Saturday, September 5, 2009
Sunrise Pashmina Moves Mountains!
Well, not exactly. The guys who handle Internet distribution of Tsering Choekyap's pashmina products via Sunrise Pashmina are also the instigators behind Mountain Legacy, a Nepali non-governmental organization (similar to an American non-profit, or 501-c-3); one of their new projects is Moving Mountains: Journal of Sport for Development and Peace. Take a look at the [inchoate] Web site, and see if you might be interested in joining the Steering Committee!
India claims the brand -- and that's just fine with their fakers
One thing that is native to India is fakery. In fact, the word derives from fakir, a Sufi holy man (and by extension holy men of other religions); these guys are famous for all sorts of tricks such as fire-walking and snake-charming. India doesn't have a monopoly on fakery, but the fact that India has assigned Kashmir ownership of the "brand name" pashmina should not fool anyone. They may come up with some new scams, but they didn't invent the word, the fabric, or the accessory.
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One year of GI status, fake Pashmina continues to be sold as brand Kashmir
From the Daily Rising Kashmir
Rashid Paul
Srinagar August 17: Fake Pashmina continues to be sold as brand Kashmir due to lack of labeling mechanism despite one year lag since Geographical Indicator (GI) registration was awarded to Kashmir Pashmina.
In August 2008, the Chennai based G 1 registry awarded community ownership to Kashmiri Pashmina, Sozni and Kani shawls. The Craft Development Institute (CDI) Srinagar which mooted Rs 10 crore laboratory facility in Srinagar to put a stop on selling of fake shawls is yet to be approved by the government. “Fake products in and outside valley continue to be sold as brand Kashmir,” said M S Farooqi, director CDI.
Mohammed Ashraf, a local shawl trader also complains that some unprincipled traders were mixing synthetic fiber with Pashmina. The same shawl is then sold as Kashmir brand which fetch them lakhs of rupees. The stuff looses its sheen after one wash resulting in bad name to the product and its place of origin.
Use of synthetic material has rendered hundreds of men and women jobless and the government is appreciating the same stock of traders, Ashraf said.
Ali Mohammed, president of Tahafuz, an organization of artisans seeking protection and promotion of Kashmir handicrafts said that Kashmiri businessmen dealing in Pashmina trade smashed it. It is a pity that the government is sleeping over the issue.
Mohammed Iqbal, a senior executive of the organization said that a two kilogram pack of fine wool used in Pashmina may cost up to Rs 10000. The deceitful traders get the same pack in adultered form at Rs 2500. The stuff is then fabricated on machines and sold in the market as Kashmir Pashmina, he said
To combat the menace the CDI director suggests a private initiative. If the government has failed to deliver, let the businessmen initiate stamping and fake detection facility, immense direct and indirect benefits will flow, he said.
The CDI had proposed a lab involving identifying real Kashmir Pashmina and tagging it with radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. The wafer thin chip could be coded with information about the manufacturing source and product specifications.
A buyer can read the tag and send the information to a centralized station meant for its validation.
Official reports put the woolen shawls exports at Rs 420 crores for the year 2007-2008.
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One year of GI status, fake Pashmina continues to be sold as brand Kashmir
From the Daily Rising Kashmir
Rashid Paul
Srinagar August 17: Fake Pashmina continues to be sold as brand Kashmir due to lack of labeling mechanism despite one year lag since Geographical Indicator (GI) registration was awarded to Kashmir Pashmina.
In August 2008, the Chennai based G 1 registry awarded community ownership to Kashmiri Pashmina, Sozni and Kani shawls. The Craft Development Institute (CDI) Srinagar which mooted Rs 10 crore laboratory facility in Srinagar to put a stop on selling of fake shawls is yet to be approved by the government. “Fake products in and outside valley continue to be sold as brand Kashmir,” said M S Farooqi, director CDI.
Mohammed Ashraf, a local shawl trader also complains that some unprincipled traders were mixing synthetic fiber with Pashmina. The same shawl is then sold as Kashmir brand which fetch them lakhs of rupees. The stuff looses its sheen after one wash resulting in bad name to the product and its place of origin.
Use of synthetic material has rendered hundreds of men and women jobless and the government is appreciating the same stock of traders, Ashraf said.
Ali Mohammed, president of Tahafuz, an organization of artisans seeking protection and promotion of Kashmir handicrafts said that Kashmiri businessmen dealing in Pashmina trade smashed it. It is a pity that the government is sleeping over the issue.
Mohammed Iqbal, a senior executive of the organization said that a two kilogram pack of fine wool used in Pashmina may cost up to Rs 10000. The deceitful traders get the same pack in adultered form at Rs 2500. The stuff is then fabricated on machines and sold in the market as Kashmir Pashmina, he said
To combat the menace the CDI director suggests a private initiative. If the government has failed to deliver, let the businessmen initiate stamping and fake detection facility, immense direct and indirect benefits will flow, he said.
The CDI had proposed a lab involving identifying real Kashmir Pashmina and tagging it with radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. The wafer thin chip could be coded with information about the manufacturing source and product specifications.
A buyer can read the tag and send the information to a centralized station meant for its validation.
Official reports put the woolen shawls exports at Rs 420 crores for the year 2007-2008.
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