Capacity building: For craftspeople, a little supplemental income goes a long way

Textile workshop brings artisans from across the country.

ISLAMABAD:

Mehraaj licks the end of a yellow thread, carefully inserting it in a needle as she weaves a miniature doll made of cloth and beads into a necklace. She explains how women in her village in Okara have benefitted from learning the skill of puppet making.

“Uneducated women are earning about Rs5,000 a month,” she said, adding that Thatta Khedona, the non-governmental organisation she is affiliated with, has helped economically empower women.

Mehraaj is part of a 25-member entourage of craftspeople who are participating in a two-week long textile workshop organised by Lok Virsa and Sungi Development Foundation.

“They have invited us here to enhance our skill set, but I don’t know what they will be teaching us,” she said, showing off a pair of ornate male and female dolls.

Adjacent to Mehraaj is a busy Kashmala, who has a boutique in Okara. “The amount these women earn may not seem much to people here, but it supplements the income of their spouses and serves to create a place for them in their villages,” she chimes in. Kashmala is exhibiting hand-embroidered clothing for women.

Next door, Khan Chand Chauhan is worried about closing down his business in Kandhkot, Sindh. “We don’t get a lot of buyers,” he said, standing by a display of hand-made khussas and chappals in vibrant colours and designs --- a rare sight in Islamabad.

His business card says he is gold medallist, to which he explains he has travelled across the world and won awards for his craft.

He shows off an album with images of intricately-crafted handbags, chappals and beaming portraits of him in front of the Taj Mahal.

“We just arrived today from Khairpur, so we haven’t set up yet,” said Sahib Deenu and Shah Nawaz, as they pointed to a disassembled loom, showing off vibrant khaddi shawls and lungis at their makeshift shop.

Their neighbour, M Akbar Chughtai, basks in diffused sunlight, surrounded by elaborate block-printed fabric as his son, nine-year-old Mohammad Ahmad, sets up nails to hang their work up for a more elaborate display.

“We use natural dyes and cloth,” he shares proudly. However, he gives a vague answer to what the workshop will be doing to help him improve his heirloom business. “I am passing it on to my sons but after they finish their schooling.”

The workshop sessions, which were inaugurated on Thursday, are held between 10am and 1pm, after which the participants display their work for sale behind the Lok Virsa amphitheatre. The crowd was thin on Thursday afternoon and the craftspeople seemed wary of making any sales and uncertain of what they will learn from the workshop.

However, a grateful Chughtai seemed optimistic. “Lok Virsa has encouraged and supported me for the past decade,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2012.