In a modest dwelling of a few rooms, a young lad is adamant to assemble little pieces of waste material, worn out newspaper cuttings, used sheets or any paper that can be folded into small origami units to make different kind of crafts. He has introduced a new farm of art in Kashmir, origami.
As the light falls on the floor, it illuminates things carefully lined up and the white colored things vibrate the place, a colored Kangri, Shikara, swan, chairs and a table are interwoven with different patterns and colors.
Mohsin Rashid, 18, from Ishbar Nishaast has made paper his best friend and has churned out a variety of things that fall in the category of origami: a rare form of art originated from Japan.
He had an inclination towards art since childhood; he would paint, and cut cardboard into peculiar shapes and forms and this lead to his experiments with paper as well.
“My fingers would always go either for a paint brush or a pair of scissors, I loved the way things changed their identity with a little touch here and there. My curiosity kept me fiddling with everything, be it clay, colours, cardboard and now paper,” says Mohsin.
In the year 2014, Mohsin employed a different kind of art form-Origami – to make things out of paper which is widely used in countries like Japan, where it is an art that is taught and competitions are held for the same.
“I learnt to make the basic units or origami from internet and started to make little things out of it. First I made a white swan that I gifted to my teacher. Since then it has been working well for me, I have made a lot of things and now I am confident enough to make anything out of paper. I added a little Kashmiri touch to the things and eventually came up with a Shikara, and Kangri. Now I am working on a Samawaar,” he said while arranging the pieces in a queue.
Initially the response wasn’t that impressive but he continued to design new things whenever he got some time. He has been pursuing it as a hobby for more than six years now. However, he started to grab the attention of people here since he used the origami techniques to make the traditional Kashmiri things, like Kangri, shikara etc.
Mohsin now runs a page on Facebook by the name of ‘Paper Art of Kashmir by Mohsin Rashid ‘that showcases his work which is fetching him recognition and people are coming to know about this kind of art form.
“I recently exhibited my work at a book fair in Jammu and secured second position. The fact that the judges there couldn’t judge it, says a lot about our understanding of art here in the State,” Mohsin heaves a sigh while answering.
His aim is to introduce this craft in schools and teach it to children so that they are able to express themselves and enjoy at the same time
“I want it to be introduced in schools so that children learn to do something different by using simple and cheap material,” Mohsin aspires.
With the help of his sister and a friend, Mohsin aims to widen his reach and increase the production. Nusrat Rashid (19) and Aadil (18) both spend their time in cutting little pieces of paper in accurate shapes and sizes to be used in the structures later on.
“I want to establish a little unit and employ young boys and girls so that these things are made available in the local markets here,” aims Mohsin.
A square shaped plain piece of paper is folded into a special triangle which forms the fundamental unit of these structures, making this small piece of triangle takes a lot of time and each finished product has sometimes thousands of these units glued up together to give a definite shape to it.
“Attaching these triangular units is not a difficult job but making them is. You have to take care of exact size, colour and form so that they can make a perfect bond together, if there is any lacunae the whole structure will crumble, it takes accuracy and precision to make a perfect piece,” said Nusrat, who spends a lot of time on cutting and crafting of these basic origami units.
The team of these three people has made some innovative things and has been able to sell them too. Setting a price for their products was not easy for them, as they believe that art cannot be weighed in terms of money.
“Honestly speaking I never did this for money, I don’t know how to label a certain price for these pieces. People who want to buy value my work and that is more than enough for me. I sold a Kangri for an unbelievable price, Rs12,000 and a Shikara for Rs 2,500, but that was just what they gave me I didn’t ask or bargain for that rate. If I work continuously akangri takes three days to complete, what price we can set on that, I have no idea,” he says.
The trio wants to make origami art a household product that everyone can cherish and afford.
“It is very cheap in comparison to other crafts of Kashmir and I want everyone to buy them. I am aiming to establish a center to teach this craft so that production is increased and a market is created for the same. If we look at it through the perspective of tourism it has an immense scope,” Aadil added.
London based Guardian newspaper in 2016 declared origami as an emerging craft and said the art form is witnessing huge surge and market as an alternative art for people who want a break from technology.
Paper is readily available and cheap too; people can decorate their home, parties and offices with these eco-friendly things created mostly from waste paper.
“I am planning to make things that can be used for weddings, ceremonies that are beautiful and cheap at the same time,” Aadil says.
Besides spending some time on crafting, Mohsin is a part time agent and a State level athlete as well, “I work as a part-time travel agent and also play for the national Kabadi team of the State”.
He believes that nature prompts him to work and a place like Kashmir is full of beautiful things that can turn anyone into an artist.
“For me art is an expression and nature around me has been a driving force to express it through my work. Everything is beautiful here you just have to have an eye for it. That is the main reason why all my work is based on the theme of Kashmir,” says Mohsin.
He plans to go for exhibition in future so that an understanding is generated towards this craft.
“Exhibitions, media coverage can help me in bringing this form of art to life here in Kashmir. I want people to know about it,” aims Mohsin.
REFERENCE:
Mar 13 2017.Paper crafts: Kashmiri boy forays in Japanese origami art.Greater Kashmir.retrieved from
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/op-ed/paper-crafts-kashmiri-boy-forays-in-japanese-origami-art/243564.html
