I was born into basket weaving. My grandfathers and their grandfathers weaved basket. My name is Hajra and live in Bahawalpur, Punjab, that’s one of the biggest basket exporters in Pakistan. Once you are born here, you grow up basket weaving. It becomes just a thing you do, and not think about it much. You […]
From the high and cold mountains of Gojal, GB comes an exceptionally skilled lady Shamim Bano whose vision is to up her financial condition with her own talent, and not looking up to anyone. Mastered in carpet weaving and creating jewelry with famous stones of the North, Shamim told that family played their good part […]
Haji Bibi is a resident of Gojal Hunza. She works with handicrafts. She faced so many challenges when her husband’s travel agency closed down after 9/11. Her children were very bright students and to continue their education, she had to take a loan from a local bank. She worked day in and day out, in […]
Razia Somro is a resident of Bhit Shah Sindh. She has been working with Ajrak making and their raw materials. She talks passionately about the art of Ajrak making. The generational knowledge she has accumulated over the decades can shine through when she talks about the art of Ajrak making. She knows every detail about […]
Life has been never easy. I grew up in Kohat, NWFP. 6 sisters and 4 brothers, life was especially hard on my father, who used to handcraft men’s slippers. My mother stayed home and farmed in our fields. Everyone at home tried to make some extra cash. My grandmother used to make baskets, coasters and […]
A fierce Kalashi woman Meetah who inherited the legacy of creating local Kalashi handcrafts. Her beautiful ethnic bracelets, bags, caps and dresses are made with love. Women working under her, spend hundreds of hours weaving the beads, fingers moving the needle to form the colorful patterns of elegant embroidery. Meetah is the bridge that connects […]
Inspired by her mother, Shahida Afzal began making jewelry at a very young age. And later turned it in to a business which is now fifteen years old. She acquires material from Quetta and Karachi mainly. Being a widow herself, Shahida aims to empower women around her, and hence she has now built a strong […]
When I look at my childhood, all I remember is working with my family to make ends meet. Living with my eight siblings, early on, I had to learn to work hard. I learnt the skills of embroidery. I learn to survive on very little. I started to learn embroidery early on as I had […]
One fine morning, Razia woke up to a dead husband in her bed. It was twenty years ago. Her life shattered. She had eight kids, and her husband was the sole bread earner of the family. She woke up to a reality where she had no means to take care of her kids or herself. […]
Growing up Ruqqaya didn’t know where her next meal is coming from. Her father died early when she was mere a child. Her uncle took her in and she started working on his Ajrak making small business with her mother and aunty. She learnt the printing of beautiful and intricate designs when she was a […]
