Weaving myth, folklore and resistance
Shabir Ahmad Mir’s debut novel The Plague is Upon Us was published in 2021 and rose to critical acclaim, making readers look forward to more contemporary fiction from the Jammu & Kashmir region. It established Mir as a chronicler of stories set in Kashmir, a region historically in socio-political turmoil but also one where everyday life still went on. In his new book, The Last Knot, he weaves a tale of myths, folklore and resistance in the erstwhile vale of Paradise.
Set in the 19th century, the story follows a young carpet weaver in Srinagar. In the fort set atop a hill, the weavers sit with their heads bowed down in their karkhan. One day, the weaver breaks the ritual by tearing apart a carpet and walking out. He disobeys his wusteh. Down the hill, he finds himself face-to-face with a thumbless man who had once been a weaver himself. He tells this man that he wishes to weave a flying carpet.
The former maestro laughs and tells him a story of King Solomon and a fabled blue silk carpet, similar to the one the weaver has in mind. The weaver disguises himself as a madman in order to find the right blue dye that would help him create the miraculous carpet. Bold, lyrical and powerful, the novella sets out on a quest for a mythical carpet, a young man’s dream, an artist’s craft, and a magical history of colour in Kashmiri folklore
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