Traditional weaving: Rain hampers last day of exhibition

A spokesperson for Lok Virsa blames the rain for the low turnover.

ISLAMABAD: While the first seasonal rain came as a blessing for many, it marred the charm of a three-day exhibition on traditional weaving that concluded at Lok Virsa on Thursday. The event turnover was modest. A spokesperson for Lok Virsa blamed the rain for the low turnover.

But it was not just the rain that affected the attendance. The artisans interviewed believed that the event was ill-timed, as people do not prefer frequenting exhibitions towards the end of the month.

The exhibition featured the works of over 30 master artisans and craftspeople from across Pakistan. Traditional carpet weaving from Balochistan, Lungi, Khes, Farasi, Loi and Daree from Sindh, Khaddar and Carpet from Punjab, Taghar, Shawl, Palisk and Qaleen from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Patti weaving from Gilgit-Baltistan were displayed in the exhibition.

Notable artisans included Sahib Dino Mallah from Sindh, who is from a remote village Ranipur in Khairpur. His expertise lies in weaving Khes, which is a patterned, double-weave cloth, woven in certain areas of Punjab and Sindh, and is popular for bedding, curtains and rugs. It is also used as a shawl by the village men.

Dino learnt the art of weaving from his father when he was a child and has dedicated 36 years of his life to keep the tradition alive. Shah Behram, who specializes in weaving Taghar, a traditional woollen rug from Dera Ismail Khan, said that the response was much lower than previous years. Behram’s father was also a seasoned craftsperson of Taghar weaving, and received the Presidential Pride of Performance Award from the government.

The 70-year-old Pari from Badin in Sindh said she learnt the art of weaving Darree from her mother and is dedicated to preserving the tradition by imparting it through generations.

The exhibition was organized by the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage under joint institutional cooperation programme between Pakistan and Norway, said a spokesperson for Lok Virsa.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31^st, 2010.