In the heart of Kashmir, where centuries-old traditions and artistic heritage converge, lies a tale of revival and innovation. Back in the 14th century, Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, a Sufi mystic, embarked on a journey that changed the artistic landscape of this picturesque region. Alongside his followers, many of whom were skilled craftsmen, Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani introduced the art of Paper Mache Crafts, a technique that breathed life into decorative objects like never before.
Centuries passed, and this art form gradually found a home in Kashmir, making Kashmir famous worldwide for its exclusively beautiful paper mache decorations. But in recent years, there has been a decline in the Paper Mache Crafts of Kashmir, much like all the other traditional crafts of the country. This decline can be attributed to several reasons, including the rise of factory-made, cheap decorative items, the unstable political history of Kashmir, and more.
However, far away from Kashmir, in the quaint town of Prayagraj, a girl sits quietly in a corner of her house. In a softly illuminated room, with her earbuds plugged in. Away from history but not far, ready to breathe new life into this fading art form.
Simran Kesarwani, a 28-year-old from Prayagraj, loves to upcycle waste products and create mesmerizing DIY art and Paper Mache crafts. She is promoting creativity and sustainability blended together through social media, “madaari_metier” for all of us to enjoy.
Long before technology took over as a news provider, newspapers signaled the dawn for most Indian households. Though the readership of a newspaper has gone low, India is still the nation that purchases it, with little else across the globe.
And just in one day, we lose the value of the previous day’s newspaper. Each day we need a fresh one, and the old ones go to landfills. But Simran was not okay to send so much to the landfills on her watch so she came up with the idea of making paper mache crafts, saving her share of landfills by reusing the waste newspapers.
Simran’s journey from a toffee box to full time Paper Mache Crafts
After graduating as a Fashion Designer and completing her Diploma in Interior Design, unlike her fellow graduates, Simran decided not to take a job in a big corporation. She wanted to follow her childhood fascination for art and delve deep into the curiosity of traditional craft forms.
So even as a grownup, the kid in her was not ready to give up arts and crafts. Following her heart, Simran decided to do something unique and creative and began her Paper Mache crafts—a new-age magic wonder.
Her creativity was always top-notch, and with her baby hands, she once made a toffee box in the primary section for distributing her birthday goodies. She relives the appreciation her childhood self got every time the day gets challenging for her, as her choice of profession is difficult to normalize in an orthodox Indian family.
“My family do not support me in this as for them Paper Mache Crafts is not a certified job. As per them, until and unless you are a doctor or engineer, you are not doing anything worthy. But one day I am sure, they will understand what I am doing and why. I am hopeful.”
Simran Kesarwani
No one in her family is supportive of the work she decided to pursue as a profession, but Simran continues it with the hope that someday in the future they will understand the sustainable and lovely choice she made.
Adding her personal touch to all of her creations emerges from creative, mindful, eco-conscious craftsmanship, differentiating her from the rest. Her Paper Mache crafts are a perfect fit for cozy and beautiful home decor.
Breathing life into paper by using Upcycled Paper Mache Crafts
Paper Mache crafts have always had eyes since ancient times. It involves the art of binding paper and glue together to form a hard dough fit for making decoration pieces. Simran upcycles old newspapers, soaks them, and blends them into a papery pulp.
With precision and creativity, she loves to form the most captivating and attractive shapes. Be it paperweights, folders, cheriyal masks, and whatnot, Simran can craft all kinds of magic using Paper Mache crafts.
This paper mache craftswoman, though hesitant to enter the real market, holds a heartfelt dream of resurrecting this art to a new and unique grandeur. With a soul deeply connected to her craft, she envisions a future where every Indian home embraces these timeless treasures, preserving our cherished cultural heritage with love and reverence.
Simran has a desire to visit these local artisans and learn their secret mantra for paper mache crafts so she can learn, grow, and be better than yesterday.
The need to promote culture and advocate for opting for Sustainable
Every day is a new challenge for all of us, but it is still survivable when your problems have similarities. That’s why being different comes with a price.
Simran faced so many barriers in her journey, and she still has a long way to go. The major concern to deal with is the lack of awareness of traditional art forms. Being new in the market, she is learning and hustling every day with a lot many things like, funding, back support and social media skills.
Paper mache crafts aren’t very popular in home decor because they often don’t match the modern look people want for their homes. But this girl is working to change that with traditional designs that are one of a kind. She’s designing traditional yet versatile pieces that can fit in with any decor style. Her designs are colorful but not too flashy, making them pleasing to look at in any home.
Simran has been to various exhibitions to showcase her products, and one thing she observed was the lack of knowledge people had about Paper Mache Crafts.
Her best experience was at Firgun in Allahabad, where she sold all of her collection from the past two years and was out of stock by the end of the first day itself at the exhibition.
Paper Mache Crafts – A creative call for sustainability
The environment is on call for help because of improper waste management, and we all should respond to it by contributing on an individual level. Simran’s Paper Mache crafts are her artistic commitment to sustainability, as she champions the use of recycled materials, giving new life to old newspapers that would otherwise find their way into landfills.
Evolving every day, she has introduced a new game series based on traditional art forms using paper mache crafts. With a blend of Indie-western designs, Simran also hops on the trend and crafts festive goodies, encouraging customers to shop local and go sustainable.
Barriers to her journey
Making dreams come true can be tough, especially when you’re doing something different. But giving up is not in Simran’s vocabulary. She’s growing slowly but surely, crafting these beautiful and colorful paper mache pieces. Believe me, a glimpse of her creations is all it takes to fall in love. Please support her by checking out her Instagram page.
If you loved reading this inspiring DIY story of Simran, then do have a look at these easy period pain remedies nobody told you about.
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