Life made me recognise something that was already there inside my heart and

the tragedies of life acted as a guiding lamp.

Birch bark leaves were used to write on in India as early as the second century AD, and over the course of at least a thousand years, calligraphy evolved into a beautiful art. The golden age of this art was between the sixth and sixteenth centuries, when traders, colonists, monks and missionaries, among others, searched for original ways to spread the “Indic Script” while throughout Asia.

While having roots in the scholar saint Sharif-ud-Din Bulbul of the fourteenth century, calligraphy in Kashmir really took off under Mughal rule (1527-1857). Young women and girls are now turning to calligraphy as a means of self-discovery or as a way to communicate their emotions about life and societal concerns, whether they be positive or bad.

Shafia Shafi 28-years-old Kashmiri girl, completed her Masters in 2019. She lives in Srinagar’s Lal Bazar. Her maternal home was also at Lal Bazar but they shifted to Kanitar

Her mother had a terrible accident a month after she was born, keeping Shafia away from her. She was cared for and lived with her maternal aunts throughout that time, for a significant portion of my existence.

She returned to her father’s house when she was in 8th standard. She was quite a lonely child since childhood stayed away from her parents at her maternal home.

Shafia told that, I always loved the painting classes during school but never did the work that my teacher asked for. It always depended on my mood. Hardly had I known back then that I would be creating and painting for the rest of my life. Nothing was planned. I completed 12^th in the non-medical stream and then shifted to arts, studying psychology and literature and finally did masters in psychology from Kashmir University.

When it comes to describing me, I look at the works I created. That’s where my existence is!

Shafia recalled having low self-esteem and spoke with hesitation throughout college. She did, however, decide to enter the Digital India Campaign competition. She won second place for her poster-making performance, much to her complete astonishment. It gave her more confidence and inspired her to compete in future events.

 During her masters in Kashmir University “I painted two lips holding a chain,” Shafia said. “They all were impressed.” That appreciation changer her life forever.

Shafia recounts a story, A fortnight later, a well-known media organisation from outside Kashmir had come to shoot a documentary on artists in The University of Kashmir. Busy with her own studies Shafia was unaware about it. “A student from the fine arts department came running to me. He told me about the same documentary and played it on his phone. I was so happy to see that they had highlighted my piece of work,” she said. “It inspired me a lot.”

Afterwards, she took part in a number of university-level competitions. She quickly took first place in the University of Kashmir’s Sonzal Festival. She later earned first place while representing Kashmir on a national level at the 33 National Youth Festival hosted by the Association of Indian Universities in Ranchi.

She acquired a commission for a playschool’s wall painting project as her master’s degree was nearing completion; the school principal afterwards thanked her for the project. She then received a job offer from the school’s head of art for 2019 from the principal. The offer was taken up by Shafia.

She quit her work soon after because of the prolonged shutdown. She painted her own home’s with the paintings in walls because she didn’t have anything to do. Currently, she is also creating artwork with papier-mâché and calligraphy. Shafiya stated, “During the lockdown, I went to a pottery and paper mache business in Dargah, Srinagar, to purchase some tools for my job. I was saddened to see and hear how the art is suffering, and how few people are visiting these retailers. The business owner informed me that it is getting harder for them to exist as pottery and paper mache are becoming less and less popular every day.

She continued, “On that day, I decided to devote all of my work to preserving this extinct craft. I incorporated contemporary styles while adhering to the old custom. My artwork focuses on the combination of calligraphy and mandala painting (a mandala is an intricate abstract shape that is typically circular).

Shafiya is taking Kashmir’s richest art — Paper Mache — to new heights and this art is finding a new life in the young generation of Kashmir. She is a self-taught artist and didn’t obtain any training or degree.

I’m creating paper mache and calligraphy patterns for pottery and musical instruments. I follow the brides’ requests during Kashmir’s wedding season. The majority of my customers are from Kashmir, but I have also taken orders from other places. By creating ornamental products, I’m attempting to bring Kashmiri art back to life and appeal to the younger generation, said Shafiya.

Shafia’s work has given her a voice to express herself but she is saddened by the plight of limited professional knowledge courses in Kashmir. “In Kashmir, only a BFA degree and no short-term courses are available here. Self-taught artists like me get discouraged when they are judged on the basis of degrees” as she experienced.

Artists have no future in Kashmir, she claimed. Since most locals are unaware that fine art is a viable professional path, they must travel outside the state in order to exhibit their work.

It was Shafia’s ambition to establish a modest art gallery where local artists might congregate and exhibit their works. There is currently no such gallery in Kashmir. Hence, starting an art gallery in Kashmir is kind of my future goal. The majority of the artwork was created on conventional pottery objects. They featured murals, plaques, flower vases, lamps, pitchers, clay toys, and pots. It was an absolutely breathtaking sight to behold.

The creative ideas and the urge of creating something new every day gives me sleepless nights and that’s what keeps me going.

                                                                                                                         – Shafia Shafi

Our Article was published in local newspaper