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DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

  • 15 November, 2022

  • 5 Min Read

Pashmina Shawl

Pashmina Shawl

  • Customs officials recently voiced complaints over the presence of "Shahtoosh" guard hair, which comes from endangered Tibetan antelopes, in Pashmina shawls in many of their export shipments.

Describe Pashmina.

  • Pashmina is a type of wool with a Geographical Indication (GI) label that originates in the Indian state of Kashmir.
  • In the past, the Kashmiri people relied on Pashmina shawls to keep them warm in the winter.
  • The word "Pashmina" derives from the Persian word "Pashm," which refers to a weaveable fibre, specifically wool.
  • Due to the high quality of the wool used and the labour-intensive process required to make each individual piece, pashmina shawls are quite expensive.
  • Depending on the sort of work required, weaving a single Pashmina shawl takes a long time. One shawl typically takes up to 72 hours to finish.
  • Source: The Changthangi goats (Capra Hircus), domesticated in Ladakh, are the source of the wool needed to weave Pashmina shawls.
  • Fibre processing: The Changpa tribes of Ladakh, who care for the Changthangi goats, gather the raw Pashm.
  • The Changpa are a semi-nomadic group that live in Changthang, which is located in the Ladakh and Tibet Autonomous Region.
  • According to the Affirmative action reservation Program of the Indian Government, the Changpa were categorised as a Scheduled Tribe as of 2001.
  • The only individuals that connect the Changpa tribe with the Kashmiris are the middlemen, from whom the Kashmiri weavers purchase the filthy raw pashm fibre.
  • The fibre is subsequently combed and separated based on fineness.
  • Then it is handspun, prepared into warps, and positioned on the handloom.
  • The gorgeous, opulent pashmina shawls for which the fabric is famous are then created by hand weaving the yarn.
  • In Kashmir, weaving Pashmina shawls is a craft that is traditionally passed down from one generation to the next.

Significance:

  • One of the world's finest and highest-quality wools is pashmina.
  • The Pashmina Shawl caught the interest of people from all over the world, making it one of the most sought-after shawls worldwide.
  • The local economy was helped by its high demand.
  • Manufacturers frequently adulterate Pashmina with sheep wool or ultra-fine merino wool due to its limited availability and expensive price.
  • An Indian Standard for the identification, marking, and labelling of Pashmina items to confirm their purity was released by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in 2019.
  • GI Certifying Criteria for Pashmina:
  • 100% genuine Pashm should be used to make the shawl.
  • The fibres should have a maximum fineness of 16 microns.
  • Local Kashmiri weavers should handcraft the shawl.
  • Only by hand should the yarn be spun.

Read Also: Bangalore Blue for Karnataka’s and GI analysis

Source: The Hindu


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