Tilla Artisans Recreate Craft, Go in Demand

Srinagar: In spite the high pace inclusion of western fashion that has wrecked the conservative traditions and cultures of each society, however Tilla embroidery is still reverberating with its full vigor in the culture of Kashmir.

To come up with the attractive and appealing embroidery designs from every dawn to dusk the Tilla artisans of Kashmir expense their every effort over the velvet and other woolen cum pashmina attires.

Needles are used to embellish the ethnic wear after the golden and silver delicate threads are tied over the fabric to produce winsome designs. Mostly this artwork is done over the half neck, cuffs and baseline of women cloaks (a Kashmiri robe). Moreover cloaks, in Kashmir Tilla embroidered shawls and ladies suits are in great demand.

“It is not new in Kashmir to get cloaks and other suits designed with Tilla embroidery but has its own history of adoption”, narrated Shagufta Gulzar, a University student. 

Shagufta added, earlier the said embroidery was limited to bridal cloaks only and was common with old women folk but at the moment ladies from all ages love to wear Tilla embellished garments. 

 Kashmir houses the enormous embroideries diverging from cloth type to makeup designs and Tilla stitching is common among them.

To get engaged with the job of Tilla embroidery younger generation is found much enthusiastic to get expertise in this skill by learning it from local artisans and Government Training Centers as well. 

Roomy Jaan (25), who is currently learning this skill from Tilla Training Centre Suthsoo Kalan, choosed this art work as the career of her life after finding it quite fit for women. This is one among the jobs were there is no touch with males as this embroidery is solely done for ladies attires only, added Roomy.

Nisar Ahmad (40), a Tilla artisan, said that he learnt this sacred job of Tilla embroidery from his father as it is their ancestral profession. He said Tilla embroidery is one among the noble professions where artisans can make satisfactory earnings. Expressing his satisfaction he said “I earn monthly 8000- 10000 rupees in an average and I am satisfied on my earnings.”

 Nisar believes that there are ample job opportunities in Kashmiri handicrafts and Tilla work is one among them. This work is still highly demandable as it was decades before. The newly designs not only attract domestic customers but is extremely demanded by worldwide customers as well.

Due to new look of Pherans and various other attires given by the designers here with the use of Tilla embroidery Pheran is not only now worn in homes but also in schools, colleges and offices as well, said Seerat, a college student. She added “As a student and as Kashmiri I think Tilla embroidery has a good future as wearing Pheran is common in Kashmir and every one prefers to have designed one.” The availability various attires with eye catching designs people from outside here also demand for Tilla embroidered garments, added Seerat.

“We embellish shawls and other suits with varied and newly hand designed Tilla work and export to Dubai where customers are very fond of these Kashmiri Handicraft items. This doesn’t only let us to have satisfied earnings but also helps to promote the Kashmiri art through the world,” added Nisar.

Artisans consider that the inclusion of Machine designed Tilla ruined this art work to a very extent. The Machine designed Tilla is produced on very least cost cum efforts and is time efficient but is not such attractive as the Hand designed embroider is, said another Tilla artisan, Shahid Manzoor.   He added there are enough opportunities in this sector where people from all hues can engage themselves to generate their own employment and can also promote the Kashmiri culture through this art. 

Despite the presence of western fashions there is not any severe effect on Tilla embroidery as of its highly demanded stylish designs. “Why we need to shift from our local culture to western if local culture provides us plentiful styles of our own than western one,” shared a group of college going girls. They said nowadays Tilla work is presented in highly garnished designs attracting the customers throughout the world.

Government has opened different Training centres to engage newer generations with this art. Women from all ages are professionalized in these centers in a one year course of Tilla designing. They are trained to embellish various attires like Pherans, shawls, and other ladies suits with hand designed Tilla that aims to promote and preserve this artwork.

Parveena Akhter, an instructor at Tilla Training Centre Suthsoo Kalan said that, at least 25 females are enrolled for each session of one year in every centre without having any educational qualifications. She added Government is providing various schemes for those women who are certified from these centres in order to assist them for setting up their own ventures of Tilla embroidery.

Opening training centers is not enough to preserve this art but to facilitate its artisans is the need of an hour, expressed a group of artisans. They said it takes them atleast 40-45 days to design one Pheran completely by hand which costs 10000-12000 Rupees that often is hard to manage. For the survival of its artisans government must financially assist them so that they can buy the raw material of their own and design with endurance, after designing then there must be opportunities to sell these attires into the various international markets, they added.