dying. Earlier almost everyone in downtown Srinagar was associated with it, but today no one wants to do it,” Maqbool Jan told ARTnews.

The Jans, like many, blame Kashmir’s government both for its action and its inaction. The couple said the measures taken by the government so far to preserve and promote the craft are nominal and insignificant.

“We build everything from papier-mâché, but our children are not willing to do it, Masrat Jan said. “Despite us being successful, our children are not interested, because the government was not giving due support to the artisan.”

Meanwhile, India’s abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s semi-autonomy in 2019 led to restrictions on movement and communication. Shortly after, the coronavirus pandemic forced an even more extensive shutdown. Both contributed to economic losses worth over $5 billion in 2019 and 2020, according to the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce — a not insubstantial portion of which was papier-mâché. 

Parvez Naqash, a papier-mâché exporter in Kashmir, told ARTnews that he saw losses of about 70 percent of his business since 2019. Naqash has had to lay off over half of his staff and finding capable artisans has become increasingly difficult.

“The business is badly hit, the artisans are paid very little,” Naqash said. “The government is not doing much, which has led to artisans looking for other means to make a living.”

Further complicating the survival of papier-mâché in Kashmir is the low wages for what is often tedious and tiresome work. 

“We earn around [$35] a month, while bending our backs, if not for our poverty we would not do it,” Mehbooba, a 41-year-old artisan, told ARTnews, surrounded by her coworkers who are also her neighbors. 

Mehbooba is one of the few women left in Srinagar practiced in the troublesome first stage of the paper mache process, when artisans must smooth the mashed paper so artists can draw on them. 

One of Mehbooba’s neighbors (and co-workers), 27-year-old Nazia told ARTnews that she only continues to do paper mache to feed her family.

“All of us have developed backaches and neck aches, but we are very poor. The government should look into our issues for the art to survive,” she said, adding that she and the other woman not only do paper mache but also their daily chores.

“We are in the 21st century, yet we are earning what we would earn in the 20th century. How are we going to run our houses?” she said.

The art has physical costs as well. 

According to an academic study by Indian researchers analyzing ten paper mache units in Kashmir in 2011, the majority of the artists suffer from health problems like eye irritation, musculoskeletal problems, allergies, respiratory problems, and general weakness. 

The situation has made it increasingly difficult for Hakeem Shafiq, a 57-year-old paper mache seller, to get his paper mache products ready for the artisans to work on.

“There are very few left and all of them are busy,” he told ARTnews.

It has made women like Mehbooba and Nazia that much more valuable, said Naqash, the exporter.

“If not for these women, paper mache would have been extinct, they are struggling and yet working. They are doing a favor to us and to the culture of our region.” he said.

But despite all the difficulties, there are still young Kashmiri entering the art. 25-year-old Gulshan Fatima has been instrumental in imparting the art to the marginalized in her area of Mir Behri, one of the most poverty stricken areas in Srinagar and often referred to as  the ‘slum of Kashmir’.

Fatima, who learned the art during a program at the University of Kashmir, supports her parents and sibling on her own.

“This job is my identification, and it gives me a lot of respect. If anyone knows me today it is because of this art. I feel proud that I am doing it.” she said with a smile on her face.

Fatima has become a go-to artist for many exporters in Kashmir —  an achievement in what is traditionally a male-dominated art. 

“To be very honest, Fatima is our inspiration. She is very strong and someone who never complains. Not only does she work on the paper mache items,” Bisma, a 24-year-old papier-mâché artist who learned the art from Fatima, told ARTnews.   

Editor’s Note: Haleema’s has been changed because she asked to not be identified.