Celebrating Indian crafts on the occasion of the 75th Independence Day, the women in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district are making Indian national flags. These are hand embroidered flags that will be unfurled across homes and offices as part of the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign.
Supported by the Indian army, around 50 women from Kawari and Kunan Poshpora villages are participating in this campaign. The flags they are handcrafting are exquisite, with the Ashoka Chakra on them being done using the traditional Kashmiri crewel artisanship.
The women have been getting several orders and they are working round the clock to get these fulfilled.
The Indian army has provided these women artists with all the equipment required, including stitching machines and raw materials. The women are making hundreds of flags in a day.
While there are handmade flags across the country, these embroidered ones from Kashmir are being widely appreciated for their intricate details. Every woman is making at least one or two Ashoka Chakra every day.
The artisans are elated to be able to put the beautiful crewel work on the Indian national flag. They hope to make these available across the country and intend to venture into selling their handcrafted work online for consumers across the world.