Reviving Tradition: How Prince Wood Works from Srinagar Carves the Future of Walnut Wood Craft

Meet @idrees, The person running the Prince Wood Works

Discovery:

Located at the heart of the city near Rainawari, lies a place where the artists with their chisels and impeccable cuts give life to the walnut wood.

Meticulously crafted chinar leaves and floral designs turn a lifeless log into a poetic masterpiece. 

“This has to be world-class!!” I thought to myself. The chinar leaves and grape vines engraved onto the boards appear like they are about to move, if at all a mild breeze happens to touch them.

While I was talking to Mr. Idrees (the owner of the place), my eye caught the site of an artist busy giving the final touch to a piece involving Arabic calligraphy. Even drawing those lines on paper with a pen may give a headache to an expert calligrapher. Mr. Habibbulah (the artisan) was doing it like he had trained since childhood for this one job.

History:

The legend is that this type of craft was introduced to Kashmir by a king known by the name of Zainulabidin  aka Budshah in around 15th century AD. He invited artisans from Samarkand (Uzbekistan) and Persia (Current day Iran) and that is how this art took shape in Kashmir.

Greeted with Kehwa, I sat with Mr. Idrees to discuss the history of walnut wood carving and how Prince Wood Works is contributing to the same.

Mr. Idrees’s Father started this place in around late 1950’s. Prince Wood Works has customers all over the globe. From Germany to China and from Britain to the US, Prince Wood Works supplies their masterpieces to the art lovers who adorn their homes and offices with this unique art form from Kashmir. Mr. Idrees believes that quality comes first and it is something they cannot compromise with.

The place has some of the best artisans from Srinagar who have been involved with this art form since their youth.

We further talked about the patterns and design philosophies that Prince Wood Works has adopted from time to time. 

Every art piece from Kashmir can be seen carrying some of the common patterns like Boteh (also called Paisley, in Srinagar they call it almond or Badam)

Some of the other patterns can be Grape Vines, Chinar Leaves, etc.

The pieces from Prince Wood Works are rich in these patterns and in addition can be seen carrying some of the unique patterns too.

The furniture design is totally inhouse but from time to time , the artists in Price Wood Works have taken inspiration from Colonial designs like Chip & Dale, Queen Anna, or French Furniture designs etc.

Mr. Idrees still reminisces the old days and the time when some of the great artists used to work with him but are no more in this world.

“The artists are like our family, we treat them with respect and love” Mr. Idrees told me.

Every artist involved with wood carving in Srinagar is special. Not justbecause they are highly skilled but also because their number is declining day by day.

Walnut Wood Carving requires skill, patience, attention to detail, and caliber. You may not learn it in few months but may take years or even decades to master.

Mr. Idrees believes that the current generation of youth demands immediate results and hence does not prefer to take this as a profession. This is one of the reasons why this art form may soon get extinct if necessary steps are not taken to preserve and sustain it.

Prince Wood Works have their showrooms in Rainawari and Parrypora. The variety of items is vast. You may find interior decor items costing a few thousand and also some furniture items costing lakhs.

While I was there I wished I could buy everything from them.

If you happen to visit Kashmir, checking this place out is a must to know something about an art form that truly represents Kashmir and Kashmiriyat.

You may check out their catalogue on this Instagram page

Love & Regards.