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Mohammad Raffique is the last Jinnah cap maker in Rawalpindi. This is his story

Mohammad Raffique is the last Jinnah cap maker in Rawalpindi. This is his story

The craftsman reveals how the cap, originally known as Karakuli topi, is made and its importance in our culture.
08 Dec, 2019

Mohammad Raffique is the last craftsman in Rawalpindi who specialises in the Jinnah cap.

A little more than 30 years ago, craftsmen like him worked across Rawalpindi, from Raja Bazaar to Saddar, but in the last decade their numbers have dwindled until just he remained. Now the 62-year-old works in a corner of a workshop on the top floor of Karakuli House on Bank Road, amidst tailors stitching sherwanis, trying to keep the craft alive.

Eschewing machinery, Mr Raffique works with his hands and it takes him about a month to make two caps. He is the last of his family to still make the Jinnah cap, also known as the Karakuli cap.

Now a rare sight, there was a time when the Jinnah cap was a popular accessory worn by men on formal occasions.

The Karakuli cap comes from Afghanistan, but it was popularised in the subcontinent by Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Jinnah had started wearing a sherwani from the 1937 All-India Muslim League conference in Lucknow, and he accepted a suggestion from Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan to start wearing a wool Karakuli topi around the same time. Soon after, the cap became known as the Jinnah cap.

Jinnah caps which used to be put on display in the shop front, now have been placed at a corner of the store
Jinnah caps which used to be put on display in the shop front, now have been placed at a corner of the store

After independence, the sherwani and Jinnah cap became a form of national dress, mandatory for the prime minister, president, judges, bureaucrats and diplomats.

The cap is no longer popular among the public or government officials. Its price, which ranges from Rs6,000 to Rs18,000 per cap, has also kept it out of most people’s wardrobes.

The cap is made with the hide of a newborn Karakul lamb from Afghanistan or Central Asia. The hide and wool of a minutes-old lamb is enough to make one cap.

The process of making the cap is also extensive, and it takes more than a week to complete. Mr Raffique on Bank Road takes a month to make two caps.

Once the leather has been acquired, it is moulded into a round shape on a wooden form called a last. The craftsman takes the customer’s measurements, cuts the leather accordingly and then stitches it in the shape and design chosen by the customer.

The cap maker uses a scissors to trim the edges of a cap
The cap maker uses a scissors to trim the edges of a cap

The inner and outer parts of the cap are prepared separately and then stitched together by hand. In the last step, the cap is given its triangular shape.

“Once the process is complete we polish the skin of the camel brown cap as it is expensive, and the wool is rare,” Mr Raffique told Dawn.

He said he learned the craft from his father, Sheikh Mohammad Hussain, who owned a Karakuli cap shop in Peshawar’s Qisakhawani Bazaar.

“I have been in this field for the last 50 years,” he said, adding that the number of people who were making these caps has fallen.

“In Peshawar, it was tradition. A father-in-law gave Jinnah caps to his son-in-law and his brothers, relatives and friends, so work would increase during wedding season,” he said. But now, few prayer leaders or religious scholars wear the cap.

Karakuli lambskins, used in making of the caps, come from Afghanistan and Central Asia
Karakuli lambskins, used in making of the caps, come from Afghanistan and Central Asia

Gen Ayub Khan, his son Gohar Syub, Syed Ghaus Ali Shah, George Sikandar Zaman of Khanpur, former prime minister Mohammad Khan Junejo, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, former governor general Musa and former prime ministers of Azad Kashmir Abdul Qayyum and Farooq Abdullahwore the Jinnah cap, Karakuli House’s owner Hassan Mustafa said.

He said his shop provided the Jinnah cap to all military messes as part of the officers’ ceremonial dress. Former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also gifted a Jinnah cap from the shop when he crossed the border at Wagah.

“The caps became expensive because the wool used to make them is imported from Afghanistan,” he explained, adding: “Besides that, it takes a lot of hard work and skill to sew the cap perfectly.”

Originally published in Dawn, December 8th, 2019

Comments

Asghar Ali Rana Dec 08, 2019 10:04am
Request philanothropists govt to help keep alive this art it is heritage and associated with founder of our country.
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Ashok India Dec 08, 2019 10:15am
Sad to see a traditional cap no longer in much use. Perhaps with govt/ private help using artificial leather the costs can be brought down ( and also saves life of young new born lamb - imagine being born and getting killed immediately.).
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Anon Dec 08, 2019 10:33am
I want one.
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PM Das Dec 08, 2019 10:35am
.these crafts has to be taught by experts like him. It is a tragedy that there is no apprenticeships in any of these traditional crafts supported by the government.
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M. Emad Dec 08, 2019 12:41pm
'Jinnah Cap' popular style in Dacca (Dhaka city) in 1950s and early 1960s. Haven't seen any in the last 2 years.
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Dr. Siddiqui Dec 08, 2019 12:55pm
The art and craft of making a Karakuli topi must be passed on to the future generations viz a viz apprenticeships.
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Salman Dec 08, 2019 02:35pm
Please imagine the pain of the minutes old lamb when its skin is extracted to use it in the Cap. No accessory is more than an inhumane practice. May Allah guide us.
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Junaid Ali Dec 08, 2019 03:20pm
But respect and admiration for Quaid e Azam is still left and will remain in every Pakistani’s heart
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Atif Amin Dec 08, 2019 03:30pm
Its lovely to wear one. I would love to buy it for myself and kids.
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OMAR BIN SAID Dec 08, 2019 04:03pm
"The cap is made with the hide of a newborn Karakul lamb" need anymore be said. I would say an alternate material be used to continue this craft. Why do we acclaim with pride such a thing
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Habib Zuberi Dec 08, 2019 04:03pm
Mohammad Rafique should be considered a great traditionalist who Acquired the art of preparing fine Jinnah Caps, worn by a very large number Of people not only in Pakistan but around the world. This Rs 5/- cap now costs Rs 6,000/-. You know the current value of Pakistani rupee. When, you bought this cap for even less than Rs 5/-' exchange rate was Rs4.75=$ 1.00, Now Rs 145/-= $1.00. So, the price of Jinnah cap in real terms is roughly the same...may be a bit cheaper. This art will die too.
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N Jambunathan Dec 08, 2019 04:10pm
I have read that the curly fur of the new born lambs become rough and straight shortly after birth. Hence pregnant lambs are slaughtered just before delivery and the foetus is removed to take out the fur.
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Kaleemuddin Khan Dec 08, 2019 06:37pm
@Ashok India I heard that some people terrorize mother to be and get pre mature baby lamb, who instantly killed after birth because its skin is very soft. We don't want this kara kuli topi by this cruel method
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DK Dec 08, 2019 06:49pm
"The cap is made with the hide of a newborn Karakul lamb from Afghanistan or Central Asia. The hide and wool of a minutes-old lamb is enough to make one cap." Perhaps not so bad that these are going away. It seems cruel to sacrifice a just-born lamb.
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Rizwan Khalid Arain Dec 08, 2019 07:49pm
an other lose of traditional fortune .
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SayNoToPlastics Dec 08, 2019 08:01pm
If newborn lambs have to be killed to make the caps then it is better that this craft dies.
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Brutality Dec 08, 2019 08:07pm
This is a cruel practice of killing a new born lamb for its hide. The state of affairs in our country is just the karma of being cruel and inhumane towards each other and all other creatures.
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Syed Hafeez Imran Dec 08, 2019 10:04pm
@Anon Easy just get it, not just wish
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Tamilselvan Dec 09, 2019 01:10am
Cap made from the hide of a newborn sheep. Is it fair to slaughter a new born sheep for a man’s vanity? Hate to see a craft getting lost but would prefer a synthetic topi. It will be cheaper, warmer and the craft can be kept alive
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Sandeep Subhash Shahani Dec 09, 2019 05:14am
Why dont the young Pakistanis teach him to sell online.Market all the specialities first. The leather the craftsmenship,exclusivity,rarity,etc etc.
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Ahmed mustafa Dec 10, 2019 06:32am
if every reader of this news item wil buy and ask his friend to buy and keep forwarding, this craft can be saved. it is our National heritage. i will order one soon.
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Nadeem Khan Dec 10, 2019 07:41am
Its sad. But dont worry. Multan still has many artisans of Jinnah cap or karakuli cap still working and surviving. Bring them to limelight. Some of them are near Ghanta Ghar chowk on Katchery road. Ask people they will guide you.
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Reality Bites Dec 10, 2019 08:36am
This cap is part of our tradition, we need somehow need to keep it alive and preserve it for generations to come.
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