Shahtoosh shawl trade on despite ban

The Shahtoosh trade was banned globally in 1975 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) following a fall in the number of the antelopes.

The Indian government followed and banned the trade in 1991, but the Jammu and Kashmir government had stayed away from restricting its sales till 2000.

However, Shahtoosh, a Persian word meaning 'the king of wools', is still a popular wardrobe, especially, in cold countries. "There is no doubt that the business still goes on...but it isn't sold under the name 'Shahtoosh'. It is sold as some other fabric. Locally, the sale hasn't seen a surge but in countries like France, Germany or some parts of Europe, the sale has again increased in the last few years," Chairman Traders and Manufacturers Federation, Kashmir, Farooq Ahmad Shah told PTI.

"After the ban on Shahtoosh trade, it is being smuggled from China, Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal. Shahtoosh is the 'King of wool' and 'wool of the Kings'. It is the first choice among people who have taste...it's demand cannot fall easily," historian and former Secretary Jammu & Kashmir Cultural Academy M Y Taing said.

Kashmiris enjoy the privilege of being the only people who can weave and spin Shahtoosh in the world. Women generally spin and men weave the delicate yarn into warm, soft, light and delicate shawls.

"The sale and export of Shahtoosh shawls in the Kashmir art and handloom showrooms situated in various five-star hotels in India has been good in the last few years. The raw material is brought in from Tibet and China and processed and spun into a shawl here and then exported. All this is done secretively," Shah said.

Secretary of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mohd Yousuf Sheikh said, "We have been demanding that the ban on Shahtoosh trade be revoked. The trade has been going on furtively. The decrease in number of Chirus isn't because of this trade but due to others reasons like poaching."

Abdur Rasheed, a local shawl weaver said, "It is banned, but this doesn't mean the consumers have stopped demanding. No doubt the demand has reduced...but it hasn't vanished completely..."

Speaking about the history of Shahtoosh, M Y Taing said its concept was first introduced by Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dughlat who ruled Kashmir from 1540 to 1551.

"The antelope Chiru develops an undergrowth in severe winters which protects it from cold weather and later when the temperature goes up, it sheds the wool and people collect it either forcibly or the animal does this on its own," he said.

Hakeem Zubair, an exporter of Pashmina and Shahtoosh shawls, said, "Earlier the demand was much higher. It has reduced after the ban. Still it is approximately 25 per cent of what it was before the ban. Europeans still import tooshas (local name for Shahtoosh shawls)."

A senior official of TRAFFIC India, a global wildlife trade monitoring network, told PTI that according to a survey reported by Chinese news agency Xinhua there is an increase in the number of endangered Chirus in Tibet.

The population of the endangered antelopes in Tibet has expanded to about 150,000, a double increase from the late 1980s, according to the forest survey.

The survey, which lasted 18 years in Tibet, found the population of the rare animal has grown at 7.9 per cent annually over the past six years in the region.

Shahtoosh shawls are either plain or embroidered. The cost of each shawl is determined by percentage of Shahtoosh wool in it. Fifty per cent Shahtoosh at the minimum costs approximately Rs 20,000, while 75 per cent costs in the range of Rs 27,000 to 28,000 and 100 per cent Shahtoosh is above Rs 30,000.

Many locals still treat the fabric as a precious essential in their wardrobes and something they can't give up easily.

"It is such a fine and warm fabric. It is a must in a bride's wardrobe. It is banned, but we still managed to purchase a couple of these shawls," said 25-year-old Navneet, a resident of the Rainawari area of Srinagar.