Weaves from the valley

Working from Incredible Art,his office in Katraj,Hussain began selling their handiwork,heavily influenced by Persian art. “Today I work with 100 women,some of whom are widows and some whose husbands are missing. These women work in groups of three or four,making around 100 carpets per year,” he says. Through his contacts,he sells 10 to 20 carpets every two to three months. They fetch prices between Rs 15,000 and Rs 2 lakh. Amongst the most popular products he sells,are the ‘magic carpets’,as his customers call them. These carpets change colour as light moves over them. Hussain says that foreigners are generally more prepared to pay prices that reward the time,effort and attention put into the products,but he hopes others too will appreciate the handiwork. “If you can buy Italian furniture from Italy for your new house,why not buy a Kashmiri carpet from your own country,” he says.

While he visits Kashmir every few months,the 26-year-old is based in Pune. He first came to the city in 2001,during a school trip when he was in 8th standard. Two years later,he moved to the city to complete his education. At the age of 17,Hussain helped out on a statewide programme – approved by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed,the then chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir – that sent 100 orphans to be educated in Pune. “These kids never had the chance to study in an environment that was not a war-zone. Pune is an educational hub and compared to Kashmir,it’s much calmer,“ he says.

Although his own family are still living in Kashmir,Feroz isn’t planning on going back home. “Mom still worries about me. She had hoped that I’d take up a government job and be settled for life,” he says.