At 75, He Still Carves the Tiny Wooden Tool That Helps Turn Thread Into Kashmir’s Pashmina

A Mukh is the small shuttle used in traditional Kashmiri weaving. It carries the weft yarn across the warp threads on a loom. Though it looks minor beside a finished shawl, it is essential because the loom cannot function without it.

Abdul Majeed Zargar carves Mukhs by hand using chisels and files. The shuttle moves from one side of the loom to the other, passing the weft yarn through the fixed warp threads. This repeated movement builds the fabric, thread by thread, before dyeing, embroidery and finishing.

Every handwoven Pashmina or Tusha shawl depends on this simple tool. Factory-made shuttle boats are cheaper, but Zargar believes handmade Mukhs last longer and offer better quality. His work also preserves a specialised craft linked to Kashmir’s wider textile tradition.

Abdul Majeed Zargar has shaped wooden Mukhs for nearly five decades. His work is unusual because very few people still practise this specialised craft, and he is believed to be the last craftsman in Kashmir making the shuttles by hand.

Zargar did not begin with this trade. He first tried silver-making and knife-making, but neither worked for him. Learning to make Mukhs took almost a year. At first, experienced weavers found his shuttles faulty, and most traders turned him away. Early encouragement eventually helped him improve.

His craft is now threatened by declining handloom weaving. Power looms have replaced some handlooms, while younger people often choose computer-based jobs or city work. Zargar is teaching his son, but he remains uncertain whether the skill will survive after him.

A loom holds the warp threads in position while the shuttle carries the weft yarn across them. The warp forms the lengthwise framework, and the weft passes from side to side. Together, these threads create woven fabric.

The Mukh moves back and forth through the warp threads. Each pass places another line of weft yarn across the loom. Repeated crossings gradually build the cloth. The mechanism is simple, but it is the basic movement that allows a Pashmina shawl to exist.

After weaving, the fabric can continue to dyeing, embroidery and finishing. If the shuttle is unavailable, the loom cannot perform this essential movement. That is why Zargar calls the Mukh the basis of Pashmina, even though the tool is small and largely hidden inside the weaving process.

Handmade Mukhs support the basic action of traditional weaving. The shuttle carries weft yarn across warp threads, allowing fabric to form on the loom. Without a working shuttle, the loom cannot function, so a Pashmina shawl cannot move through its first stage of creation.

The problem is larger than losing a wooden tool. Making a Mukh requires specialised knowledge, including shaping the wood and fitting durable metal parts. If that knowledge disappears, weavers may depend more heavily on factory-made alternatives. The wider network of artisans connected to handwoven Pashmina could also weaken.

The article links this risk to declining demand, power looms and younger people leaving for other work. Zargar is teaching his son, but the future is uncertain. Preserving the craft depends on people continuing both to weave by hand and to learn how its tools are made.

Zargar nearly abandoned Mukh-making after traders repeatedly rejected his early work. His turning point came in Khayam, where a sazvari introduced him to experienced craftsmen. They noticed flaws in his handmade shuttles but still bought three pairs, even though the pieces were not good enough for weaving.

The purchase was an act of encouragement. When Zargar returned months later, the shuttles were still hanging unused on a wall. The craftsmen explained that they had bought them so he would not lose hope. They also recommended him to other weavers and traders who needed new shuttles or repairs.

Those introductions gave Zargar customers and time to practise. Slowly, his Mukhs became known for quality and durability. Some weavers eventually waited months for one of his tools. Their early support therefore helped turn a struggling beginner into a craftsman with a career spanning five decades.

Factory-made shuttle boats are replacing handmade Mukhs because they are cheaper and more readily available. This gives weavers a convenient alternative, especially as traditional handloom weaving faces declining demand and power looms become more common.

Zargar’s handmade tools offer a different value. He carves each Mukh with chisels and files, without modern machinery. He also replaced iron components with brass. Iron could rust, while brass makes the shuttle more durable and resistant to corrosion. These details help the tool withstand repeated work.

Zargar believes handmade Mukhs are superior in quality and longevity. Their production also preserves a specialised skill connected to Kashmir’s Pashmina tradition. Yet lower prices and easy availability make factory-made boats difficult to resist. The future may depend on whether weavers continue to value durability and traditional workmanship enough to sustain makers like Zargar.

The warp consists of the threads held lengthwise on the loom. The weft is the yarn carried across those threads. The loom is the framework and working system that keeps the threads arranged while weaving takes place.

In the process described in the article, the Mukh carries the weft back and forth across the warp. The warp stays in position while each pass adds another crosswise line. Repeated crossings form a connected sheet of fabric. This is the basic mechanism behind handwoven Pashmina and Tusha shawls.

The article stresses that the shuttle’s movement is essential before dyeing, embroidery and finishing. The loom cannot function without it. In simple terms, the warp provides the structure, the weft supplies the crossing yarn, and the loom coordinates their movement so threads become cloth.