Babar Afzal frames the artisanal luxury of pashmina

 THE STORY OF pashmina is a story of beauty, legacy and heritage. Yet, it’s also a story of climate change, unsus­tainable business practices, encroachment on intellectual property, and a traditional community turning its back on an art form honed and nurtured over centuries. A state of affairs that artist, activist and former techie Babar Afzal is attempting to overturn with his Pashmina Goat Project.

This ambitious undertaking includes initiatives such as the Sustainable Pash­mina Dialogue to raise awareness of the dire straits in which Pashmina produc­tion was languishing till quite recently; PashminaBlock.org, a digital repository to trace the journey of pashmina from goat to finished product sans intermedi­aries; and The Real Pashmina, a market­place for authentic pashmina products.

These three tenets come together at TheRealPASHMINA—From Goats to Luxury Wraps, an exhibition by Afzal in association with the Union Ministry of Textiles. One learns about the preserva­tion of pashmina through an immersive experience bringing together its science, craft and history, along with an envisioned future where everyone benefits equally. “This is an entire ecosystem spanning ancient culture, religious practices and sustainable livelihoods,” explains Afzal. “We must preserve it for future genera­tions to cherish.”

There are displays of raw fibre, spin­ning and weaving processes, exquisitely finished shawls and textiles, books penned by Afzal on distinguishing pure pashmina from its copies and sharing wisdom im­bibed from goat shepherds, and modern reinterpretations of pashmina embroidery on denim overcoats and wool ponchos to cater to a young, fashion-conscious audience. Over a month-long period, there will also be talks, documentary screenings, workshops on identifying fake pashmina, book launches and storytelling sessions.

However, the better part of the exhibition is devoted to showcasing the Luxury Pashmina Art developed by Afzal. Through the sale of these innovative pash­mina products, Afzal hopes to raise money that could impact a million lives—both of the goat herders and their families as well as the artisans and purveyors of this craft.

Afzal wasn’t born into the trade, unlike most others who practise it. “My parents were into crafts manufacturing and the exports of handicrafts of Kashmir with a focus on Kashmiri carpets,” he shares. In 1996, as part of an exodus of young, skilled Kashmiris escaping militancy in the Valley, Afzal made his way to Delhi. A proficiency in technology and a passion for finding creative solutions to problems others rarely paid heed to, led to him becoming an ethical hacker. He joined McKinsey & Company and traversed the globe on one exciting project after another. Yet, his soul remained unfulfilled.

In 2012, on a visit back home, he read a news report about the death of 25,000 pashmina goats due to starvation as the result of an extreme winter in Changth­ang, Ladakh,on whose summits these goats grazed. The loss seemed to hit him personally. “As a child, I used to play with these goats. On the other hand, globally I was being sensitised to climate change. This incident pushed me to examine the state of affairs in a deeper manner,” recalls Afzal. Leaving behind his lucrative corpo­rate career, he joined a group of nomads in Kashmir and began travelling from mountain to mountain, shepherding a flock of 1,500 goats. “From Pahalgam, we went to Sonemarg, then Dras and finally reached Leh and Changthang after jour­neying for three months. That’s when I knew there was no turning back.”

Unsure of how to contribute and safeguard the precious goats, at first, Afzal made some bold, if ill-advised moves. He recalls an incident from 2014, when he set off by himself to protect a flock of pash­mina goats allegedly being attacked by a snow leopard. After travelling 60–70km, he needed to undertake a 1.5 mile hike uphill at 14,000ft. “As it was getting dark, I started running with only a Swiss knife in my pocket to ward off the leopard.” His pace and the altitude led to him losing consciousness. Had it not been for the shepherds who came to his rescue, he wouldn’t have survived.

Fortunately, this mad act of passion showed him the value of focusing on the big picture by looking at sustainable means to preserve the goats, help the community survive and save clients from being duped by pay­ing exorbitant amounts for fake products. This led to the devel­opment of the Pashmina Trans­parency Standard to safeguard the integrity of the fibre and the welfare of the communities, as well as The Real Pashmina e-commerce platform. These helped position authentic pash­mina in the global ‘sustainable luxury’ market, ensuring that artisans benefit directly from the value their work creates.

Simultaneously, Afzal began creating pashmina art. “My art is a mix of multiple mediums. I would describe it as progressive Indian abstract art with layers that attempt to communicate hidden meanings to the viewer,” he shares. First, he makes a sketch on paper inspired by the entire ecosystem he is striving to protect. He then hand-paints the colours in thin layers on the delicate wool, to ensure the pashmina retains its characteristic softness. Multiple techniques are used for these artworks including Kani and Sozni embroidery, layers of paint and threads of cotton and silk.

It isn’t just the technique that sets these art works apart. Afzal accords each one a conceptual meaning representative of his frame of mind and in furtherance of his chosen mission. ‘Butterfly World’ depicts the wings of a butterfly, of which one is shaped like a world map. The back­drop is a vibrant yellow, and the butterfly is painted in warm hues, reminiscent of a sunrise. But there is more at play here.

“I’m trying to invoke the timeless mathematics of the Butterfly Effect, which is the notion that the smallest flutter can affect at a great distance. Here, every thread of pashmina, every use of dye, becomes a metaphor for how subtle acts of kindness, creativity or courage reverberate across continents and consciousness. It reminds us that we are all makers of unseen ripples, that change often begins quietly, and that even the gentlest motion of the human spirit is capable of shifting the world,” says Afzal.

On a similar vein is ‘Positive Mind’, featuring a man standing with arms open to the sky. He is flanked by the human brain, its two halves distinctly marked— the left responsible for language, logic and analytical thought showcasing pat­terns of struggle, while the right guard­ing creativity, intuition and emotions seeming quiet. Roses bloom, symbolising resilience and hope.

In ‘Prayer’, he brings in a symbol he has felt drawn to all his life—the horse—which foregrounds a circle reminis­cent of motifs in Buddhist Thangka art. For Afzal, this creature bedecked with floral embroidery and vibrant colours, acts as the keeper of time and direction. Beside it, a man is sowing seeds while another reaps their harvest. He explains, “Prayer is a vibrant storm of colour and energy, a tribute to the human spirit that labours, believes and perseveres. I’m celebrating the simple truth that small, sincere acts of sowing, caring and harvesting are what keep the world moving, generation after generation, on the long road of time.”

Other works are more specific in intent, often bearing the faces of renowned figures. Mother Teresa’s visage is de­picted in a riot of colours, while another series depicts in shades of grey, recognisable figures from luxury fashion houses in the West. Picture the exclusiv­ity of pashmina from the finest hair gifted by god to a particular type of goat to keep it warm, collected and cleaned once it’s been shed over the sum­mer, then woven over months and years into an exquisite and unique garment or work of art. Shouldn’t this be held to a higher standard of luxury than anything else? It’s certainly a point to ponder.

(TheRealPASHMINA — From Goats to Luxury Wraps: Craft | Code | Consciousness is on display till December19 at The Kunj, New Delhi)