PESHAWAR: There are around 200 workshops in and around Peshawar where artisans remain busy in variety of woodcarving on different frames of home furniture, windows, doors and lot of other things made of wood.

Most workshops are located in Tehkal and on University Road areas. Every workshop engages four to six artisans to craft wood art as it is gaining a rebirth and getting attention of the tasteful customers at a large scale. Woodcarving, being a handicraft, is preferred in new constructions for giving out a classic outlook.

Woodcarving is considered an oldest art handed down to present times from earlier generations. Artisans told this scribe that woodcarving could be learnt in five to seven years which involved several stages.

Said Wali, a woodcarving artisan, said that sometime back local people used to install simple windows and doors in their new constructions. He said that now-a-days local people once again took keen interest in the decorated wood work for giving out a catchy look.

Artisans say the skill can be learnt in five to seven years

Amir Khan, 14, an artisan, told this scribe that he had learnt the art of woodcarving from his cousin which took him six years. He said that about 20 different tools were being used to craft various patterns on a piece of wood.

He said that first a tracing paper was placed on the wood piece, which imprinted pencil drawing of the desired floral patterns. He said that young people could learn woodcarving in a comparatively short time.

“After attending school, I sit at a workshop in Tehkal area and do woodcarving. Now I have learnt several techniques, from placing tracing paper to chiselling out drawing of delicate floral patterns to sometime animal and bird shapes. I can use all tools for carving out different shapes on a piece of wood,” Mr Khan claimed.

He said that carved out pieces were then painted with relevant colours, which further enhanced their beauty.

Shaukat Ali, another artisan who runs a workshop in Bakhshu Pul area, said that floral patterns and mosaics were carved out on wooden planks meant for different purposes according to the orders of the owners.

He said that woodcarving was not an easy job as it involved hard work, personal interest and a keen eye. Woodcarving, he said, was done everywhere but the one done in Swat and Peshawar was widely liked by costumers.

Mr Ali said that not all kinds of wood pieces were fit for wood carving but a master hand could still craft designs favoured by many tasteful people. He said that there were numerous floral patterns and mosaic arts but normally simple designs were preferred by customers.

He said that wood carving was liked for its handiwork and beautiful art motifs.

Manzoor Ahmad, 45, a senior woodcarving artisan, said that the number of woodcarving artisans was increasing owing to its demand in the market.

He said that a few years back, people used to install steel made windows and doors in their new conductions but for the last more than a decade; they reverted to woodcarving craft. He said that woodcarving was a lucrative job. He said that an artisan earned Rs1,500 to Rs2,000 per day.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2016