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Talim: The Encrypted Language Only Kashmiri Carpet Weavers Understand

© Sputnik / Azaan JavaidTalim, which also means education, is used to describe an encrypted language of carpet weavers of Kashmir
Talim, which also means education, is used to describe an encrypted language of carpet weavers of Kashmir - Sputnik India, 1920, 13.12.2022
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In Kashmir region, Talim, which essentially serves as a script to make carpets or shawls, is read like a chant or a song by weavers hand-stitching the crafts.
Shabir Ahmed (47) was barely ten years old when he walked into the residence of master Nazir Wasta, an artisan in Srinagar city known for his prowess of weaving woolen and silk carpets.
Ahmed was among a horde of youngsters whose parents wanted them to further the family trade and legacy of making Kashmiri carpets: most teens at Nazir’s home were already in love with the art form owing to the family ties.
There were, of course, some who wished a different career for themselves. But Nazir possessed a sixth sense of discerning those who are truly passionate about weaving. To be fully sure, however, the maestro would conduct an exercise in the first few weeks of his class.
Instead of giving wool or silk to weave, Nazir would give his students wooden blocks from the cedar tree. They were expected to carve designs into the thick blocks of wood.
Shabir reminisced how classes lasted from 7am to 7pm: "the mornings we would spend massaging the blocks to make them soft. Carving designs came later. And even a tiny mistake on the wood could mean the entire block being discarded."

"He (Nazir) wanted to see who among us was dedicated, who was likely to survive. Very few among us left his class. That was the love for weaving. That was our love for 'Talim',” Shair shared with Sputnik.

© Sputnik / Azaan JavaidThe Indian Institute of Carpet Technology
The Indian Institute of Carpet Technology - Sputnik India, 1920, 09.12.2022
The Indian Institute of Carpet Technology

What Is Talim?

'Talim' means education in Arabic, Urdu and Kashmiri. But the word is also used to describe hundreds of years-old encrypted language used by carpet and shawls artisans to weave.
Aspiring weavers are first made to learn the codes that specify colors to use for each knot which is used to bind carpets and shawls.
Little is known about the history of the language. Many believe that 'Talim' was introduced in Kashmir by Persia-born Muslim saint Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani who traveled to Kashmir along with hundreds of artisans -- handicraft specialists.
However, Zubair Ahmed, director of the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology, told Sputnik that Kashmir is the world's only place that still applies the encrypted language in carpets.

“The language has been passed on from generations of artisans for hundreds of years. It is only understood by artists of Kashmir and that is unique. It is beautiful,” he said.

Why Are Kashmiri Carperts Unique?

To learn 'Talim', aspiring Kashmiri weavers are first made to learn the codes that specify colors to use for each knot that is used to bind carpets and shawls.
The process of preparing a Talim, which essentially is like a script or a blueprint for making a carpet, first involves making the design on graph paper.
Every square of the paper is divided into 25 sections, each representing one knot. The colors to be used in the carpet are marked on the design.
The weaver then prepares small strips of paper with 'Talim' for the project written on them; he sits at the end of the loom and follows the language often chanting it loudly to himself.
© Sputnik / Azaan JavaidThe Indian Institute of Carpet Technology
The Indian Institute of Carpet Technology - Sputnik India, 1920, 09.12.2022
The Indian Institute of Carpet Technology
This is, however, not where the uniqueness of Kashmiri carpets ends.
Weavers in other parts of the world weave carpets horizontally, which essentially means that they sit at the edge of the loom and have the full view of the progress they make on the carpet. But in Kashmir the carpets are made vertically -- this means the weaver has no view of the carpet as the material is mounted on a weaving loom, so they completely rely on 'Talim'.

“This is the reason why Kashmiri carpets are much tighter than carpets made in Iran or Afghanistan. They are rolled throughout the making,” said Srinagar resident Haseena Nazir, a professional designer for almost two decades.

Why Are Kashmiri Carpets an Endangered Art?

Behind this almost religious practice of chanting a coded hymn to make carpets, however, lies the story of a possible extinction: the carpet trade in Kashmir has been in a perpetual decline for more than two decades.

Director Zubair Ahmed listed many factors responsible for the decline, but the primary reason is the introduction of cheaper machine-made carpets, decreasing demand of high-end products and low-income returns for the artisans.

© Sputnik / Azaan JavaidThe Indian Institute of Carpet Technology
The Indian Institute of Carpet Technology - Sputnik India, 1920, 09.12.2022
The Indian Institute of Carpet Technology
As a result, the number of weavers in Kashmir has reduced from more than 60,000 to 35,000 in last two decades.
Zubair says that they are digitizing Talim and teaching it as courses to anyone who wishes to have a career as a weaver. They have also undertaken the responsibility of preserving traditional designs and ensured proper training to people, so they secure employment opportunities.
"Besides, we plan to open up a dye house which will solely use vegetables as coloring agents to be used in making carpets and shawls."
Zubair also shares that the government has introduced a Geographical Indication (GI) registry for Kashmiri carpets which will certify the genuineness of the hand-knotted carpets with information of the weavers, manufacturers and raw material used.
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