Author: Mohsin Mushtaq
Crafting Warmth for children
Abdul Rehman Mattoo is a 75-year-old blanket craftsman who has devoted his six decades to crafting blankets. Today despite his declining health and modest sales, Abdul Rehman persists in continuing his ancestral work at his workshop in Chattabal, Srinagar.
Photos that reveal Kashmir’s hidden wildlife treasures
Ghulam Ahmad Bhat, a forest guard who joined the wildlife department reluctantly, is now a passionate photographer who wants to make people interested in the rich natural fauna of the region.
Kashmiri Muslims light up Hindu homes for Diwali
In Kashmir, septuagenarian Abdul Salam Kumar crafts diyas (clay lamps) for Diwali. Despite his age, he diligently fulfils a 20,000 diya contract beneath Zabarwan peaks near Dal Lake.
What a ‘grape’ village!
Over 600 years ago, Sufi saint Sheikh Noor-Ud-Din Wali praised Repora in Kashmir's Ganderbal district as 'Dachi Repora, Nazar chay cxopoor,' which means, "Repora grapes, your gaze extends everywhere." Today, Repora's vineyards are renowned for top-quality organic grapes, rivalling Italy.
Mandala art and Kashmir’s shikara sorceress
Mahira Shah, a 21-year-old artist from Kashmir, has overcome several challenges to pursue her passion, finally winning laurels for creating ‘world's smallest mandala shikara’.
Peep into the Eid celebrations of Kashmir’s Gujjar tribe
"Eid aaye rase rase, eid-gah waes waey (Steadily, steadily Eid has arrived, let’s go to eidgah)..." As the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end, Kashmir’s Gujjar tribe gathers to celebrate three days of Eid in the most colourful way.