Minister for Finance and Culture, Dr Haseeb Drabu today visited the Kashmir Haat here for on-the-spot review of the facilities available to the local artisans at the traditional market.The Minister went around the stalls and also visited the Craft Museum. Interacting with the artisans, the Minister said that the traditional arts and crafts symbolize the treasured cultural heritage and splendid civilization of Jammu and Kashmir which need to be preserved and promoted in a big way.He called for innovation and better packaging of the local craft items to boost their marketability and ensure better returns.Dr Drau said Kashmiri handicrafts are known throughout the world for their artistic work and grandeur.
“The vast cultural and ethnic diversity of Kashmir has enabled a variety of motifs, techniques and crafts to flourish on this land, he said and added that Kashmiri handicrafts are in tune with its age-old splendid civilization, which has been perfected over centuries.“Be it Kashmiri carpets, shawls, paper machie or any other craft, it is only the Kashmiri artisan who can perfectly carve out the master pieces of Kashmiri art and craft,” he said.
The Minister announced that special traditional Kashmiri Food Stalls would be setup inside the Kashmir Haat at Iftaar during Ramadhan.The artisans highlighted various problems confronting the Kashmiri handicrafts including invasion of fakes and machine-made items. They sought the intervention of the Minister in preventing the traditional Kashmiri art from going into oblivion.District Development Commissioner Srinagar, Dr Farooq Ahmad Lone and officers from Handicrafts and other concerned Departments accompanied the Minister.