SELFIE MOMENT FOR MAHOTSAV ARTISTES
Craftsman Mohd Ashraf says if nothing is done, the centuriesold craft would fade into oblivion
A group of artistes have a selfie moment during Lucknow Mahotsav on Thursday. The tenday long extravaganza is being held at Awadh Shilp Gram.
LUCKNOW: Snugly ensconced in one corner of the grand premises of Shilpgram (the venue for the ongoing Lucknow Mahotsav) is a small stall that displays artefacts of the unique horn bone art.
Mohammed Ashraf, who hails from Sambhal in Moradabad, is the proud owner of this stall that is the centre of attraction among the curious visitors.
Ashraf, also a state awardee for horn bone carving, has set up his stall in the state’s most celebrated fest for the first time, displaying a wide range of artefacts prepared from horn bones.
Picture frames, mirror frames, trays, flower pots, cutlery, bangles, jewellery and many other things starting from ₹150 onwards are pulling crowds.
Despite the good response from visitors, Ashraf said he was not here for monetary benefits but to showcase his work and to convey the bone art related problems to chief minister Yogi Adityanath. “I wanted to meet Yogiji, just to share the issues (prevailing in Sambhal) that the horn bone trade is grappling with. If nothing is done, the trade would be lost in oblivion,” he said. Small wonder Ashraf wants the state government to do something to revive the centuries-old art.
Horn bone carving is said to be more than 400-year-old. Though the work is done in several districts including Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Moradabad and Bareilly, Sambhal is known for its horn bone art.
Ashraf said the trade that was already on its last leg, touched an all time low after the UP government’s crackdown on slaughterhouses.
“Our trade depends on the availability of horns. But after the closure of illegal and mechanised slaughterhouses, the supply of horns decreased and we became hand-to-mouth,” he added. It was virtually the last nail in the coffin, he said.
Ashraf said more than 200,000 people in Sambhal were engaged in horn bone carving. But after the closure of slaughterhouses, they had no other means of livelihood.
“Things became worse after the implementation of GST. Initially horn bone artefacts were free of tax but after the implementation of GST, we are paying extra taxes that make our products more expensive in the market. I appeal to the chief minister to take necessary steps to give a boost to the horn bone trade that is dying a slow death,” he added.