The Last Titans: Kashmir's Once Famous Master Blacksmiths Are On Their Way Out

A walk through the old and narrow lanes and by-lanes of Bandook Khar Mohalla in Rainawari of downtown Srinagar takes you back in time. The intricately designed lattice windows and small brick houses from the era of Maharaja Hari Singh distinguish this locality from the concrete structures around them. This locality stands out for its craftsmanship too. This area remains abuzz with people coming from adjoining areas for repairing their old gadgets. They come to meet and greet the famous German Khaars (blacksmiths)바카라�who have the distinction of repairing all kinds of machines and other items, mostly pre-electronic era. The craftsmen, mostly past their 바카라�70s, in this locality have been part of the generation-old-growth-story. During the Maharaja바카라�s regime, they came to be known as 바카라�German Khaars바카라� just for their ability to repair German-made machines.

Like Kashmir바카라�s exquisite woodworking or papier-mache, blacksmithing too seems like an old-time craft that has been recognised as one of the master arts바카라�these craftspeople are able to create usable objects out of iron or steel, generally by applying intense heat until the metal becomes pliable. 바카라�The thing that rea­lly amazes me is how art, architecture, heritage and mechanics dot this place of Srinagar. In our locality, every household used to have a legendary mechanic and craftsperson. But everything is fading away now,바카라� says a fragile-looking Abdul Rehman Ahangar, a specialist mechanic, the most active of the German Khaars alive.

Ahangar, who is in his late 바카라�70s, has been working tirelessly at his small workshop, producing and repairing small hospital tools made of iron, steel and other material. His over five decades of work have taught him many lessons in life. 바카라�Remaining steadfast and entirely focused is what my job has taught me. Although I don바카라�t have much earnings now, my brothers and I once earned the name and fame and that would have made even our ancestors proud,바카라� he says, adding, 바카라�We would make handsome money as there were no machine-based workshops around. We would repair and replicate many small tools and Germ­any-­made items, which brought us the title of German Kha­ars.바카라� Rehman Ahangar바카라�s brother, Ghulam Mohiuddin, is too old now and can바카라�t work at his workshop as he has to be on the oxygen support post-Covid after he developed chest complications. Mohiuddin, 73, is considered one of the finest repairing masters who have a history of fixing and repairing hospital gadgets바카라�mostly German-made.

Earlier, Bandook Khaar Mohalla was inhabited by only blacksmiths but now people have changed professions. One can see a variety of shops dotting the old structures of the alleys, lanes and by-lanes here. A few of them are working as labourers, government employees, or emp­lo­yed in the private sector, while only two to three families are licensed to manufacture and repair guns used for hunting. 바카라�We aren바카라�t into the gun business anymore. Earlier we used to repair guns too. But that too vanished now,바카라� Rehman says.

Maharaja바카라�s making

Rehman says that working at the Maharaja바카라�s court gave them ample experience to lay their hands on the gadgets that were highly sophisticated and expensive as well. He says that while the Maharaja바카라�s rule ended in Jammu and Kash­mir, the German Khaars got huge amount of work from the Army as well. Rehman recalled that his forefathers were asked to open a box which the Maharaja had got from Germany. 바카라�Nobody could open the box. Our forefathers sat on that and opened it and made a replica of it.바카라� Rehman says that many times he thou­ght of switching his trade. However, he couldn바카라�t.

바카라�It is not just the money that drives you into something that you do. Sometimes your passion or sometimes your drive takes you into something that you keep doing for the rest of your life,바카라� he says. The older titans, both the Ahan­gars, say that with each passing year and with the advent of machine-based craft, their financial condition deteriorated. 바카라�Now the time has come, our children are into their respective trades. Some run their own shops. I can see the curtains falling on this trade,바카라� Rehman adds.

바카라�It takes a lot of toll on your health to remain confined to just one room (work station) and fetch a meagre income for the entire life. Now our kids, grandkids are growing fast and they want to experience more and more in their life and not stay confined to one room,바카라� he says.

All the legendary German Khaars are in their late-70s, while some of them are too fragile and can바카라�t work the whole day. Their children and grandchildren just come to check on them and hand over a cup of tea while they are in the workshop. Rehman is too weak and cannot stand without support, but he makes it a point to come over to the workshop daily at 10 in the morning and leaves at 5 or 6 in the evening.

Several years ago, when there used to be a high influx of clients, the Ahangar families would keep abuzz with activities. Most of them used to reserve the entire ground floor of their house for workshops. At that time, 19 people, all relatives, would work as German Khaars. But as time passed and things started to change in Kashmir, and after the death of most of the famed craftsmen in his team, the size of the workshops of most of the German Khaars started dwindl­ing. 바카라�It is sometimes too saddening to see the curtains falling on the business of our forefathers,바카라� says Ahangar. 바카라�Now what is left of that large workshop is just a small bed-sized-room built inside the house. The rest of it has crumbled, or made useful to accommodate family members.바카라�

Khalid Ahmad, a young copperware craftsman, while com­menting on the works of the German Khaars, shared that most of them are without any formal schooling. 바카라�Whe­n­ever you meet them, you won바카라�t even get an idea that they don바카라�t have a formal education. They are so good at fixing the things that a normal engineer does,바카라� he says. 바카라�Repairing and creating a replica sophisticated gadget is something of a new experience for the younger generations.바카라�

Official apathy

The German Khaars and their sons are of the opinion that the government has left them in the lurch. They say while the government took several initiatives to boost certain arts, nothing was done to uplift this community. 바카라�The government never helped us and they could never pay us back,바카라� says Suhail Ahmad Ahangar, son of a German Khaar. 바카라�The government could have helped us with some stipend or could have supported us in some way so that we could train new youth,바카라� he sighs. 바카라�The Muftis, the Abdullahs just made promises. (Fo­rmer chief minister) Mufti Mo­hammad Sayeed in his last tenure promised us he would provide us with a pension but he came, ruled and forgot.바카라�

According to local stakeholders, not only do the the Ger­man Khaars know how to mend iron like other blacksm­i­ths, they are also mast­ers at other, unique crafts. They are the people who know how to make marvels out of metals, including copper, iron, steel, silver and even gold while rep­a­iring and creating replicas. 바카라�We are not just the routine blacksmiths, we are craftsmen with unique crafts techniques and eyes and hands for making good stuff,바카라� says Rehman.

Rahman said that along with his brothers, uncles and grandfather, he used to make silver and gold boxes for the Maharaja who was punctilious about the intricacies and minute details of his belongings. 바카라�We have designed a lot of boxes, wristwatches, cigarette holders, tobacco pipes, cigarette cases for Dogra rulers from time to time.바카라�

While several government-run departments went online and also went a step ahead in issuing global tenders, inviting companies to mainten their machines, the local German Khaars were badly hit. This small blacksmith community continues to face the pressures of the current situation. 바카라�The current system has almost paralysed us. Nowadays, every company provides repairing services to their customers. Consequently, our necessity has declined,바카라� they say.

But there was a time when they heeded calls for help from all quarters. Abdul Rehman recalls the time when a complex machine used for carrying out surgeries in one of the private hospitals developed a technical fault. 바카라�I was called to the hospital to check it and I repaired it in just a few minutes,바카라� he says. 바카라�Even foreigners used to come looking for us with their equipment as everyone trusted our skills. Once a foreign tourist had some problem with his camera and I repaired it. He was very happy with my work.바카라� But, he rues, the German Khaars are now left to make pla­tes, flags, badges, medals and such sundry items. 바카라�Now we only cater to the military men,바카라� says Rehman, whose son owns a shop in Sonwar near the army cantonment.바카라�

Dejected and derailed

Many youngsters of this community at Bandook Khaar Mohalla are 바카라�dejected바카라� and accuse the government of 바카라�apathy바카라� towards them. They said that after remaining in the business for over a century, the fifth generation is going to say goodbye to this family business. 바카라�Like our forefathers, we don바카라�t want to pass it on to their next generation. We aren바카라�t able to help our family grow and then there is no support from the government,바카라� said Shabir Ahmad Ahanger, who runs a uniform shop in Srinagar.

바카라�Initially, our forefathers, great-grandfathers, fathers, would get acknowledgement from the Maharaja. At the end of the day, what matters is money in your pocket. I didn바카라�t take it up. My father didn바카라�t want me to get into this trade. I don바카라�t want my children to go into it and ruin their life. My father Rehman Ahanger has been practising this craft for the last 50 years now and the kind of stories we hear from him is really painful,바카라� he adds.

Muhammad Maqbool, a mechanical engineer, worked for several years with the Jammu and Kashmir Power Distribution Department (JKPDD) before he joined his father, Ghulam Ahmad, aka 바카라�Ami Wasti바카라� at their unit, popularly known as 바카라�Simon Engineers바카라� located in the downtown area in Srinagar. Till 2005, Maqbool says, the work of repairing was really booming. However, now he struggles to make ends meet.

The director of the industries department, Mahmood Ahmad Shah, says that this community has mae a huge contribution as far as this sector is concerned and adds that so much was needed to uplift the traditional artisans downtown and in other areas. 바카라�Srinagar city is very famous culturally and traditionally and this old, aged, rich craft has huge importance. Recently, Srinagar made it to the UNESCO list of creative cities due to its art and craft,바카라� he says. 바카라�We are making efforts to educate tourists, visitors and locals about the skills these artisans bring in, by involving the tourism and travel fraternity, and the tourism department.바카라�

(This appeared in the print edition as "The Last Titans")

Nazir Ganaie is a journalist based in Srinagar and writes extensively on health, environment, art and culture