Voice on Canvas

Last year, over 25,000 goats in the Indian Himalayas starved to death because their fodder was buried under three feet of snow. A crusader for pashmina goats, Jammu and Kashmir-based activist Afzal hoped his exhibition “The Grandeur of Pashmina Goat” would tell the story of the shepherds, the communities and their families, who are financially dependent on the rearing of this goat. The exhibition concluded on Monday at the India Habitat Centre.

Afzal had used acrylic, fabric and poster colours on goats’ hides and pashmina wool. A painting showed a pashmina goat beside a peacock and the silhouette of the Taj Mahal beneath, reaffirming how he views the pashmina goat as a national symbol. The paintings on goats’ hides broke free from symmetry and framed canvases with their vibrant colours and motifs.

He estimates that over 95 per cent of pashmina wool available today is fake. “My organisation Kashmir Ink conducts tests to identify the purity of the wool,” he says, “There is a misconception that goats are hurt in the process of procuring the wool, which is not the case. Also, I obtain my material directly from shepherds thereby reducing chances of impurity and other foul play.” He is working with the industry stakeholders to launch a pashmina testing service, where anybody can get his/her pashmina shawls and stoles tested for purity and authenticity. “Art sensitises and forces people to feel things rather than stand by apathetically. By doing this exhibition, I’m giving a voice to the voiceless,” says Afzal.

(The reporter is an EXIMS student)