India Travel

Carpets and rugs

Kashmiri rugs are among the best in the world (up there with those from Iran) and, given a little caution and scepticism, you can get yourself a bargain in India (though you can also get shafted if you’re not careful). A pukka Kashmiri carpet should have a label on the back stating that it is made in Kashmir, what it is made of (wool, silk, or “silk touch", the latter being wool combined with a little cotton and silk to give it a sheen), its size, density of knots per square inch (the more the better), and the name of the design. The best way to ensure a carpet reaches home is to take it away and post it yourself; a seller may offer to post it to you and bill you later, which is fair enough, but your carpet will be sent immediately, whatever you say (will someone be there to receive it?), and if you use a credit card, your account will also be billed immediately, whatever is said. Be aware of import tax being levied on arrival. To tell if it really is silk, scrape the carpet with a knife and burn the fluff - real silk shrivels to nothing and has a distinctive smell. Even producing the knife should cause the seller of a bogus silk carpet to demur.

Tibetan rugs are available in areas with a large Tibetan community, such as Himachal Pradesh. Many foreigners prefer carpets in “tasteful” earthy colours, assuming them to be traditional and therefore i “ethnic". In fact, Indian carpets traditionally come in bright colours, though the syn- j thetic dyes used nowadays are of course i newfangled. Dhurries (woven carpets or kilims), traditionally made of wool, are an older art form, and a less expensive one. UP is the main centre for these, particularly Agra and Mirzapur, but they are also made in Rajasthan, Gujarat, the Punjab, and Andhra Pradesh. Recent revelations have exposed the widespread use of child labour, especialy in Mirzapur, but NGOs are proving successful in providing education and other basic facilities in the mills.