As dawn breaks over Srinagar’s ancient streets, 62-year-old Mohammad Hanief Bhat opens the creaking windows of his century-old workshop. Sunlight spills onto brass shells and vibrant stones—tools of a vanishing craft.
Hanief, the last guardian of Ferozi (turquoise jewellery-making), assembles necklaces, preserving a heritage that once thrived under his father, who employed many artisans.
Orphaned young, Hanief inherited both responsibility and craft, learning from his father’s artisans. Yet, as demand dwindled, artisans abandoned the trade. By the 1990s, Hanief too left, selling carpets but feeling “a betrayal” to his father’s legacy.
Drawn back, he revived Ferozi, only to find local buyers gone. A lifeline emerged in Bangalore’s art exhibitions, where NRIs and foreigners marveled at his work. Inspired, Hanief innovated—introducing colorful stones and intricate designs, breaking tradition to captivate modern tastes.
Despite acclaim in Karnataka and Kerala, his own government remains indifferent. An expired artisan card lies unrenewed; recognition, ungiven. Now in his sixties, Hanief fears time’s tide: with no heirs, Ferozi’s fate hangs precariously.
(Story by Rabia Mushtaq, Iffat Amin, Camera and Edit: Iffat Amin, Rabia Mushtaq)
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