Kani Sozni

Shabir Ali Beigh’s immediate family holds five National Awards, which is a testament to the standard of their work.

In a prestigious annual art fair in the United Kingdom, Shabir won the 'Best of the Best' award.

A very finely carved walnut wood block lays the base for a finely embroidered shawl.

Most embroidery workshops have a vast collection of blocks that are used for decades.

The younger generation takes pride in their skill and deep respect for the elders who established sozni craft.

There is also have pride for their heritage, which is reinforced when they engage with the outside world and interact with connoisseurs.

The path to excellence has been rigorously followed by embroiderers of Kashmir through years of training under the watchful eyes of elders.

The patriarch of the family is usually seated in his workplace by 7am, embroidering and supervising the quality of the work done by his family members and apprentices.

When Shabir Ali Beigh’s father passed away, the entire community mourned.

Framed pictures, certificates and awards hung on the walls of their work space, stand testimony to their workmanship.

The work is done mostly from home-based workshops, though some embroidery for lower priced products is also given out to artisans to work on at home.

At any point of time the workshop has close to 2000 shades of embroidery thread available for embroidery.

The only processes that take place outside are dyeing and washing. The dyeing process happens is Shabir's own unit, where he dyes the silk used for embroidery.

Subtle pale shades are carefully laid out to match with darker and lighter ones, to create shadows and hidden hues within hues.

The shawl, as it is known today, goes back a few hundred years. It enjoyed the patronage of the Mughals, and after them of the Afghan, Sikh and Dogra rulers.

It was at its heyday in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it became a highly sought-after article amongst the European aristocracy. Every stitch has a technique and a local name.

Embroiderers keep original designs, based on community heirlooms and museum pieces, as references and inspiration for their ongoing work.

In UK's art fair, each artist displays his or her very best work, and the peers select the best among these. Shabir asserts that such awards are more valuable than money.

Shabir’s work space in the showroom shows his desire to be organised, efficient, and run his business in a competent manner, with all the modern office tools.

A touch of style is added to please his customer. He has substituted plastic and paper bags for a handwoven, hand-embroidered cloth bag with his family’s business name on it.

Read more about the art of Kani Sozni here:
- The Process
- The Environment