To promote ‘dying’ handicraft art, Kashmiri artist weaves Salman Khan portrait on carpet

Srinagar, Feb 22: In order to promote the dying handicraft art in Jammu and Kashmir, a Kashmiri artist has made a portrait of Bollywood actor Salman Khan on carpet.

Mohammad Hussian Bhat (50) a resident of Malik Angan Fateh Kadal Srinagar has worked for six months to make this carpet piece and gift it to Salman Khan so that he will talk about handicrafts for its promotion.

Hussian while talking with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that due to Covid-19, the handicraft sector in J&K has suffered huge losses in J&K and he was trying to promote it in a unique style.

“I got an idea to make a portrait of Salman Khan as he is a bodybuilder and very famous for helping the poor,” he said, adding that his aim behind it is just that somehow poor Kashmiri artisans will get support so that they can earn their livelihood.

“I worked for about six months continuously to make this piece of 2.5×2.5 ft and I want to give it to Salman Khan. I am hopeful that once it reaches him, he will definitely talk and support poor Kashmiri artisans,” he said.

He said that this art is dying day by day and hardly any youth is interested in handicrafts because people associated with it are hardly meeting their ends.

He said that since the last 4 decades he has been associated with this craft and earlier they were earning their livelihood very well but now we are hardly earning Rs 60 to 70 on weaving carpets on a daily basis. “Nobody wants to engage their children in this craft,” he said.

“I am hopeful that through the media, Salman Khan will come to know about it and he will contact us so that we can give him this piece,” Wani said