KU To Start Six Months Course On Papier Machie

SRINAGAR:  In a bid to promote Kashmir’s dying papier machie craft, the University of Kashmir today roped in artisans, experts and scholars to draft the syllabus for six months certificate course in the art – a course to be launched soon.

The two day national workshop was organised by the Directorate of Life Long Leaning of University of Kashmir in collaboration with the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL)

Speaking at the occasion, vice-chancellor, University of Kashmir, Prof. Talat Ahmad said that “This is just a beginning and I must congratulate the role of DLL in initiating this programme. I am myself eager to see this course happening in the university,” he said.

“This course will help the artisans to make their mark in the real market. They will be taught and educated about the new trends in the craft all over world,” he said, adding “It is a very good initiate that DLL is doing with NCPUL. This has to be a good beginning. This will help the artisans to compete various levels and they will be visible in the large section of the society.”

Lauding the role of DLL, Dean academic Affairs, University of Kashmir, Prof. AM Shah said that the role of DLL is commendable to initiate this course  as there was a dire need to promote the core competence and marketing skills among the artisans of papier mashie art

“This is a wonderful initiate that the DLL has taken up, it needs much deliberations and discussions to sustain the course,” Prof. Shah said.

“Unfortunately this area is vanishing day by day. But now, we need to promote the core competence areas, marketing and skill development is another aspect that needs to be deliberated, so that we can reach to the wider audience and customers,” he said. “I thank DLL for initiating this course and I suggest them all the angels should be dwelled in drafting the course.”

He said that MOU’s should be signed with the various institutions across India to organise more skill development workshops and product improvement meetings.

 “We have always worked to link this department with the various reputed organisations and institutions in the country. We need to understand the scope and the areas of any institutions. If we start working for the artists and artisans, it will boost our economy,” he added.

 Head of the Directorate of Life Long Learning, Dr. GH Mir said that this course will be soon thrown open for the aspirants. 

 “We want to break the wall between the university and community and the Directorate of Life Long Learning is acting as a bridge between the two. “Papier Machie sector is declining day by day and no one seems to be bothered about it. We are going to launch various courses but we will start with the diminishing art of Papier Machie. The outcome of various meeting held was that there was a lot of gap between the artisan and the market.”

MS Farooqi of the Craft Development Institute said that the handicrafts have not been recognised as a means of education in the state

“If this Kashmir University is taking any step in this regard, it would be a contribution. We need to create a scientific approach in drafting the syllabus for the course,” Farooqi said

“We along with will DLL and some experts will draft the syllabus for the papier mache and that will help us to create the self-help groups. 

The official of NCPUL, present on the occasion said that they would provide every sort of help in making the course a success.

“The course would be formally launched in the month of July, if everything goes accordance to the plan. This would be our pilot project with the DLL and initially, the Mir Behri area of Saida Kadal will be targeted,” Assistant Education Officer, NCPUL, New Delhi,  Ajmal Saeed, said.

He said that the experts from CDI, State Council for Vocational Training (SCVT) artisans, and scholars were involved to develop the syllabus for the course.

Among others, all the project officers of DLL were present on the occasion.

It may be recalled here, the Directorate of Lifelong Learning (DLL), earlier known as Centre for Adult Continuing Education and Extension (CACEE) was established 1978 with academic status under the University of Kashmir in order to bring the change in the lives of the common masses of the region by providing professional, vocational, skill based and job oriented courses, workshops, trainings, seminars, sensitization cum awareness programmes.

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