Three-day 'Sartyoon Sang' crafts exhibition concludes in Karachi

Sindhi handicrafts made by rural women were exhibited at Dolmen Mall

All aspects of the Sindhi culture could be witnessed at a crafts exhibition, 'Sartyoon Sang', held in the city over the weekend.

In an exquisite display of traditional crafts at the Dolmen Mall in Clifton, a wide mixture of Sindh's handicrafts made by rural women were exhibited, including home textiles, baskets, jewellery, dresses, dupattas and shawls, embellished with traditional embroidery and cutwork.

The event was Sindh Rural Support Organisation's (SRSO) efforts to provide market links to rural women and artisans. The festival attracted large numbers of women residents of Clifton, Defence Housing Authority, Bath Island and nearby areas. It concluded on Sunday.

PHOTO: EXPRESS

SRSO Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Dital Kalhoro said the event's objective was to facilitate better income for women artisans of rural Sindh. "We have trained over 10,000 women from some of the most under developed regions of Jacobabad, Kandhkot, Kashmore, Shikarpur, Ghotki, Kambar Shahdadkot, Khairpur and Sukkur," said Kalhoro.



Women's Development Minister Irum Khalid inaugurated the three-day event.

She lauded the efforts of the SRSO for arranging the event and expressed hope that the event could be further helpful for development of links and easy market access for the artisans of skilled products.

PHOTO: EXPRESS

The exhibition comprised stitched and unstitched cloth, needle work with different types of embroidery, straw work, bed sheets, crochet work, machine embroidery and other items for women.



There were more than two dozen stalls exhibiting a mixture of traditional arts and crafts. Samina Barkat, a stallholder was seen busy with women customers. When asked about the prices, she said that various items had different prices.



"A variety of cushions and other items is displayed at my stand. The price starts from Rs700 and ends at Rs1,500," she said.

"The prices are very reasonable," said a visitor, Keenjhar Soomro, adding that she bought a traditional bag for Rs1,300 only, which is hard to find elsewhere in Karachi.

Scores of people visited the exhibition and appreciated the work of skilled women entrepreneurs.