Mohd. Waseem
Haji Mohammad Waseem is 48 and joined his family's horn and bone work after 10th standard. In Sambhal, which he calls the largest market for horn and bone in the world, he takes orders for carved boxes, frames and furniture and hands them to the artisans best suited to each job. His son handles exports.
Craft category: Horn and bone carving
Local name:
Technique: Hand carving; inlay (meena) over wood. About 90 per cent of the work is done by hand.
Material(s): Buffalo and camel bone; horn; brass; resin; wood
Objects: Boxes; photo frames; furniture; doors and windows; bangles, necklaces and earrings
Signature:
Craft status: Stable
GI tag:
Years practising: Since he finished 10th standard
Generations: Ancestral family work
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Open to visits: Yes
Can teach workshops?: No
Best season to visit:
Workshop space available?: Yes, the ground floor of his house
Nearest town: Sambhal
Nearest airport/ station: Delhi (IGI) airport, 170–180 km; Moradabad railway station, about 40 km
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Awards:
- An award from the Uttar Pradesh state government
Gender: Man
Organisation:
Age band: 45–60
Organisation type: Family business
Education: 10th standard
Craft cluster: Sambhal, which he says is called "Mini Japan"
Primary trade: Horn and bone work
Community:
Other trades:
Key people: His son, who handles export
Artisan type:
Local events:
History: His family's ancestral work. He says Sambhal, once Prithviraj Chauhan's capital, is the largest market in the world for horn and bone, and that about 80 per cent of the town works in it. The workshops are on the ground floors of houses, with families living upstairs.
Taught by: His family
Motifs/patterns and meanings:
Tools used: Traditional hand-carving tools; small hand-held motor tools; small CNC cutters
Related crafts: Brass and silver work; jewellery (bangles, necklaces, earrings) by specialist artisans in Sambhal
Equipment needed:
Other crafts engaged in:
Youth/ apprentices: Only his own children
Loom/main tool last serviced: Routine repairs are done in-house by experienced workers
What makes their work different: He says anything made of horn and bone can be made in Sambhal, from small boxes to furniture, doors and windows.
What's hard about it: Designs get copied, so he allows no video of production or designs.
No. of looms/workstations: 20
No. of people working:
No. of women artisans: None
Family vs hired:
Pieces per month:
Lead time:
Time to make one piece: A 6 by 4 inch sample box takes two days
How it is sold: His websites, and buyers who find Sambhal online
Takes commissions: Yes
Customisation: Yes (custom sizes and designs)
Wholesale:
Export: Yes, through his son
Middlemen:
Haats/melas: None
JoB shop
Haji Mohammad Waseem is 48 and joined his family's horn and bone work after 10th standard. In Sambhal, which he calls the largest market for horn and bone in the world, he takes orders for carved boxes, frames and furniture and hands them to the artisans best suited to each job. His son handles exports.
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