Rebirth of Khatamband

Kashmir’s art of ceiling making has survived decades of modernisation to make a comeback. It is now the most preferred design of art connoisseurs for their dwellings, writes Swati Kapur

Khatamband is an art of making ceiling, by fitting small pieces of wood (preferably walnut or deodar wood) into each other in geometrical patterns. The process is not done through machines but is painstakingly hand crafted and that too without using any nails.

Processed wood is cut into panels and fixed onto the ceiling in floral and geometrical designs. The story of the origin of Khatamband in Kashmir is interesting.

It is believed that Khatamband was brought to Kashmir during the 14th Century by famous saint Shah-i-Hamdaan who visited the Himalayan valley along with many followers that also included Khatamband artists from Iran. These artisans passed on this art to local Kashmiris. Architect Bilal Sheikh says, “Khatamband got popular in Kashmir because of its beauty and quality of insulation. The Khatamband is entirely made of wood and it preserves warm internal temperatures during the bitter winters of Kashmir". Later, Mirza Hyder Douglat worked hard in spreading the art throughout Kashmir. A finished ceiling comes alive in unique geometrical patterns. With hardly any nails used, this ceiling can easily be dissembled and re-assembled at another place.

Khatamband used to be the domain of shrines, palaces, houseboats and royal houses, but now, every other person wants it for their house.

Status symbol

There are more than 160 designs for the Khatamband in Kashmir, but today’s artists can only reproduce about 100. Artists have, however, greatly compensated the lost designs with newer ones, where they experiment with mirror, colour combination and other things and there is no limit to their creativeness.

It’s an expensive art form and therefore not many people invested in it for a long time. In fact, the mid-nineties saw the art gradually fading away owing to its expensive proposition.

Its traditional customers had been houseboat manufacturers, but that was a long time back – for the last decade, no new houseboat has been made!

To overcome this, local artists who had preserved the art for centuries decided to share it with their disciples. This way they could cut down on the prices as labour was now available in plenty and since people’s standards of living had gone up, Khatamband could once again be introduced as a fine living and decor statement. Once again Khatamband became a sort of status symbol in Kashmiri society.

Also. its insulation from cold added to its value. The use of electric motors and electric saw has also reduced the time consumption, besides providing compact flawless geometrical shape.

Foreign demand

Export is the artists’ biggest hope and that’s what they relied on. There are many Kashmiri artisans, who work for about three months outside in different states of India, fitting various houses, hotels and other malls using their creative genius. As per the current trend, visiting tourists instantly fall in love with the ceiling and irrespective of the price, order one for their home too.

Kashmiri expats too like to have it in their home as a sentimental reminder of their roots. With tourists from USA, Australia and European countries ordering Khatambad ceiling, it is definitely making for some positive drawing room conversation.

Mohammad Ismail Najar of Cherari Nambal, Safakadal, J&K, a frail old man says that the art has been passed on to him and his three sons are carrying it forward. But life isn’t easy. Once, Ismail got a time-bound order worth Rs 80,000 with an advance payment of just Rs 10,000. He availed an advance from a bank and somehow completed the order on time.

Some corporates have now started to endorse the art. J&K Bank’s National Business Center at BKC, Mumbai, is adorned with various such art forms. Khatamband finds a special place in the interiors of this office space.

MS Wani, President and Visual Brand Custodian at J&K Bank, says, “The hands that decorated the abodes of the richest remained empty”.

Despite having such a great potential in the interiors industry, J&K’s finest handicraft of Khatamband faces challenges at various fronts. The biggest being the lack of requisite and timely finance. With prices of the required timber rising, the craftsmen receive only 10 per cent of the advances for the order they get, while the rest of the payments are made only after the completion of the work.

Discouraged by this, the coming generations, especially the poor ones, are losing interest in this ingenious craft. The children of the existing craftsmen are hesitant to adopt it as a profession. Considering this, the J&K Bank has devised specialised schemes to revive the dying art.

“To further increase its patronage, we made a small attempt by first adopting this art as one of the key elements in the interior designing of our business units and offices. We also make it a point to carry a part of this art wherever we go across the country and even beyond the borders,” he says.

Art forms were patronised by the royals and that’s how they were preserved. In modern times, with chic designs ruling the roost, it’s for those discerning art conscious people to endorse dying Indian art forms.