Written by: Saif ul Islam
Posted on: August 09, 2018 | 
| 中文
Table runners from the tribal collection
On Saturday afternoon, 4thAugust, the first floor of a Kohsar Market café, Table Talk, served as the venue for an exhibition and a celebration of handicrafts by artisans from rural areas of Punjab and Sindh. Hosted by the Indus Heritage Trust, the event gathered women from across Rawalpindi and Islamabad, to witness Pakistani cultural creativity and buy the products resulting from it.
As I climbed up the stairs to the first floor of the café, I could hear women sharing their views about the craftwork. Handmade apparel was hung from the racks in the centre, whereas colourful handbags with woven artwork were placed on the shelves at the sides. On the terrace outside, numerous quilts and pillows inspired by diverse ethnicities caught the attention of the visitors and customers.
Combining Central Asian motifs with bright Punjabi colours, the Suzani collection employed the Aar technique to create blue and red floral motifs on various bags and cushions. Within the Aar technique, a special hooked needle is used to form loops of chain stitch embroidery. The same technique had also resulted in their Klim collection, which consisted of geometric patterns embroidered onto cushions and bags. Work inspired by Sindhi design included ralli, which involves appliqué work, and delicate tribal needlework inspired by ancient motifs. The Klim and Tribal collections were especially popular among the visitors.
While everyone was admiring the work and keeping each other company, I happened to come across the person behind it all. Siddiqa S. Malik, the Chairperson of the Indus Heritage Trust, was a vibrant figure among the people present. After spending 35 years in the United States, she witnessed the popularity of Pakistani artwork in the west and discerned it as a doorway for not only establishing an effective business, but also for promoting Pakistani artisans. During our conversation, she shared her vision for using the representation of Pakistani culture abroad to build our positive image around the globe. Through her efforts under the ambit of Indus Heritage Trust, she simultaneously plays a vital role in providing sustainable income sources to the women living in rural Punjab and Sindh.
“It was a difficult task at the beginning. We had to inculcate punctuality and the importance of deadlines among our artisans. Our efforts were focused on bringing their creativity at par with the customer demand,” she explained.
Taking a closer look at the products, one could see the elegant handiwork of the artisans, who had been given a duration of six weeks to complete them. The design of each product is carefully planned by designers at the trust, which are then sampled to the women in villages, who make the products using wooden frames, thread and needles. At present, Indus Heritage has 1700 beneficiary artisans and 8 creative enterprises spread out in Punjab and Sindh. Furthermore, they have developed design centres in both provinces, to facilitate the beneficiaries in all their needs.
After seeing the audience and customers pouring in and out of the doors, one can conclude that the event turned out to be a huge success. The ambience of the venue, the artwork of the artisans, the exuberance of the visitors, and the hospitality of the hosts, all played a key role in furthering the wonderful social cause of the event.
As I took my leave, Ms. Siddiqa Malik’s words resounded in my head, “All we want to convey through our efforts is that Pakistanis should recognize and own our indigenous culture. A single person can further their culture by buying products created by local craftsmen. We are playing our role in spreading it and people need to play their part.”
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