LAHORE: An elderly Khuda Yar from Hamoka village in Khushab district waits for customers at his stall displaying brightly coloured, intricately handcrafted laacha, lungi, khaadi cloth, shawls on the last day of an exhibition here. He’s dejected that he hasn’t been able to sell a single item as, he believes, people here in the big cities “don’t value” such traditional art and craft.

Khuda Yar’s was among the 30 or so stalls part of the three-day ‘Indigenous People Exhibition’ that ran from Nov 9 to 11 showcasing craft from the native communities around heritage sites of Taxila, Katas Raj and Mankiala. It was curated by Kaarvan Crafts Foundation in partnership with Unesco Pakistan and Punjab Tourism for Economic Growth Project.

Khuda Yar, whose wife and kids all specialise in salara (traditional term for weaving handmade khaadi items), says it takes a week to make one intricate lungi that they sell for Rs3,200 to a “seth” who further sells it off as his own among other weaved items they make.

Before facilitating their travel to Lahore for the exhibition, the craftspeople were all trained in soft and presentation skills to market their products.

Rehana Nigar, who belongs to Sindh but has been living in Taxila for 22 years, was busy entertaining customers taking interest in her fancy, vibrant shadow work, appliqué on khaddar and net, aari-worked block-printed cloth, short coats with patchwork, gota patti work, khaadi shawls among many other items.

She says the art has been passed on to her from her mother who at that time believed that after marriage a girl either cooks or does handiwork. Starting solo 17 years ago with children’s embroidered clothes made to order for her community in Taxila, Rehana is now managing a burgeoning business and employs several girls for embroidery.

Liaquat Hussain from Pindi was selling handmade jewelley and traditional Kashmiri, Balochi, Sindhi, Kalashi caps with colourful aari work, embroidery, pearls and encrusted with jewels. Claiming to be self-taught, Hussain said he has been making these handicrafts since he was eight years old.

Ahmad Shah Abdali from Islamabad was silently carving landscape on wood with his stall displaying faces of important personalities, landscape, Quranic verses among other things carved on wood. Sheikh Muhammad Yousaf, a Kashmiri settled in Islamabad, was selling shawls, lose and stitched cloth, wall hangings, rugs, bags with traditional Kashmiri embroidery that he has been making for around 45 years after learning the art from his artisan father.

Sadaf Nisar from Rawalpindi displayed wall hangings, Quranic verses, flags, and jewellery made with colourful beads. She learnt beadwork 30 years ago as a child from her father who has been a master at the craft for 40 years.

These craftspeople were among the many participating in the three-day exhibition from Kallar Kahar, Taxila, Mankiala and Rawalpindi / Islamabad and adjoining areas held at a local shopping mall. Other products on display included beauty and food products created naturally with rose; salt-carved decoration pieces; stone- and marble-carved Gandhara art statues, pots and jewellery; traditional sweets; paintings; paper art; truck art; puppets and many others.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2021