Weavers have produced exquisite shawls in Kashmir for centuries, but their craft risks dying out in the face of cheap foreign imports and a young generation uninterested in mastering the skill. Kashmir gave its name to the soft cashmere wool that commands a huge prices in the West, but in some villages there are now only 10 paddle looms, known as khadis, where once there were 100. 

It takes 15 days' labor to make a single shawl. Cashmere scarves and sweaters sell for hundreds of dollars in the developed world. People in Kashmir take their animals up to high pastures in summer and bring them down in September to shear them and spin the wool. As snow blankets the valley for the long months of winter, villagers confined indoors weave shawls, embroidering colorful patterns by hand before selling them in the spring.

In the past, the isolation of the area helped local craftsmen as it was difficult to bring in goods from outside. Now, as communications open up, things are changing. Second-hand clothes with new designs, good material and at cheaper prices are available, so customers want to buy these than the more expensive handcrafted products. 

Traditional artisans who make beautiful shawls of special wool from the pashmina goat are facing difficult times. The younger generation is abandoning pashminas for jobs with the government or in the construction industry in Ladakh.