Spinning away

Paposh Nagar's shopkeepers say people have become too 'status conscious' to visit the market.

KARACHI: “I work in merchandising, and I believe this is a good profession. But the business has suffered because of the current security and political situation and I think it is time for me to change professions because I am not able to mint money like I used to. It is really hard to make ends meet ... but I don’t know any other skills beside this,” says Haider Ali of HM Indian Sari House, which is located in the Sadia Cloth Market in Karachi’s Paposh Nagar area.

Paposh Nagar, a locality in Nazimabad, was once renowned for the best quality of original designs on fabric, mainly specialising in zari, dabka and kora work.

The market has now expanded to include shops selling bangles, cutlery, shoes and artificial jewellery.

Ali has run this shop for five years. Today, his store specialises in zari-zardoz, aari ka kaam and stocks suits and saris from Benaras and Mysore from India.

He believes the height of glory for this market was in the mid-1990s, but that the market is affected if there is unrest in Orangi town or Banaras Colony. “The entire market closes down even if one political or religious activist is killed. We can hear the firing shots of Banaras at Paposh Nagar.”

His thoughts are echoed by Haroon Rasheed, who works at the Shahid Haroon Zari Centre. “I have worked in this field for 12 years but this is the first time I have ever experienced this situation. The market has never borne such a forlorn look.”

“I earned merely Rs12,000 in profit this Chand Raat, as compared to other years when I was able to earn over Rs200,000.”

In the mid-2000s he employed up to 40 workers. Today, he only has 15.

The worsening economic situation has hit shoppers at the market as well. Rasheed says, “Customers who used to buy as many as 12 suits at a time now only buy two.

The same tale is repeated by Ali Raza of Stylish Point at the nearby Taj Baba Market. “We used to deposit profits at a bank. Now we take it home because we have to feed our families — there is no gross profit, which can be deposited in the bank!”

Raza also blames the growth of the ‘boutique culture’, referring to retail stores stocking ready-to-wear outfits, and the class system for the decrease in customers to the area.

“The growth of the ‘boutique culture’ in our society has killed our trade. Actors like Reema, Resham and Meera would visit this area to get their outfits made and stitched but they don’t come now.

People have become very status conscious and so they do not visit this area anymore.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2010.