The Fading Echo of the Yendir: A Socio-Economic Manifesto for the Resurrection of Kashmir’s Artisan Heritage

Credit By: ABRAR KHAN

• Comments 0
• 16 Apr 2026

The stilled hands of the Kashmiri artisan are not asking for charity they are asking for the dignity and equity promised by the very craft that built this Valley

The 600 year old spiritual and economic legacy of Kashmir bequeathed to the Valley by the patron saint Hazrat Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani (RA) is currently facing a terminal crisis. Hazrat Hamadani (RA) did not merely bring a faith he introduced a sustainable civilization of crafts most notably the Pashmina which has served as the bedrock of the Kashmiri economy for centuries.

This manifesto is the result of extensive research where data on international scales and trade metrics has been meticulously collected through a wide range of analytical tools and international economic skills. By benchmarking local production against global luxury market standards this research reveals that our sacred tradition is being rotted from within by systemic apathy predatory middleman practices and a wage structure that has remained paralyzed for three decades.

​The data paints a harrowing picture of human exploitation where across nearly every stage of production labor costs have remained stagnant despite skyrocketing inflation that has seen market prices of essential goods jump ten to twenty fold. Perhaps the most damning evidence is found in the spinning sector where for 30 years spinners the majority of whom are women were paid a stagnant one rupee per knot.

Recently after nearly three decades this was revised by a humiliating 50 paisa bringing the rate to just 1.5 rupees. Similarly the weaver who is the architect of the fabric is paid a mere 600 to 800 rupees per shawl for work that takes 10 to 15 days to complete essentially earning less than 60 rupees per day. This exploitation extends to embroidery craftsmen who work for months on end for a nominal share while middlemen profit off the blood and sweat of those who built the prestige of these crafts.

​Adding to this threat is the unchecked proliferation of machine made Pashmina which continues despite a clear ban by the Honorable Supreme Court. Power looms churn out imitation products under the very nose of the administration crashing the value of genuine handmade artifacts and stealing the livelihoods of those who refuse to compromise on purity.

While Pashmina remains a global luxury item famously adorned by Presidents Prime Ministers and political heads of different countries and States as well as icons like Amitabh Bachchan the benefits never trickle down. There is a heartbreaking disconnect where a shawl valued in lakhs at the highest diplomatic levels leaves its creator struggling to afford a single square meal.

​While the individual artisan suffers the trade remains a titan of the economy with Kani and Sozni shawls alone contributing over 300 crore rupees to international exports in the last fiscal year. This figure represents only a fraction of the total economic impact because the demand across the local Indian market is estimated to be double the export value creating a massive domestic and international trade loop worth hundreds of crores annually.

However while the state celebrates these milestones only peanuts reach the 1.5 lakh people involved in the trade. Despite the abrogation of Article 370 and the implementation of Central laws, the Minimum Wages Act remains a distant dream for this sector. The struggle is further compounded by high stall rates at exhibitions and the failure of government MoUs with digital platforms while the imposition of 5 percent GST is like handcuffing the very hands of these artisans who are already facing a severe survival crisis effectively encoffining a community already teetering on the edge.

​To reverse this decline we propose a radical restructuring centered on Direct Artisan Buyer Engagement and Institutional Support. Agencies like the J&K Arts Emporium and similar government bodies must immediately fix a mandatory Minimum Support Price (MSP) for purchasing goods directly from these artisans. This ensures that the primary benefits of the craft flow to the creators rather than being extracted by middlemen.

Furthermore a dedicated and substantial financial corpus must be established to ensure this tripling effect for the trade actually reaches the 1.5 lakh people whose survival depends on it. Marketing agencies like the JK KVIB and JKTPO must actively facilitate specialized B2B and B2C exposure meetings and large scale Artisans Fairs held within Kashmir designed with the artisan as the primary participant creating a direct bridge to national and international buyers.

​The government should also implement a First Priority Policy for weavers in all official programs where traditional crafts are the primary choice for official gifts for visiting dignitaries. We also demand the enforcement of Central Minimum Wage laws the establishment of District Raw Material Banks and the development of dedicated district partition houses to streamline localized production. We further advocate for District R&D Centers to patent designs in the name of artisan clusters. Crucially there must be an immediate review of the 5 percent GST burden to provide the necessary breathing room for the sector to thrive.

​Without these interventions we face a grave existence crisis because the younger generation is not ready to take up this ancestral trade due to the current low wages and lack of dignity. We must collectively recognize that this is a tradition built through centuries of hard work. We recommend the formation of Artisan Corporations to ensure a profit sharing system where a significant percentage of every sale is passed back to the hands that labored.

The stilled hands of the Kashmiri artisan are not asking for charity they are asking for the dignity and equity promised by the very craft that built this Valley. If we fail to act the clack of the loom and the hum of the Yendir will soon be a silent memory and a 600 year old gift to humanity will be lost forever.

(The Author is  Chairman, Jammu Kashmir Economic Research and Development Forum, JK ERDF And Chairman, Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation, KTMF)