Falak Bilal
Srinagar, Aug 18: What is discarded from Dal Lake as waste is being given a second life in the hands of a Srinagar artisan.
In Nowshera Zoonimar, artisan Simran is experimenting with aquatic weeds and grasses removed from Dal Lake, using the dried plant material as part of a new composite for making paper mâché products.
The idea emerged after years of working with Sakhtsazi, the traditional process of preparing and shaping the base of a paper mâché article.
After spending nearly five years learning and practising the craft, Simran decided to experiment with an alternative raw material.
“I wanted to see if something that was being thrown away could be turned into something useful,” she said.
The experiment, however, was anything but easy. For nearly two years, Simran tested different combinations of dried lake vegetation, recycled paper pulp and binding agents. Several attempts failed before she was able to develop a material strong enough to be shaped into a finished product.
Her first successful creation was a flower vase. The finished piece has a stone-like appearance, but part of its foundation is made from processed aquatic vegetation collected after it was removed from Dal Lake.
“I kept trying even when the results were not coming out the way I wanted,” Simran said. “The first successful piece gave me the confidence to continue.”
Aquatic weeds are routinely removed from water bodies to maintain their condition and improve their appearance. Simran saw an opportunity in the material that would otherwise be discarded.
She dries the collected vegetation before pulverising it into a fibrous powder. The powder is then combined with recycled paper pulp and a binding agent to produce a mouldable composite.
The process has opened a new direction for her work while retaining the basic spirit of Kashmiri paper mâché.
“I am not trying to leave the traditional craft behind. I am trying to find another way of working with it,” she said.
Her experiment also reflects a growing interest in using locally available and recycled materials in traditional crafts.
Simran’s journey has not been limited to experimenting with materials. She entered a craft field where she encountered scepticism from some experienced artisans who questioned whether she could succeed in a space traditionally regarded as male-dominated.
“I was told in different ways that this work was not easy for a woman,” she recalled. “But I decided that I would learn it properly and prove myself through my work.”
Years of practice eventually helped her establish confidence in the craft. Her husband, she said, has also supported her throughout the process, particularly during the long period of experimentation.
Today, Simran is taking the initiative a step further by offering free training to women interested in learning paper mâché.
For her, the objective is not only to promote an alternative material but also to make traditional craftsmanship accessible to women who want to acquire new skills.
“If I have learnt something through struggle, I want other women to have an easier opportunity to learn it,” she said.
The training, she hopes, can help women develop craft skills that may eventually translate into independent work and income.
Simran’s work remains an evolving experiment, but its significance extends beyond a single flower vase.
It raises a simple question, can traditional crafts become part of the solution to modern environmental problems?
In her workshop, material once removed from Dal Lake as unwanted vegetation is being dried, processed and transformed into an object meant to last.
The transformation is modest, but the idea is striking. For Simran, the future of Kashmiri craftsmanship may not lie in choosing between tradition and innovation.
It may lie in bringing the two together. “Tradition should not stop us from experimenting,” she said. “If we can protect the craft and at the same time make use of waste, that is something worth pursuing.” And so, from the weeds of Dal Lake to the walls of a Srinagar workshop, an unlikely material is beginning a new journey—from waste to craft.
