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Ghulam Nabi Zargar, 70, a walnut wood carving artisan, points at detail showing a Kashmiri Shikara (boat) on a walnut wood piece that he prepares at his workshop in downtown Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, 31 July 2024. Zargar has been working as a walnut wood carving artisan for 53 years and is reviving the almost dying craft in Srinagar by inculcating creative and new designs including carvingsof the map of Srinagar City or route maps to the Hindu pilgrimage site Amarnath Cave. Only a handful of walnut wood carving artisans continue to keep the art in Kashmir alive. The craft has been passed down to them through generations, however, their next generations are not taking up the craft due to the financial constraints. The skill and mastery of the master wood carving craftsmen of Kashmir can be seen in four main types of carvings - raised, engraved, undercut, and plain. Kashmiri craftsmen rejoice in carving intricate and varied designs including those bearing recurrent motifs of the rose, lotus, iris, bunches of grapes, pears, Chinar leaves, and dragon motifs. (Photo by Farooq Khan/EPA)
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