EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH CRAFTS

Shared by: yaofenjin
Categories
Tags
-
Stats
views:
76
posted:
8/24/2011
language:
English
pages:
95
Document Sample
scope of work template
							                                         CONTRACT NO. 450007187




        EMPOWERING WOMEN
         THROUGH CRAFTS
         UNESCO-NORWAY FUNDED PROJECT: MAPPING OF
           CULTURAL ASSETS IN DISTRICTS MULTAN &
                       BAHAWALPUR




                           END OF ASSIGNMENT REPORT
                                                 7-12-2010




43 G, GULBERG III, LAHORE. TEL: 042 35880822, FAX: 35847651 EMAIL: sajidavandal@gmail.com; thaapcas@gmail.com
           CONTENTS
               1. BACKGROUND/ INTRODUCTION
               1.1    Project Aims & Objectives
               1.2    Methodology
               1.3    Project Team and Management of Project

               2. RAPID SURVEY TO SELECT THE CRAFTS AND IDENTIFY ARTISANS IN
                   EACH OF THE DISTRICTS
               2.1      FIRST STAGE: Identification of Villages & Crafts
               2.2      SECOND STAGE: Formation of Training Clusters & Crafts for
                        Inclusion in Project
               2.3       Training Clusters
               2.4      Findings and Crafts Selected For The Project

               3. CAPACITY BUILDING
               3.1     Training
               3.1.1   Training Workshop: Sample; First Training Workshop
               3.2     Issues Regarding Training
               3.3     Villages/Participants & Crafts
               3.4     Management of Cultural Products
               3.5     Akaths: Thematic Areas
               3.6     Design Development

               4.   CRAFTSWOMEN
               5.   CRAFT TRAINING CENTERS &THAAP-CRAFT CENTERS
               6.   EXHIBITION
               7.   ACHIEVEMENTS
               8.   NATIONAL AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FOR HANDICRAFTS
               9.   THE WAY FORWARD: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNTIES

               10. ANNEX




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 1
  1          BACKGROUND

  In March 2010, THAAP-CAS was awarded the Project “Empowerment of Women
  through Crafts” within the framework of the Norway funded Project “Mapping of
  Cultural Assets in District Multan and Bahawalpur” to demonstrate the benefits of
  cultural mapping for communities. The Project is identified as Contract No. 450007187
  of March 2010. Work in the two districts was initiated in March 2010, with the Work
  Plan submitted to UNESCO on 15 March 2010. The above mentioned Contract contains
  a component for a parallel/similar project in District DG Khan to be carried out
  simultaneously through UNESCO funds. The Norway funded Project was scheduled to
  end on 15 Sept. 2010 giving a period of six months for the work to be carried out as
  delineated in the Terms of Reference (Annex 1). The project has been delayed due to the
  floods 2010 and unprecedented heavy rains in South Punjab, which all affected some of
  the villages where the Project was being carried out, thus through force majeure.

  1.1              PROJECT AIMS & OBJECTIVES

  Within the scope of the overall objective of demonstrating how Cultural Assets which
  have been identified by communities and mapped can be used for the benefit of
  communities to provide economic opportunities for them; the specific of the Project are
  as below and TORs are attached as Annex 1

        a)    Employ/ Use local craft traditions as a means for alleviating poverty
        b)    Develop Cultural Products to enhance economic opportunities for
              craftswomen
        c)    Train women to develop innovative contemporary design
        d)    Train women in marketing and management skills
        e)    Provide functional literacy to project participants
        f)    Establish a National Award of Excellence for Handicrafts, based on
              UNESCO’s regional program on the same lines
        g)    Organize an Exhibition to introduce the crafts of Southern Punjab to potential
              market through an Exhibition in October 2010. (the proceeds of which would
              go directly to the women beneficiaries to sustain their efforts)

  The Project required that 100 women be trained (20 women from 5 villages) in each
  district and a total of 10 Master Trainers be developed.
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 2
  1.2              METHODOLOGY

  The Methodology employed was designed to achieve the Project’s aims and objectives
  this required that sufficient information would be available regarding crafts and
  craftswomen in the Districts of Multan and Bahawalpur which would provide the basis
  to move forward. Information available from the UNESCO-Norway funded Project of
  Cultural Mapping in Districts Multan and Bahawalpur (2009) was useful for identifying
  the locations where various crafts were noted as assets.
  The methodology involved the following
     1. Assembling Project Team and personnel at District Level and setting up offices.
         Recruitment of Local Resource Persons.
     2. Rapid Survey of villages, identified in the Cultural Mapping, in each district to
         identify crafts and artisans willingness to participate in Project.
     3. Enlisting Project Villages based on crafts, artisans interest and logistics.
         Formation of Training Clusters and central points for joint training.
     4. Training including training methodology, material etc. for training in
         development of new innovate cultural products, marketing, management and
         functional literacy
     5. Training of Trainers and establishing quality standards
     6. Preparation of Craftwork for Exhibition
     7. Establishing standards of Fair Price for Cash-for-Work
     8. Packing and Finishing of Cultural Products
     9. Planning of Exhibition

  1.3              PROJECT TEAM & MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECT

  THAAP-CAS Core Team: The Core team was established including designers, with
  management/marketing and skill training and others trainers for basic training in
  functional literacy. The Team Leader was THAAP-CAS Executive Director, Sajida
  Haider Vandal. Other members of the Team included THAAP Principal Designer,
  Aisha Imdad, Mobeen Saeed (Textile Designer), Sadia Farooq (Product Designer);
  Muhammad Ali Wasti (Craft Designer/Management and Promotion) and Saba Samee
  (Exhibition Design). Each of the core team members brought onto the Project their
  particular expertise. The team designers are well known and experienced in
  teaching/training for 10-30 years and have been working for the promotion of crafts.
  The Head Office Project Coordinator appointed was Saira Yasir.
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 3
  Local Resource persons: One Resource Person was identified and appointed in each
  district to act as Field Team Leader (FLT). The selection was based on previous
  experience in community work, a good knowledge of local crafts and willingness to
  travel to remote/different parts of the district whenever required. Other criteria
  included ability to organize training sessions as and when required and liaise with
  designers and head office (HO) in Lahore; Experience of Computer programs relevant
  to the Project, electronic, oral and written communication skills. Women selected as
  Field Team Leaders were Bushra Sagar & Muzamal Yasin for Multan and Bahawalpur
  District respectively.

  Field Unit Office: THAAP Office in Bahawalpur at 4-A Satellite Town Field was used as
   the central office for the Project, while a small sub-field office was established in
   Multan inner city at Keera Wala.


                                                     PROJECT TEAM
             Team Leader                                                  Sajida Haider Vandal

            Principal Designer                                            Aisha Imdad

            Designer (Exhibition/Management)                              Saba Samee

            Designer Crafts/Management/Marketing )                        Muhammad Ali Wasti

            Designer ( Textile)                                           Mobeen Saeed

            Designer ( Leather & Palm Leaf Products)                      Sadia Farooq

            Field Team Leader ( Multan)                                   Bushra Sagar

            Field Team Leader ( Bahawalpur)                               Muzamal Younis

            Head Office Coordinator                                       Saira Yasir


      2. RAPID SURVEY TO SELECT THE CRAFTS AND
      IDENTIFY ARTISANS IN EACH OF THE DISTRICTS
      A two stage Rapid Survey was carried out. In the first stage the location/villages and
      crafts were identified along with the endangered crafts. In the second stage villages
      indentified through the first stage were revisited to establish those which had the
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 4
        potential for inclusion in the Project based on interest and availability of
        craftswomen to enable clusters to be formed.

  2.1              FIRST STAGE: Identification of Villages & Crafts

        Based on information attained from the UNESCO-Norway funded Mapping of
        Cultural Assets Project a Rapid Survey of villages in both districts was carried out
        and crafts with potential for inclusion in the Project were selected. The Rapid
        Survey was planned on the basis of tehsils in each district. In Bahawalpur these
        ranged from Yazman, which includes the Cholistan Desert while in Multan, Jalalpur
        Pirwala and Shujaabad and villages in Multan tehsil were visited by the core team
        members and local resource persons. The bazaars in each of the district/ tehsil
        headquarters were also visited as well as some of the local bazaars which were
        identified as the areas where local crafts and artisans were operative. The procedure
        followed was the filling in of a simple form, focal group discussions, evaluation of
        local craft products and availability of skilled crafts persons. The Tables below
        indicate the findings from the First Phase of the Rapid Survey which was completed
        in 10 working days

         CONSOLIDATED FINDINGS FROM RAPID SURVEY BAHAWALPUR (WOMEN CRAFTS)
                                     March 2010

  CRAFT                          MOST KNOWN LOCALE                                 AVAILIBILITY OF SKILLED
                                                                                   WOMEN ARTISANS
  HAND EMBROIDERY                 IN ALMOST ALL VILLAGES OF THE                    Each Village has about 30-50
                                 DISTRICT. BHELI, ABBASS NAGAR, DNB                women involved in Hand
                                 110, DNB 112, DERA BHAKKA and others              Embroidery. Some experts
                                                                                   available in all villages. Best
                                                                                   potential in DNB 110.
  CHUNRI MAKING                  ABBASS NAGAR and some others                      Abbass Nagar well known
                                                                                   traditional center. Quality
                                                                                   deteriorating because all
                                                                                   products being prepared on
                                                                                   Commercial basis
  PIT-LOOM                       ABBASS NAGAR, HEAD RAJAN,                         BC 33 most promising. Master
                                 RAIZABAD, BC 33, BASTI GADAN                      Trainers available. About 4
                                                                                   Skilled weavers and spinning
                                                                                   experts.
  PALM LEAF WEAVING              ABBASS NAGAR, BC 1, BHELI & OTHERS                Abbass Nagar has one
                                                                                   extended family preparing fine
                                                                                   products. In other areas
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 5
                                                     commercialization has taken
                                                     root
  CARPET WEAVING     AHMED PUR SHARKIA               Limited extent.
  POTTERY            AHMED   PUR    SHARKIA,  ABBASS Potters villages were found
                        NAGAR                        making products transported
                                                     all over Pakistan. Women
                                                     engaged in decorative work on
                                                     pottery pieces
  RALLI              CHOLISTAN                       Most exquisite. Large number
                                                     of craftswomen. Two different
                                                     types of ralli craft seen. Deep
                                                     Cholistan cannot be included
                                                     because of logistic problems
  BEAD WORK          CHOLISTAN                       Prevalent in Cholistani villages
                                                     and also with some Abadkars.
                                                     DNB 112 has best potential
  FALASI (Sheep Wool CHOLISTAN                       Mostly prepared in Deep
  Carpet)                                            Cholistan. Cannot be included
                                                     because of Logistics
  KHUSSAS            UPPERS MADE IN SOME VILLAGES    Some fine quality craft skills
                                                     available. Women bonded to
                                                     Contractors. Maybe difficult to
                                                     compete. Other products can be
                                                     prepared using same skills.


  An analysis was also carried out to help in deciding which crafts should be taken up in
  the Project. It had been decided that the most prevalent and popular would be taken up
  however the intent was to also identify those which were endangered and there were
  artisans who could be located with the skills needed for their revival. The following
  table gives the salient information regarding Endangered Crafts

  ENDANGERED CRAFTS BAHAWALPUR March 2010

  CRAFT                                 REMARKS                    SCALE OF POTENTIAL
                                                                   (high, moderate, low)
  NATURAL/VEGETABLE DYES                ONE WOMAN IN ABBASS NAGAR Difficult. Only one woman
                                                                   located in Abbass Nagar.
  PIT-LOOM                              METHOD OF MAKING FINE SILK Low: Can be done at a later
                                        EXTINCT                    stage.    Would      involve
                                                                   Ustads to take up revival
  PALM LEAF WEAVING                     LIMITED PRODUCTS           High: Skills exist. Develop
                                                                   Abbass Nagar and train
                                                                   others
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 6
  CARPET WEAVING                        QUALITY HAS DETERIORATED                     Low: Not many women

  JEWELRY                               TRADITIONAL METHODS       AND Low: No women artisans.
                                        STYLES NOT POPULAR            Outside the scope of Project
  RALLI                                 LIMITED PRODUCTS              High: New Products can be
                                                                      developed
  BEAD WORK                             LIMITED PRODUCTS              Moderate: New Products
                                                                      can be developed
  BUILDING DECORATIVE                   VERY LIMITED, LOSS OF QUALITY Low: Can be done at a later
  CRAFTS (FRESCO &                                                    stage.    Would     involve
  NAQASHI)                                                            Ustads to take up revival
                                                                      and     develop      Master
                                                                      Trainers.


 The consolidate Fact Sheet for District Multan is as below

                FINDINGS FROM RAPID SURVEY MULTAN (WOMEN CRAFTS)
                                     March 2010
             CRAFT                           MOST KNOWN LOCALE                             AVAILIBILITY OF
                                                                                           SKILLED WOMEN
                                                                                              ARTISANS
  HAND EMBROIDERY                   IN MOST VILLAGES OF THE DISTRICT.                  Very     prevalent.     Most
                                                                                       villages have 40-60 artisans
  PIT-LOOM                         MULTAN VERY LITTLE                                  No women artisans

  PAPER CRAFT                      MULTAN CITY                    Very exquisite. Limited to
                                                                  two nomadic clans. Women
                                                                  and men both involved
  PALM LEAF WEAVING                KHAN BELA VILLAGES             Five women. Best available
                                                                  in Dhup Seri (2 km from
                                                                  Khan Bela)
  CARPET WEAVING                   MULTAN                         Limited extent. Reputed to
                                                                  be mostly in District Vehari
                                                                  where women artisans are
                                                                  working in cottage industry
  BLUE POTTERY                     MULTAN CITY, NAQASHI BY WOMEN About 12 women in Multan
                                   ALSO                           City. Most have given up
                                                                  this work
  CAMEL SKIN WORK                  MULTAN CITY, LAYERING BY WOMEN Potential exists in Multan
                                                                  city only.
  BLOCK PRINTING                   MULTAN CITY                                         Earlier very popular. Now
                                                                                       artisans have given up
                                                                                       because     they    cannot
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 7
                                                                 compete with the market.
                                                                 Some women are eager
                                                                 relearn    and    set   up
                                                                 businesses
  CHUNRI MAKING                    MULTAN CITY, NOT VERY POPULAR Not much interest shown.
                                                                 Abbass       Nagar     and
                                                                 Khairpur seems to have
                                                                 taken the lead
  KHUSSAS                          UPPERS MADE IN MULTAN & SOME Several Women engaged in
                                   VILLAGES                      this work. Under contract
                                                                 to market.
                                                                 Other products can be
                                                                 prepared using same skills.




                            ENDANGERED CRAFTS MULTAN : March 2010
                    CRAFT                                   REMARKS                        AVAILIBILITY OF
                                                                                           SKILLED WOMEN
                                                                                              ARTISANS
  NATURAL/VEGETABLE DYES                        GOOD METHODS EXTINCT                   Difficult. Keror Pucca was
                                                                                       visited. Haji Amer Buksh ,
                                                                                       reputed to be best could
                                                                                       not prepare acceptable
                                                                                       products
  PIT-LOOM                                     VERY LIMITED, METHOD OF                 Low: Can be done at a later
                                               MAKING FINE SILK EXTINCT                stage. Would involve
                                                                                       Ustads to take up revival of
                                                                                       traditional weaves.
                                                                                       Deyaieh, tehsila extinct.
  PALM LEAF WEAVING                             LIMITED PRODUCTS                       Moderate: Can be explored

  CARPET WEAVING                               QUALITY HAS                             Low: No market and no
                                               DETERIORATED                            women weavers found in
                                                                                       any village
  JEWELRY                                      TRADITIONAL METHODS                     Low: No interest shown by
                                               AND STYLES NOT POPULAR                  women
  BUILDING DECORATIVE CRAFTS                   VERY LIMITED, THOUGH                    Low: Can be done at a later
  (FRESCO & NAQASHI)                           MASTER CRAFTMEN                         stage. Would involve
                                               AVAILABLE. LIMITED USAGE                Ustads to take up revival
                                                                                       and contemporary usage.
                                                                                       High Potential for future



UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 8
  2.2              SECOND STAGE: Formation of Training Clusters & Crafts
                   for Inclusion in Project

  After the first round of visits, the core team analysed the data and identified those
  villages which appeared to have the most potential. This was followed by a second
  round of visits to these villages to select the participants and explain the next phase, i.e.
  the Training component. Suitable locations for the training had to be determined based
  on accessibility for the communities and suitable arrangements for the training. In both
  districts the possibility of carrying out the training in one central location was explored
  but this was not acceptable for the participants for the first session. It was resolved that
  the initial training would be held in atleast three different locations in each district and
  then efforts would be made to move towards collective training sessions so that benefits
  accrued through exposure to crafts and craftwork from other areas could be reaped.

  2.3      TRAINING CLUSTERS
        Locations for Decentralized Training Workshops was as follows
        Bahawalpur : Bheli, Basti Menghwaal, Basti Khangah, Derawar; Abbass Nagar;
        DNB 110, DNB 112, Dera Bhukka, Yazman, 28 BC,
        Multan: Chah Bajay Wala, Multan, Village Khan Bhela, Kera Wala, Paper Craft work
        at Lodhi Colony, Multan City

        Locations for Joint Training
        Bahawalpur: Bahawalpur City
        Multan : Chah Bajay Wala, Keera Wala

  2.4      FINDINGS AND CRAFTS SELECTED FOR THE PROJECT
  A brief on each of the Craft was prepared for use of the trainers and is reproduced
  below. The potential of each was also indicated

  1.     PIT-LOOM: Bahawalpur & Multan region were famous for its pit-loom
  industry but now it is on the verge of extinction, having been replaced by the Kasuri
  loom. In BC33, Abbass Nagar, and Basti Gadan traditional pit-loom crafts persons have
  been working in this profession for last 4 generations and could be involved as trainers,
  the first appears to be more promising. The shift to the larger loom has affected the
  traditional designs. With pit loom the weavers are producing three different kinds of
  products i.e., Khais, (bedspread) Shawls and Cloth. The finer silk cloth weaving
  methods are extinct.
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 9
  Khais: There are two types of Khais being produced i.e. Saada Khais and Majnu Khais.
  Saada khais is plain with strips on the borders of varying sizes, whereas Majnu Khais is
  more intricately designed and is based on two mutually contrasting colors. The pit-
  loom craftsmen family from a village in Yuzman (largely consisting of Hindu
  community) creates beautiful Khais in Saada and Majnu designs. Bhera Ram explained
  that his expertise is in three traditional designs of Khais, which are traditional designs
  and have been in his family for generations. He can make designs in Majnu Khais called
  Maky Khori; Kamal Khori and Diwani Dabi Khais on the pit-loom. Khais is made in two
  “puth” (parts) of about 24” each, later sewn together to get the size of a bedspread. This
  is due to the limit of width on the pit-loom.       There is potential to develop cultural
  products which the trainers need to assess. Samples of each have been procured.
  Cloth: The cloth made on the pit-loom can range from the course to the very fine cloth
  made in a variety of designs. Among these, Susi, weaved in straight lines is the most
  famous and popular. The coarser version called “tehsila”, traditionally made with white
  pinstripes in a few colors (indigo, blue, green, red, and sometimes brown) and of small
  width (about 10 to 12”) is extinct as are the fine varieties of susi earlier made in cotton
  and silk yarn. (available in personal collection of the Team Leader). A silk variety
  famous at one time, prepared with silk worm thread is now also extinct. Susi is
  extensively made in the villages of Punjab and Sind but now mostly on the larger
  Amritsari or Kasuri loom which allows cloth to be weaved in a larger width than the pit-
  loom where the width is restricted to a maximum of about 30”. The cycle of preparing
  cloth on pit looms traditionally involved both men and women. It was the women who
  prepared the yarn on “charkas” (spinning wheels) whereas the tana was mostly prepared
  by the men while the weaving was done by both by women and men. Multan district
  was also famous for “deriye” which was prepared with silk thread on the pit-loom with
  two colors woven together and popularly referred to as “doop- shaun” (sun-shade). This
  is now extinct. No weavers could be found who knew the technique any longer.
  Samples of all extinct cloth mentioned above are in the personal collection of the Team Leader
  and trainers can assess the possibility of reviving some weaves.

  Shawl: Traditional shawls are very popular in the Multan and Bahawalpur region. A
  traditional weaver Ghulam Hussain (father) and Riaz Hussain (son) make warm shawls
  and desi khais on pit-loom. They can make 8-10 yards of thick woolen shawl cloth in one
  day, thus one woolen shawl in two “puths”(parts) can be completed and two can be
  completed in 2 days. The material used in the woolen shawl is called Pasham (Sheep
  wool yarn). Ghulam Hussain is able to sell traditional design shawls in his villages. He
  proudly asserts that he sells all his products in the village, as people still prefer to buy
  his shawls rather than go to city for modern products.
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 10
  An entire family of weavers from 33 BC in Bahawalpur is probably the only weavers
  left who can make shawls in silk. These shawls are called Salari. The mother makes the
  thread on the traditional charkha and the sons make the shawls on pit-looms. The shawls
  are plain with colorful borders. They sell their work to the locals of the area and do not
  need to take their products to the market since a lot of people from the surrounding
  areas place orders for salari, which is used at weddings and other occasions to welcome
  guests and the bridal party. The silk weaving is an extremely difficult process as the
  thread is very thin and it takes longer time to make one shawl. According to Nadeem
  (one of the son) they can make one shawl in one week approximately. Trainers need to
  assess the potential for transfer of knowledge to women artisans and develop products which can
  be sold in an exclusive market.
                                        In spite of repeated visits no fine pit-loom weavers
                                        could be located in Multan.
                                        The major issue in pit-loom industry is that is rapidly
                                        being replaced by the larger loom (Amritsari/Kasuri)
                                        where cloth of a wider width (1.25 yards) can be
                                        prepared which is more suitable for apparel. The
                                        exquisite cloth prepared on pit-looms is thus an
                                        endangered craft and the traditional motifs are being
                                        forgotten and some of the more intricate weaves and
                                        cloth now either extinct or nearing extinction. The art of
                                        pit-loom needs to be promoted by opening new avenues for
                                        the product, finding buyers and a market for this most finely
                                        made material and an exceptionally rare craft. Possibility of
                                        revival of varieties now facing extinction can be taken up.
   Nur Khatoon, BC 33 Bahawalpur District

  2.      PALM LEAF WEAVING: Palm Leaf weaving is done with the dried leaves
  of date-palm known as ‘Khajji’ locally. Date palm is considered to be the third major
  fruit of the country and abundantly grown in South Punjab. It is used to make various
  items such as baskets, ropes, hand fans, prayer mats etc. Products are either utilitarian
  objects or for decorative purposes only and prepared by women in their free time. They
  have come up with many innovative designs in colorful dyed palm leafs. The color
  range is still restricted to a few colors, yellow, green, red, shocking pink which is
  because these appear to be more popular colors. In the beginning color was not used
  but the weave produced a variety of patterns which is still made in some villages.



UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 11
  The palm leaf and wheat stalk craft is a traditional and seasonal craft. Products are
  usually made in the late summer when the raw
  material has been dried and prepared for weaving.
  Most young women learn the skill when young
  from their mothers and grandmothers, but all
  villages invariably have some women who are
  acknowledged masters and are much sought after
  to prepare a range of products for a girl’s dowry
  and other special occasions. Safia Bibi of Basti
                                                                Changar from Uch Sharif, Bahawalpur District
  Majnon, Abass Nager, (District Bahawalpur) along
  with her elderly mother, Mithan Mai, makes floor
  mats, (Chatais), hand fans and praying mats, fruit
  bowls of varying sizes and platters. The mats made
  for daily use are generally plainer while others are
  more colorful. Mats are weaved in puths, (parts) of
  about 10”width and then sewn together with palm
  leaf. The family has been well known for
  generations for the fine products that they have
  been making and the innovation that has been
  brought into it by each generation. This is also the
                                                                Mat from Khan Bela, Multan District
  case of Mariam and her family of Abbass Nagar and
  of others in the various villages of the districts. Palm Leaf products have been sustained
  by the demand from village communities and have thus survived for generations but
  are now threatened due to the commercial products which are usually cheaper and
  rapidly replacing these hand made products. Mithan Mai and Safia Bibi assert that they
  get enough work from their own community and thus do not need to sell any of the
  products in the market. The potential of these objects for the contemporary market, however,
  needs to be explored since it is also facing problems, as craftswomen don’t get enough return for
  the hard work put into the making of a palm-leaf product. The palm leaf products are unique and
  rare and a bigger market needs to be tested for new cultural products. Trainers need to examine
  the possibility of developing new products beyond the traditional “changhar” which had limited
  use.

  3.     HAND EMBROIDERY: Hand Embroidery is a prevalent craft throughout
  the two districts and found in all villages. It is an art in which designs or patterns are
  stitched on the fabric with needle or an ar (awl). Few of the stitches/tankas, which are
  popular, are Kacha Tanka, Katcha Pucca Tanka, Aari Tank, Salma Sitra, Gota Kinari, Chicken
  Kari
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 12
  Hand embroidery has found a commercial market with the ensuing problems of loss of
  quality and exploitation by the middlemen/contractors. Most villages also have local
  sub-contractors who hand out work to the various embroiders in their village, thus, the
  craftsperson faces exploitation at two levels and ends up by being paid very little for the
  lovely products that they prepare. Although some women are working full time on this
                                                     craft usually it is a spare time activity
                                                     since it fetches little returns. It is
                                                     common to find young girls preparing
                                                     embroidered products for their jehaz
                                                     (dowry). This is usually of fine quality
                                                     and often very exquisite and intricate
                                                     compared to the products prepared
                                                     for the market which is almost always
                                                     course and restricted to a few popular
                                                     designs provided by the middlemen.
                                                     Traditionally the embroidery was
  Katcha Pucca Tanka
                                                     taught to the young girls by their
  elders or by the traditional teacher who taught them the Quran as well as survival skills
  but now there are Dastakri (handicraft) centers run by some of the enterprising women
  of the village where the craft can be formally taught. Men too are increasingly involved
  with embroidery work usually working at an “adda” (large frame) for the commercial
  market.




  Village Theghar, Multan District                                  Khan Bela, Multan District: Shawl with Ar work for
                                                                    which Rs 18 is paid for embroidery

  Bushara Hafeez, of Faizabad, Chak No 29 BC, trains girls at her own house. She learnt
  the art of embroidery from her mother and other female members of her family when
  she was young. She usually takes 3-4 days on one suit (shirt & dupatta) and 3-4 shirts in
  one day. She works on orders from different people in her locality. She knows 40

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 13
  different stitches. Bushra has taught more than 50 girls by now and she is
  acknowledged as the Ustad (master teacher) by her community. She proudly speaks of
  her shargids (students) who have got married and gone away from the village to spread
  this craft amongst more communities.
  Mariam Ayub is an expert of Ari Tanka and in her spare time does embroidery to
  supplement the income of her family. Ari Tanka was adopted in cloth embroidery from
  tilla work on leather uppers, an embroidery technique used in making of Khusas (leather
  slipper). Its implements are a hook like needle called ar. Ar is of various sizes to achieve
  more refinement in the embroidery. Mariam learnt ari tanka from her mother, as is the
  usual practice in the villages of South Punjab. Embroidery is a good way to pass time
  and does not require any major tools and all women do embroidery after finishing their
  daily chores. She makes beautiful shirts and duppattas.
  The potential of the extensive hand embroidery sector has not been fully appreciated
  due a variety of reasons amongst which is the prevalent view that women are often
  confined to their homes through this work. This may well be true in the current scenario
  but the possibility and potential of women setting up their own small enterprises as has
  happened in the urban areas exists which is the direction that needs to be considered and capacity
  of the village embroider enhanced to be equipped for the modern business world. At present there
  are two levels of contractors operational and exploiting the artisans, one is the market contractor
  and the other is the village based sub-contractor. Trainers need to be conscious of the village sub-
  contractor and ensure that fair price criteria are used throughout when CFW is being considered.


  4.     CHUNRI MKING: Chunri or the art of tie
  and dye is a famous craft of the Saraiki speaking
  region as well as Sind. Bahawalpur ranks high as a
  center of Chunri making with the presence of villages
  like Abbass Nagar which have been preparing
  products for the market since ages. Multan also have a
  tradition of Chunri making but on the decline.
                                                                                    Chunri from Abbass Nagar
  process involves the cloth being first starched to
  provide a b The etter grip while tying the tiny knots which have been traced on the
  cloth in the form of dots according to the pattern. Small grains of wheat are tied in the
  fabric on each dot with the help of a special needle like tool. This process is called
  bandhini. The dye was traditionally done in different bright colors popular in the
  Cholistani area of Bahawalpur. Earlier natural dyes, referred to locally as “Matka”
  colors, named after the earthenware urns used in the process were popular but now
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 14
  chemical dyes are mostly used. There are very few women who know this ancient way
  of preparing natural dyes since chemical dyes are easily procurable and the constraint
  of time and resources has almost made the traditional knowledge of “matka” colors
  extinct.
  The     preparation    of    a   Chunri,    a
  predominantly women’s craft, involves the
  tasks of bandhini making and dying which
  are usually done by different persons.
  Fazalan Bibi, of Majnoon Basti, Abass Nager
  district Bahawalpur, binds the Chunri
  designs on orders for the Chunri dyers. It is
  an extremely difficult task and the nails get
  badly injured. She has been doing this work
  for as long as she can remember. She said                            Chunri from Abbass Nagar

  that it takes her around 3-4 days to
  complete a pair of clothes.
  Nusrat Bibi and her entire family of Abass Nager make Chunri’s on a professional basis.
  According to them Chunri is a traditional craft of all the Saraiki families and most
  women of the village know the art; some of whom are considered experts and prepare
  the work for special orders. Most of these women know the fine and intricate
  traditional designs and patterns since this is the family heritage, however new designs
  have evolved which are coarser and easier to prepare thus more suitable for a market
  which pays low prices for this work.
  The market for good quality Chunri needs to be created and the crafts persons should be
  encouraged to go back to their original intricate and refined traditional designs, and make new
  products which appeal to the modern buyer. A Challenge for the trainers to take up!

  5.     RALLI MAKING: Ralli making is synonymous with the Cholistan desert,
  where it is widely practiced and most intricate although it is found in other parts of the
  region as well. The craft is thought to have had its origins in the need to strengthen old
  clothes which were stitched together with finely done running stitches for utilitarian
  household use and then started being a treasured item for a variety of products,
  especially prepared for trousseau and special use. In the desert ralli are also called rindhi
  or gindhi. Mostly the colorful cheeth (cotton cloth), which is the commonly used cloth for
  apparel is used to make ralli. The cheeth cloth is cut in a traditional design pattern and
  then stitched together with a needle. Once all the pieces are stitched together; two to
  three layers of cloth are placed under the patchwork cloth and attached together with
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 15
  running stiches. The very minute stitches are done in straight lines on all the ralli used
  as bedspreads, floor covers, pouches, storage bags, camel saddle cloth and saddle bags
  and such other usages. Sometimes appliqué work is rendered on the borders and at
  times embroidery of stylized birds and plants can also be found on some rallis. The
  process is time consuming and painstaking and done by women in whatever time they
  can get from their daily toil. Appliqué work rallis with patch work borders can also be
  found.
                                                    The term ralli derives from “rallana, which means
                                                    to connect”. The women of Cholistan make these
                                                    rallies for their daughter’s trousseau. They say
                                                    that the day their daughter turns ten year old
                                                    they start making the rallies for their dowry.
                                                    Various kinds of rallies are created for different
                                                    occasions in her married life, the most intricate
                                                    being for the marriage day. Sons too get their
           Ralli from Basti Bodiwalla               share of rallis for their married life.
  These rallies are very versatile in their use for
  local people. If they are traveling they put it on
  the ground to rest. It they feel cold in the cool
  desert night it can be used as a cover. If they are
  in the house they use as bedspreads on their
  charpais (cots). In every way the colorful rallies
  bring brilliant color in their lives with a variety
  of bright yellows, reds, shocking pinks, bright
  greens and blacks.
                                                                   Ralli from Basti Mojgarh


  Bags and others such
  objects made out of cloth
  creates      the     needed
  versatility for people of the
  desert who are by force
  nomadic and having to
  travel large distances in                                                         Tobacco Pouch from Basti
                                                                                    Menganwal
  search of water.
                                                 Ralli from Basti Khangah




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 16
  6.     GHOGHOO GHORA: The Ghoghoo Ghora or a toy horse is a traditional craft
  and one of the oldest in Pakistan. Traditionally ghoghoo ghora was made in terracotta
  with hole in its back. When air is blown in it the ghoghoo ghora would make a sound and
  that is how the toy horse got its name. It has been part of our cultural heritage for a
  longest period. Ghoghoo ghora’s made of terracotta have been found in the Indus Valley
  sites and considered to be children’s toys. It remains as a part of the rural culture of
  South Punjab. The design of the toy horse varies from place to place. Over a period of
  time the ghoghoo ghora material has also evolved. In the Multan region a special kind of
  the toy horse has evolved, made of rags and paper. Every year before Eid festival
  colorful ghoghoo ghoras are seen near Eidgah of Multan which are sold to celebrate the
  Eid festival. Ghoghoo Ghora’s are made by the khanabadosh (gypsy tribes), who are
  nomadic and roam around in the region in search of work and come to Multan at the
  Eid Festival. One particular tribe is now squatting in Multan working as scavengers.
  The making of the ghoghoo ghora is an interesting and fascinating process. The entire
  family works together as a team to create this exquisite craft. The wonderful thing
  about their art is that everything used to make a ghoghoo ghora is made out of recycled
  material. They use old clothes, paper, toori, (wheat chaff) and kana or reed stalks to
  make the ghoghoo ghora structure, a paste made out of atta (wheat flour) and powder
  color is used to create traditional colors used on the ghoghoo ghoras. The paper is colored
  in purple, shocking pink, yellow, red and white.
  The structure is constructed with old cloth stuffed with crushed wheat and the legs are
  made of Kana, reed stalks. Once the structure is sewn together the basic body color is
  applied. The color is in the form of a lai; a paste made out of color dye and atta (wheat
  flour), mixed together in the form of a thick paste. The traditional body color of a
  ghoghoo ghora is purple; hence purple color is applied all over the body. Once the body
  is colored, the reed stalks legs are attached to the body. White paper is pasted on the
  upper portion of the legs to keep the legs secure and in place.

  In the next step yellow paper is used to make the decorative neckband for the ghoghoo
  ghora. Neckband of ghoghoo ghoras are further decorated with red and green paper cut-
  outs in the shape of a frill. The front legs are covered with shocking pink paper to create
  a decorative costume for the ghoghoo ghora.

  Metallic pani or silver paper stripes are used to further decorate the horse. The silver
  paper is cut out in thin strips and is used to give the costume of the ghoghoo ghora a
  more formal look. The face of the horse is decorated with green paper and eyes are
  made of yellow paper. The head is decorated with a feather made of white paper. The
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 17
  seat of the horse is made of yellow paper cut in the form of a saddle. The back of the
  horse is again covered in green paper to create an illusion of a costume worn by the
  horse. The white paper is cut out in a form of its tail, which shows in contrast through
  the green costume covering the back. The costume is decorated with thin strips of paper
  pasted in contrasting colors to create decorative motifs.
  The leash of the horse is decorated with paper flowers
  in red, yellow and shocking pink. Parrots are also now
  being made.

  While the horse was the traditional form and gave the art its
  name, ghoogo ghora, it may be possible to make an array of
  animal forms which will bring in a new impetus for this
                                                                Ghulam Fatima
  craft. The parrot, camel, peacock and elephant are some
  possibility. Maybe some product can be thought of that may be needed throughout the year as
  well such as shopping bags?




                                     Ghooga Ghoras of Multan


  7.      BLOCK PRINTING In Multan block printing has been done for many
  centuries. Due to lack of buyers most block printers have left the craft and started doing
  other work. Keror Pucca (district Lodran) a known center of this craft produces
  sufficient for the demand of the market. The designs for the blocks are selected or made
  on paper. After that wood is selected on which the block master/carver carves the
  design. The block carving is a very intricate job and must be perfectly prepared since
  the quality of the product will depend on the block itself. The block is prepared
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 18
  according to the motif; one block for each of the colors used in the motif thus sometimes
  three to four blocks are prepared for a single motif. Once the blocks are carved and
  before starting with the block printing the blocks have to be made ready for printing.
  The blocks are soaked in mustard oil for about three days to take away the rough edges
  and make it more receptive to the paint. Traditionally organic colors were used for the
  printing but due to the work and time involved in making organic dyes the printers
  have stopped using natural dyes and are now relying on chemical dyes. There are two
  different kinds of colors that can be used on cotton in block printing. One is Alka Binder
  color which is used on light base cloth preferably
  un-starched cotton. The other is called paste color,
  which are used on dark based, thick cloth. The
  color used on the silken cloth is called Proshan. The
  aim is to have the color when applied to the cloth
  come out smooth and even and completely
  absorbed in the cloth so as to get a sharp image of
  the motif. The block printer’s table is specially
  prepared, its size is equivalent to the material to be
  printed, and thus about 3 yards length and about Crafted by Haji Abdullah about 20 years ago
  1.25 yards wide to accommodate the size of the dupatta/ shirt to be printed in one go.
  The table’s surface is affixed with 60 layers of bori (sack) cloth on it. The block printer
  fixes the cloth on the table and starts using different blocks dipped in the desired color
  to start printing various design patterns. The patterns can be varied of a single or
  multiple colors dependent on the skill of the block printer.
  The quality of block printed material has considerably deteriorated and even in Keror
  Pucca the quality is not up to the mark.

  The age old craft of Block Printing is facing difficult times with several of the crafts persons
  leaving their family trade in search for more lucrative likelihoods, often moving away from the
  village abodes to the cities, thus the extinction of skills which had survived for centuries seems
  imminent if a market is not found for this age old craft. Trainers need to find out how to revive
  the traditional techniques and assess whether some women artisans can be trained. If need be
  visit other known areas of block printing to see whether better quality work is being produced.

  8.     BLUE POTTERY: The blue pottery of Multan is famous all over the world. It
  is considered as one of the hallmark of Multani crafts. The Sultanate period monuments
  in Multan and elsewhere in the region bear testimony to the skills of the Multani
  Kashigars (tile makers). It is believed that the craft of making blue tiles came to Multan
  from Central Asia in 12th Century during the rule of the Ghaznavids and the Delhi
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 19
  Sultanate. Some scholars are of the view that “The use of foliage branches and leaves of trees
  and superb richness of colors (main blue) in Kashi work is an evidence of Persian influence. As
  Persian arts themselves have been under Chinese (Mongol) influence, therefore some historians
  are of the view that Kashi work had originally come from Kashghar, China.” From its origin, “
  Over a period of centuries Multani Kashi work has matured and developed a unique and
  distinctive style of its own” 1.

  The exquisite kashikari at the Shrines
  of the Sufi Saints of Multan, Shah
  Rukh-e-Alam, Baha’ud din Zakariya
  and the Ismali Saint Shah Shams-ud-
  din Sabzwari are some examples of
  the high quality of the tile work that
  the kashigars of the time had achieved.
  “But later, due to a lack of patronage,
  standards began to decline, until the
  craftsmen started switching over to other
  work. However, there are still handful of
  craftsmen who are sticking to their
                                            Kashi Kari at the Entrance of Shrine of Shah Shams Sabzwari
  ancestral trade”. 2 Among these are
  Ustad Mohammad Wajid and Mohammad Zafer. Both live and work in the old city’s
  Mohalla Pir Pathan and prepare not only the tiles but various decorative and utilitarian
  objects such as vases, lamp shades, crockery etc using age old techniques and methods.
  Ustad Wajid’s family has been in this profession for over 500 years but now due to lack
  of a clientele his sons have found other livelihood. Ustad’s Zafer family has been in this
  trade for 300 years and now none of his children want to continue with this work. This
  illustrates the problems being faced by the crafts people throughout the region. This
  craft continues to be endangered inspite of the efforts made by the government to set up
  Blue Tile Center in Multan and elsewhere the craft continues to suffer due to lack of
  good marketing and promotion.

  This traditional art of Kashikari in Multan is different from other pottery styles in the
  country because of its process. The traditional clay which was used was a special type


  1Hashmey, Hira; Blue Pottery in Pakistan. A cluster information Report. Unpublished report, AHAN –
  Pakistan



UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 20
  of clay found never the rivers of Multan which was prepared and refined through age
  old techniques to give it’s the fine quality that Multan blue pottery is famous for.
  Increasingly the red clay has been replaced by the commercially available clay which
  does not require much preparation. The two kashigars ustads Muhammad Wajid and
  Muhammad Zafer are amongst the very few who continue to use the red clay. Various
  natural materials are used to give it its famous blue glaze. Cobalt is used for dark blue
  now, but earlier Lajwant stone was used to acquire the color, and copper oxide is used
  for ferozy (turquoise) color, traditionally called sabzi. The white color of the background
  is obtained from the sandh rock. Before applying the color on the product a layer of aster
  has to be applied on the surface of the clay to enable the color to show as the brilliant
  blues of the Multan blue pottery. The Nakash draw the fine patterns on the unbaked
  pieces, this part of the work is sometimes rendered by women. Firing of the Multan
  blue pottery is at 900 degrees Celsius. Designs rendered as naqashi have evolved and
  developed giving a much larger design palette from the traditional designs. The color
  palette remains the traditional range of blues, yellow, green and sometimes red.

  The Kumhar (potters) of South Punjab have fortunate to have a market in the villages
  throughout Pakistan and thus the craft has survived and grown with products being
  continuously innovated to cater to the present day needs. The traditional gharas and
  matkas have their modern counterpart in the clay water cooler fitted with a tap to make
  it easy to pour water and the old shape of the clay flower pots have been transformed
  into a variety of shapes and sizes. There are potter’s villages found in the districts
  whose creations find a market through the length and breadth of Pakistan and beyond
  into Afghanistan while the blue pottery ustads await a clientele which will increase
  their earnings beyond the Rs 20,000/= and Rs 15,000/= which is the monthly earning of
  Ustad Muhammed Wajid and Ustad Muhammed Zafer respectively.

                                         The exquisite and brilliant hued blue pottery made
                                         with age-old techniques embedded in the history of
                                         Multan region. These techniques need to be
                                         protected and promoted and the kashigars and
                                         nakashs encouraged to maintain the old techniques
                                         which left a lasting and indelible mark on the
                                         Multani culture. There were only 14 women who
  Contemporary Handi                     are involved in Naqashi work in the blue pottery.
                                         The Challenge is to locate them and persuade them to be a
  part of the Project. Some way needs to be thought of how these women artisans can set up their
  own small businesses otherwise it will be difficult to take this forward.

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 21
  These eight Crafts can be the first to be taken up. However as the Training starts
  continuous exploration of other skills that the participants may have need to be
  noted and built into the process. One such craft is beadwork of Cholistan.




                                                                          Basti Khangah Sharif




           Basti Bodiwaal




                                                                          Khangah Sharif: Bags crafted with flat
                                                                          crepe and machine




            Crochet work in several bastis
                                                                          Changher with Palm Motif




                                                                          DNB 112- Bead Work
                                             Basti Gaddan-Shawl
                                             Border


            Basti Gaddan Khes


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 22
  CAPACITY BUILDING
  Training and Capacity Building was at the core of the Project objectives which were
  the central concern throughout the project period. These objectives were

   a) Development of cultural products, contemporizing design to inculcate design
  innovation methodologies and development of Craft products.
  b) Development of marketing and managing skills, and,
  c) Provision of functional literacy to the Project participants

  These were met through intensive training
  sessions using a methodology which
  allowed group training sessions as well as
  individual sessions through THAAP
  designers as well as peer review and
  collaboration     with    Master     Trainers
  developed as the Project progressed.
  Opportunity to meet participants from
  other districts and areas was also built-into
  the training sessions with some joint
  sessions held at a central location. Sharing Training Bheli
  and learning from each other’s work and
  experience appeared to be a good way for collective development of the group. Thus
  work prepared by one group of women was shown in other districts so that the
  isolation which is so often the fate of women and crafts women could be challenged.
  Many of the Training sessions were organized using the home of a community
  member taking recourse of a familiar setting where women usually collect to share
  their lives and learn crafts from their elders. When it was felt appropriate some of
  these were converted into Craft Centres which allowed for these to be in areas where
  the crafts were rooted thus its natural/traditional home.

  The training sessions were designed to provoke and tease the imagination. The lesson
  plans and the resource material assembled for sharing and referencing was
  continuously assessed and if and when the need arose modified, to allow local needs to
  be integrated in the capacity building processes. Examples of the most exquisite and
  fine works were collected to provoke the mind, some of these were old pieces made in
  the very same villages by the artisans ancestors. These provided the bench mark that
  was possible to attain; at times invoking disbelief that some article or the other could
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 23
  indeed have been done by hand for some of the techniques are not known any longer.
  At one of the training session, the Chunri artisans when shown an old gharjola with
  finely done bandhini insisted that this was factory
  produced but later tried to match this work by tying
  the chunri in fine knots themselves. They have not
  quite got to the stage of preparing the finest chunri
  but it is possible that with continuing support and
  encouragement of a discerning clientele they may still
  achieve the heights that this region’s chunri had in the
  past.
                                                                           Color Coordination Workshop

  At one of the training sessions, the women developed
  patterns using various stitches of their liking and a colour scheme that would fit the
  themes, the mood and the design pattern. The designers asked them for the names of
  the stitches and soon enough names were given, usually named after the husband, or an
  animal. Black became “Bhanis” (water buffalo) and others named after political
  figures….so there was a Benazir tanka and a Nawaz Sharif tanka! The meaning of
  colours for the local communities was explored, those that brought good fortune and
  others which were taboo were noted. Books and reference material/patterns/drawings
                                    were particularly popular with the participants and
                                    eventually photocopies had to be made and left at the
                                    Centres. With a spirit of camaraderie and collaboration
                                    the Project moved forward.

                                     Management skills are difficult to impart unless truly
                                     an attitude of “Theory & Practice go hand in hand” is
                                     instilled. Thus the management skills came out of the
   Training Basti Mengawal-Cholistan
                                     Project components themselves with Master Trainers
  tasked to work and organize a group of their village artisans and supervise the Cash-
  for-Work cultural products being prepared by the group. Quality assurance has to be
  at the village level itself if women are to be empowered and livelihood opportunities
  through crafts engendered to alleviate poverty in villages. Thus, the Project
  endeavoured to impart skills and techniques for management and quality check as the
  Project progressed.

  Marketing is the single most difficult area for it presupposes a market out there and a
  clientele eager to buy hand crafted cultural products. This is an area where

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 24
  government support is most essential
  for there is a need not only to promote
  crafts but a firm support and
  commitment to the Craft Sector. The
  need for a Craft Museum to showcase
  the work of artisans and other
  mechanisms to bring Crafts on the
  Priority List is dearly needed. This has
  to be a continuing endeavour and
  focused on “Reviving Crafts in the
  Villages”      to   provide    economic
  opportunities for alleviating poverty in Field Team Leader Muzamal Younis at Basti Khangah, talking to
  villages. Crafts are the most prevalent Razia Bibi
  means of non-farm livelihood in villages and that needs to be recognized. Basic
  marketing skills such as how to achieve “fair price” for cultural products were
  imparted but without efforts by government, the commercial sector and the public at
  large this is an onerous and fairly meaningless task.

  3.1             TRAINING
  Training was carried out through Cluster Training and Joint Training at locations
  mentioned above carried out by THAAP designers. Training at Villages held by
  THAAP designers and Training by Master Trainers in villages as an ongoing process
  of peer review and evaluation.

                      Training Curricula Developed by Designers : Key Features
     -        Design Training through references from immediate environment
     -        Introduce Reference material (Books, Samples etc) and Contemporary Market
              demands
     -        Challenging & Innovative design development
     -        Skill Development
     -        Quality Control techniques
     -        Marketing & Management Techniques
     -        Functional Literacy Techniques to be refined and targeting purposeful training




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 25
   Designers           Date               Venue                   Participants                   Outcome
     Cluster
      /Joint
     W’shop

        1              April        Multan (Keeri                All identified          Initial Collaboration for
                       15-19        Wala, Chaj Baja           craftswomen from           design and development
                                    Wala)                       various villages         of products
                                    Bahawalpur (                                         Selection of Potential
                                    Derawar, Bheli)                                      Master Trainers
                                                                                         Sample preparation
                                                                                         initiated
                                                                                         Functional Literacy
                                                                                         lessons started (on a
                                                                                         need basis)

        2              May             Multan, Bwp           Master Trainers & a         Discussion on
                        4-9                                    few participants          Contemporary Design,
                                                                                         Quality Control &
                                                                                         Management
                                                                                         Checks for Quality
                                                                                         Control initiated

        3              May                Multan              Master Trainers &          Local Designers, Cutters,
                       30- 3                                      Participants           embroiders identified &
                       June                                                              trained
                                                                                         Exhibition Thematic
                                                                                         Areas resolved and
                                                                                         Orders placed for CFW



                       June            Bahawalpur             Master Trainers &          As above
                       15-18                                      Participants



                       June               Multan              Master Trainers &          Block Printing
                       22- 29                                     Participants           Techniques




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 26
                      August           Bahawalpur             Stitching & Cutting        Cadre of trained women
                        8-12                                  Master Trainers &
                                                                  Participants

                      Sept 15-         Bahawalpur             Handloom Master            Handloom weavers
                         25                                        Trainers &            trained
                                                                  Participants

                      Oct 10-         Multan (Khan            Embroiders Master          Local artisans trained in
                         12                Bela)                    Trainers             fine work

                      Oct 20-             Multan                 Block Printing          Refinement of
                         24                                     Master Trainers          Techniques

                      Oct 26-          Bahawalpur            Packing & Finishing         Cadre of Trained women
                         30                                        Products

  Fortnightly visits by THAAP Principal Designer to Project villages for Capacity Building

  Weekly visits by Field Team Leaders to Project Villages in their District

  Fortnightly Visits by Head Office Coordinator from Sept-to date for continuing training in Finishing &
  Packaging to Bahawalpur THAAP Offices & Multan Block Printing & Craft Center



  Below is a brief report compiled after the First Training Workshop and annexed are
  the detailed reports of the first and second training session to show how the training
  was carried out and the management of the capacity building component. Such
  reports were prepared for all Training Sessions by the Designers to review the
  outcome and determine the next steps.

  3.1.1 Training Workshop: Sample; First Training Workshop
             Dates: April 15-19 2010
              Locations: Bahawalpur- (Derawar, Bheli) & Multan Walled City

      Preliminary Work
      The First Workshop entailed a lot of Preparatory Work by the Team of Designers,
      since they were now confronted with developing a methodology to contemporize
      design in close collaboration with the crafts women. All the core team designers
      came with teaching experience at the tertiary level but had little experience on how
      to go about teaching to a group with high level of skills who had little knowledge of
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 27
      the contemporary market. An initial visit was made to the districts and accompanied
      with the FTLs they were given an opportunity to observe, discuss and learn
      following which the lesson plan would be developed.
      The locations and participants were selected by the relevant FLT who paid a number
      of visits to the various villages identified with potential. In some cases repeated
      visits were made trying to explain the aims and objectives of the Project. There was
      initially a lot of distrust mainly in the areas where similar projects had been carried
      out earlier. The prevalent view was that people come and built their expectations
      and then disappear, so they were naturally reluctant to go through yet another
      experiment. In other cases women wanted promises of sewing machines before they
      would agree to participate. The Core Team decided that this was not the right way
      forward and thus we would
          a) Refrain from creating unrealistic dreams
          b) Built in sustainability insofar as possible
          c) Pay Cash for Work (CFW) for the products produced under the Project
          d) Explain fully that if products are sold at a higher price at the exhibition at the
              end of the Project, the fair sharing formula would be worked in which the
              major beneficiary would be the craft person.

      After having resolved such key issues, the task of developing the teaching program
      was taken up by the team of designers/management and literacy personnel. The
      first one day sessions held at different locations entailed developing an
      understanding of color and coordinating colors, meaning of motif’s in the traditional
      designs, surrounding environment & developing design based on local motif’s and
      discussions on samples taken from various familiar sources.

      Workshop Sessions:
      Interactive Lecture Sessions followed by an exercise was the format adopted. The
      Report of Mobeen Saeed, designer; appended as Annex 4 and Aisha Imdad,
      Designer/Artist at Annex 5 detail out the events in Bahawalpur and Multan.

      Major Outcome
            a) Master Trainers were selected from the Participants by the participants
               themselves. These women were already acknowledged leaders of their
               communities in their particular craft.




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 28
               b) Work was given out to all participants to prepare which FTL would
                  collect. All participants were informed that timely delivery and quality
                  was the key, an essential aspect of management skills
               c) Basic discussions on management and marketing skills and initial spade
                  work of these important skills were initiated.


  3.1.1        ISSUES REGARDING TRAINING
  a) In the first two training sessions attended by a large number of women participated
  in the Cluster Training the designers came to the understanding that there was some
  changes that were required to spark the imagination and interest of the women. It had
  been noted that some of the expert artisans were actually working as sub-contractors
  themselves for the market contractors and were thus a part of the chain of exploitation
  to which the craftswomen were being subjected. To enable bringing the disadvantaged
  artisans into the loop it seemed important to move quickly into the CFW mode to
  demonstrate benefit for all participants. Rates of Payment needed to be settled with the
  artisans themselves and paid directly to them.
  b) Women were subjected to a lot of control exercised by the family thus it may be
  difficult to get them all at one place. It was felt that the economic benefits from the
  Project could help in this. Thus the CFW incentive could be used
  c) Most critical was how to get new innovative ideas developed in the training process.
  Experience had shown that something needed to be brought into the training sessions
  which would help spark the imagination so as to propel it forward.

  At the third Joint Training Session on May 30-June 2, 2010 in Multan the idea of using local
  references was congealed and Thematic Areas were developed. Contemporizing Design
  which is one of the key aspects of the training requires a high level of involvement & a
  highly motivated participant. Thus as preparation for the Third Training Session, the
  response from the earlier training sessions, the samples prepared were assessed to
  determine the level of engagement with design development by the participants. It was
  noted that as the methodology required some modification it would be best to perhaps
  define thematic areas based on the immediate environment of the participants.

  The training focused on how a theme is developed and carried through and controlled
  through a color palette, designs etc to read as a single entity. Products for each theme
  were determined and distributed amongst participants and prices fixed based on level
  of quality.

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 29
  The Salient Facts regarding outcome of the Training is as below

  3.2 VILLAGES/PARTICIPANTS & CRAFTS
      Location           Final No of        No. of Participants         Final List of                CRAFTS
                           Villages         who participated in         Participants
                                              training (1-3
                                                Sessions)
  Multan              Multan City                   244                  177              Palm Leaf
                      (Chaj Baja                                                          Embroidery (Ar & Goota)
                      Wala )                                                              Block Printing
                      Shujabad                                                            Handloom
                      Jalalpur                                                            Leather Work
                      Pirwala                                                             Naqashi
                      Khan Bela                                                           Camel Skin Products
  Bahawalpur &        7 Villages                     350                 311              Embroidery        (Katcha
  Cholistan                                                                               Tanka, Shadow Work,
                                                                                          Pucca Tanka
                                                                                          Palm Leaf
                                                                                          Handloom Fabric
                                                                                          Chunri
                                                                                          Ralli
                                                                                          Ralli & Embroidery
                                                                                          Bead Work




           Khan Bela- August 2010


                                                              Khan Bela August 2010

  The Attrition was due to a number of reasons, mainly the harvesting season which is
  viewed as a good opportunity for the village women to earn money as well as the
  yearly stock of grain (wheat and rice). Women at the cotton picking season earn about
  Rs 500 per day which is way beyond their earnings through the crafts. In Multan
  district the rain caused havoc, particularly in Khan Bela villages, in Shujaabad and
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 30
  Jalalpur Pirwala and several of the participants were dislocated temporarily. They have
  all since returned and most are eager for opportunities to enhance their livelihood
  through craft related work.




                             Bahawalpur, Bheli June 2010




                                     Cholistani Women at Workshop April 2010




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 31
  3.3      MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL PRODUCTS
  A system of managing the large number of cultural products being prepared had to be
  devised. These were means of imparting management skills to the participants who
  were given note books to develop their own log books to include designs, orders of
  cultural products and patterns using “cheepe”. The evolved format is annexed for
  reference

  3.4      AKATHS : THEMATIC AREAS
  The themes in the four collections derive their spirit for designing from local sources
  rather than motifs that do not belong to the area. Thus, these collections, developed in
  the training sessions through designer-artisan collaboration, gave the artisans a design
  palette that they could relate to their daily lives, the familiar rather than the alien. In this
  way they could evolve and improvise the design in their own individual ways, using
  familiar references. To adopt this way forward, the THAAP Design Team of the Project,
  carried out many training sessions with the local crafts women to revive and improve
  their craft techniques and to develop design motifs for the various cultural products
  that they were planning to make. The sessions made it clear that the local design palette
  held more appeal for the women artisans rather than the designs imposed from outside
  their realm, the way adopted by market contractors. The excitement that this created in
  the training sessions was palatable because now the women were a part of the design
  development, improvising the design, using colors from the palette of the four
  collections, matching the color to develop schemes which would look good, looking at
  each other’s work, developing a comradeship and recognizing the leaders amongst
  them. The themes for the exhibitions were selected after much deliberation on their
  content, photographs were examined, resource material consulted and the artisans were
  juggling their memory to capture something from what they had seen or remembered
  their mothers and grandmothers making. The process gave significance and strength to
  the design themes and the craft products that were planned and eventually prepared.

  The following four thematic collections based on various cultural aspects of the region
  have been developed in the Project. The collections are called Akath meaning putting
  together or getting together in Saraiki, the language of the region. All the four themes
  derive their conceptual spirit from the various cultural aspects of Southern Punjab.




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 32
      1.   Jiwan-Rukh Akath (Tree of Life Collection)

           Tree of life Collection derives its conceptual spirit from the fresco paintings on the walls of the Sufi shrines,
           the tombs, mosques and havelis of Southern Punjab. This is a rendering of the indigenous, prevalent and
           enduring motif in the Sultanate, Mughal and Mughal inspired buildings and in the Craft products.
           The motif of the tree, representing and symbolizing sometimes life- the terrestrial garden, and sometimes
           the universe or the heavens, the garden of paradise - the celestial life, symbolizing the concept of hereafter
           and good fortune for life to come is a familiar and popular motif found in the mosques, shrines, tombs and
           havelis of the three districts; in the Nakashi on wood and camel skin, embroidered motifs and other crafts.

      2. Tooti-Nama Akath (Tales of Parrot Collection)
           This collection celebrates the design motif of the bird form in the folk arts of South Punjab. This prevalent
           motif, sometimes in the shape of peacocks, parrots, herons, pigeons, doves, myna, hens, roosters, and
           occasionally the crow, make their appearance in embroidered pillows and “rummals”, block printed cloth,
           household accessories as well as the earthenware blue pottery of Multan and the rallis of Cholistan. Its
           origins are embedded in antiquity and the meaning has been lost however the motifs survive in the folk and
           popular arts of South Punjab.

           Among the variety of bird forms, is the parrot, Mian Mitho of folklore, with its poetic connection to
           women’s lives, symbolizing the need for a benign friend and companion with whom secret thoughts can be
           shared. The Akath derives its name from “Tooti Nama”; the exquisite book prepared for the young Emperor
           Akbar which is based on 52 stories narrated to Khojasta by her pet parrot. One story every night to amuse
           her for the 52 nights that Khojasta’s husband was away on his travels. The book is illustrated with
           exquisite miniature paintings to enhance the interest of the reader. Tooti Nama Akath while making
           connections with the traditional folk culture of Punjab is an opportunity for the women for rewriting and
           reviving these folk stories through their crafts.

      3. Neel Akath (Indigo Collection)
           The inspiration is from the famous turquoise and deep blue or indigo colored glazed tiles of the Sultanate
           Period Architecture, the Blue Pottery traditions and the plant “indigo” which is grown in the region. It
           honors the skills and art of the kashigars, the matka dyers, the nakash, the embroiderers, the block printers
           who have made this hue synonymous with South Punjab.
           By adopting the colors as well as the design patterns into their crafts from the rich references from their
           region, the women artisans, through this palette celebrate and engage with the mystic traditions and colors
           which are indigenous and familiar.

      4. Rohi Akath (Cholistani Collection)
           The Collection portrays the spirit of Cholistan and it colorful design palette. The vibrant colors which the
           Cholistani women wear in their traditional choli and ghagra are the colors of this collection. The folk art
           designs, which are made on the rallis, clothes, bags and even on the surface of their mud plastered houses,
           are the references for the designs for the Akath in this theme. The “Rohi Akath” conveys and connects the
           Rohi women in celebration of their ancient culture that is buried in the sands of time and the living arts
           and crafts which are embedded in the everyday life.




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 33
               Thematic Concept                                           Inspiration


      Indigo Collection                           Sultanate Period Architecture & Blue Kashi Kari
                                                  prevalent in South Punjab

      Tootti Nama                                 Birds are a widely used motif. The Parrot has a
                                                  multiplicity of meanings in folklore. The Tuti
                                                  Nama was the first illustrated manuscript
                                                  prepared for the Emperor Akbar

      Jewan Rukh (Tree of Life )                  Tree of Life a common motif in frescoes, tile work.
                                                  Of note is the mango tree in full bloom


      Cholistan Collection                        The vibrancy of colors of Cholistan is the ultimate
                                                  palette for crafts. This collection explores the
                                                  potential of local colors and crafts to develop new
                                                  products for the contemporary market




                                                                                  Palm Leaf Cholistani Akath




          Parrots made in BC 28

                                                   Cholistani Akath




  Neel Akath


                                                         Jewan Aktah in Chunri



UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 34
  1.1      DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
  The Design development required that a color palette be developed for each collection
  and reference material for developing motifs. Stitches/Tankas for embroidery, color
  scheme for each products and costs had to be established and the marketability of each
  product determined. Quality standards were critical, so samples had to be prepared and
  discussed through peer review and with designers. Thus before a product was
  implemented these stages had to be covered and MTs trained to ensure quality in the
  products being crafted in their Center

  The Color Palette for the Indigo Collection is explained to demonstrate how design is
  controlled to be legible as a single collection. The shades of color are restricted within
  the palette however leaving room for improvisation by the craft person. Anchor brand
  which is a familiar thread is used to define the shade and each participant is given the
  palette
                                    INDIGO COLLECTION: COLOR PALETTE
                                    1       Indigo Blue       127        Anchor
                                    2       Cobalt Blue       134        Anchor
                                    3       Turquoise         1089       Anchor
                                    4       Green             230        Anchor
                                    5       Yellow            298        Anchor
                                    6       White             1          Anchor
  The Collection is then built up based on the skills of the group and products developed
  some which are new and others which are taken from the traditional items. The
  products for each collection are encapsulated below


         INDIGO COLLECTION: ITEMS TO BE CRAFTED USING DIFFERENT CRAFTS
    BLOCK PRINT SUITS                                     On Handloom fabric being prepared for the
                                                          Project in natural Dyes
    CLOTHING                                              Scarf, Kurtas,        Saris,   Handloom         Shawls,
                                                          Pouches
    HOUSEHOLD ACCESSORIES                                 Khes & Khes Products e.g. File Covers, Camel
                                                          Skin products. Boxes with Nakashi , Palm Leaf
                                                          Products




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 35
  4.       THE CRAFT WOMEN
  For those of us who are familiar with the Saraiki Waseeb, they will know where to go to
  get the best made in any of the crafts. Bahawalpur would be the place if goota work is to
  be done and for the “uppers” or “panas” you would head towards village Khangah in
  district Muzaffargarh where all the village women are preparing the most exquisite
  khusas uppers which find their place on the feet of almost all the Pakistani women. For
  Ar work you would head towards Multan and for katcha tanka to Chooti Zarin. Chunri of
  Abbass Nagar is what you would want if you were looking for the best and nothing can
  beat the block printing of Keror Pucca and Multan. Camel skin is confined to mainly
  Multan, the art having been lost in the desert sands of Cholistan but the rallis
  (appliqué/patch work and embroidery) and falasi (carpet woven of sheep and camel
  skin) survive. Many of us would not know the craftsmen and women, who prepared
  these exquisite products, remain faceless and unsung.
  Almost all the women we met during the course of the few months of the Project are
  involved in some form of craft. Many spoke about how their crafts supplements the
  family income and many spoke about the pride that they have in their work. Some
  spoke about the sense of identity and acknowledgement that they received from their
  community. Satho Mai of Cholistan was declared the leader by her community while
  others found similar recognition in their communities.
  The total of 488 women have been imparted training during the Project. Of these 311
  belong to Bahawalpur, 177 are from Multan Districts. Most of the participants live in
  villages while some are from the low income settlements of the cities. All these women
  had been involved in some form of craft work, mostly in embroidery and other such
  crafts used for the embellishment of textiles and clothing such as patchwork, gotta
  kanari, salma sitara, chunri. A large number of these women worked for middlemen who
  brought them work from the market and was distributed through a local sub-contractor
  often a craftswoman. This work is lowly paid and exploitative. Most spoke of the
  exploitation and the low wages that they get for this work. It was decided that the
  Project would build upon the craft work already being done by the artisans and efforts
  would be made to organize this very disorganized and exploitative sector. In this
  process new products would be developed which have greater appeal and new crafts
  and skills would be introduced to strengthen the craft work.

  The Narratives of the Craftswomen in their own words best explain the position of
  these artisans. Some extracts are reproduced below



UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 36
  TAHIRA BIBI (Born 1981)
  CHAH BAJAY WALA; MULTAN

  “I went to school till my primary but after that I stayed at home. My mother died when I was seven years
  old and my siblings and I were sent to relatives. They could feed us and look after us but obviously would
  not pay our fees, so all my brothers and sisters are uneducated. My Khala (mother’s sister) whose house I
  was sent to taught me how to embroider on the khussa uppers and I started helping her in this business. I
  make about Rs 3000 per month for which I really have to work day and night. My work is seasonal mostly
  near Eid. There are lots of khusa factories in our mohalla and they contract us to make the uppers for
  them but we can’t take any other orders just work for the contractor that we are attached with. “

  MARIAM AYUB (Born circa 1985)
  MULTAN
  “I am the eldest child in my family. I never had a chance to go to school because girls in our family are not
  given the chance to get education. I started working in the house helping my mother with chores and
  looking after the babies. There were 4 girls and 3 boys who followed me. My mother lives in Budla Sant, a
  village near Multan, where my father has a small tent shop. I now live with my brother in Multan. There
  are 4 of us there in the house and my parental grandparents. I did not get married and neither do I want
  to. I got polio when I was six months old. I do not want to get married.

  I learnt Ari Khusa making from Budla Bola Khan about 8 years back. I was paid very little, just Rs 12 for
  a dozen uppers. It seemed to be a waste of time. I like to do any craft work. I am here to learn some other
  crafts. I like to do some work and earn money…..otherwise the day seems like a mountain.”

  MARIAM, (Born circa 1980)
  DERA BHUKKA, DISTRICT BAHAWALPUR
  I told my father to find other work. He was an excellent weaver but everyone called us “Pauvali”
  (weaver). I felt embarrassed…..pauvali is a derogatory term. Now I want to learn how to weave. I will
  join the training session. My mother and I became experts at “Tar Kashi”(type of embroidery). It is easy
  for us to do this work. See I have this small child…just 3 weeks old. I can sit with her and keep working at
  this kurta but now I want to also make cloth on the handloom. This was our family craft so now I feel why
  should we give it up? I want to be as good as my father


  MASI BACHAL MAI, (Born circa 1945)
  CHAK 36 DNB; YAZMAN TEHSIL, BAHAWALPUR
  We are here now in 36 DNB but our home is in DNB 112. We have 10 acres of land of Dr. Taqi
  Shah to till and harvest. We will get 1/8 share of the crop. Lets hope that can take care of our
  needs for some time. We have no spare money so it is difficult. All of us are here now. It is
  actually my daughter Surraya’s house. She is actually my niece….she is my daughter’s friend so


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 37
  she is my niece. My daughter is Papli Mai. My husband died so here I am with my children at
  our niece’s house
  You see we are making these changars( wheat stalk & palm leaf platters). These hardly fetch us
  any money. People give us palm leaves and we prepare changars and mats. They take half and we
  get to keep the other half. Sometimes we are given some embroidery work. We get paid for our
  labor, money equivalent to the cost of the material. The bead work we do is just for ourselves,
  nobody has ever asked us to prepare any.
  We are under debt of Rs 25,000. Last year we were at Chak 23. You see we have to keep roaming
  about but our home is in DNB 112

  NUSRAT BIBI (Born 1985)
  ABBASS NAGAR, BAHAWALPUR
  “I wanted so very much to go to school. I am just educated till Class 4. I was the eldest and had
  to look after the house. My mother was ill and I needed to stay in the house. I really wanted to go
  to school but……I used to cry so much. I would work and cry all the time.
  I am now married, 8 months back. It was a “Wata Sata” marriage. My brother is married to my
  sister-in-law. Chunri is our family craft and my business. I am really proud of my work. I can
  work the most difficult pattern….everyone in Abbass Nagar knows that….they come to me for
  the most difficult task.
  I have never calculated how much money I earn. I keep the accounts in my family business. I pay
  for the material and pay the girls who do the bandhini (tye). There were only five women who
  were experts in bandhini but now we have many more. Our business was very good but our
  work was for the market so it was mota mota, not fine work like you want. Sometimes we sent
  work upto Khairpur for bandhini but now we can prepare anything ourselves. There are several
  of us and we can take care of any order.
  I can immediately think of 14 women who are now expert bandhini makers….there is Azra,
  Shahnaz, Nazia, Nasreen, Abida Parveen, Mehwish, Ama Gulan Mai, Amna, Ulfat, Nasreen,
  Zarina, Shamshad, Najma, Riffat. I will make a list and give it to you.”

   “Abbass Nagar was known for its fine crafts but we have lost our position because we
  started making commercial work for the market. We are responsible for this state
  ourselves, now we have a chance. We will recover are position and make sure everyone
  gets to know that we at Abbass Nagar are experts”. Nusrat’s remarks sum up the entire
  experience. These are the shared views of all the participants; the engendered pride in
  their craft work propels them to reach an excellence, which at one time was the
  hallmark of this region of South Punjab.




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 38
                                          Bandhini Artisans at Abbass Nagar




  5.       CRAFT CENTERS
             TABLE SHOWING NUMBER OF TRAINED WOMEN ARTISANS & MASTER TRAINERS
         DISTRICT              MASTER            CRAFTSWOMEN TOTAL THAAP-
                               TRAINERS/EXPERTS                          CRAFTS
                                                                         CENTERS
         Bahawalpur                                46                         265          311         3
         Multan                                    18                         159          177         2
         Grand Total (2 Districts)                 64                         424          488         5


  The Project established 10 Craft Centres during the process of the Project to enable
  collaboration and capacity building of the participants. In Bahawalpur, 7 Centres were
  established while Multan 3 Centres. Of these 5 are designated as THAAP-CRAFT
  Centres which THAAP-CRAFT will continue to support. Working with the artisans the
  endeavour will be to revitalize and revive the endangered crafts of South Punjab and
  continue to develop new cultural products, in collaboration with THAAP-CRAFT
  designers, to sustain the artisans. All the centres were established with the view of
  providing a pivotal point for craftswomen to develop small business enterprises.
  Centres have been equipped with the tools necessary to the relevant craft and trained
  human resource and master trainers, envisaged the asset to propel the work forward.
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 39
  THAAP field office and resource cell in Bahawalpur city, with lend support to this
  endeavour. The overall goal will be to establish fair price systems, capacity building
  and finding markets. The tables below give some salient facts and figures of the
  Centres.


  DISTRICT BAHAWALPUR CENTERS
                           THAAP-Craft Chunri Center Abbass Nagar
             11 Master Trainers, 46 craftswomen and 14 expert Bhandhini/tie artisans
                           and 3 Handloom + 2 Palm Leaf MT artisans
       Master Trainers                 Age            Education                          Craft
   Nusrat Saleem Bibi                        25             Class 5               Chunri
   Abudallah Mai                     about 80     None                   Chunri , natural dying
   Zareena Aqeel                        24        Middle                 Chunri Work
   Zahida Bibi                          20        None                   Chunri (bhandhini/tie)
                                                                         Palm Leaf & Wheat Stalk
   Bakthu Bibi                          50        None                   products
                                                                         Palm Leaf & Wheat Stalk
   Zebu Bibi                            55        None                   products
   Zeba Bibi                                      BA                     Block Printing
   Irum Bibi                                      Matric                 Block Printing
   Nasreen Bibi                                   Class 5                Handloom
   Mariam Bibi                                    Class 5                Handloom
   Saira Bibi                                     Class 5                Handloom


                              Basti Menghwaal Craft Center, Derawar
                                     7 Master Trainers & 22 Craftswomen
   Jamna Maai                           35               None             Ralli with Embroidery
   Lakhmi Maai                          20               None             Ralli with Embroidery
   Meraan Maai                          40               None             Ralli with Embroidery
   Jawi Maai                            35               None             Ralli with Embroidery
   Rami Maai                            35               None             Ralli with Embroidery
   Ameraan Maai                         40               None             Ralli with Embroidery
   Bakhti Maai                          22               None             Ralli with Embroidery


                         THAAP-Craft Center Basti Khangah, Derawar

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 40
                                     5 Master Trainers & 18 Craftswomen
   Razi Bibi                            35               None            Patch work, Stitching,
                                                                         Beadwork
   Satloo Maai                          40               None            Patch work, Stitching,
                                                                         Beadwork
   Saroo Bibi                           40               None            Patch work, Beadwork
   Roqaia Maai                          30               None            Patch work, Beadwork
   Safia Maai                           30               None            Patch work, Beadwork


                                     Craft Center 28 BC Bahawalpur
                                     4 Master Trainers & 20 Craftwomen
   Shagufta Pervin                      24                Inter          Rag Toy Making, Ceroshia,
                                                                         Embroidery
   Samina Kausar                        29               Matric          Rag Toy Making, Ceroshia,
                                                                         Embroidery
   Shabana Kausar                       25             Diploma           Embroidery & Ceroshia
   Robina Kasuar                        32                B.A            Embroidery & Ceroshia


                              Craft Center Bheli, Khairpur Tamewala
               2 Master Trainers & 35 Craftswomen. Nucleus for surrounding villages
   Kulsoom Bibi                         38              Matric           All Type of Embroidery
   Mariam                               35              Class 5          Ar work , Shadow Work


                                      Craft Center 110 DNB Yazman
                                     5 Master Trainers & 32 Craftswomen
   Adeeba Bibi                          25              Class 5          Different Embroidery, Master
                                                                         Cutter, Stitching, Ceroshia
   Yasmeen Kasur                        22              Middle           Embroidery , Stitching,
                                                                         Ceroshia
   Nazia Pervin                         34              Middle           Embroidery & Ceroshia
   Gulshan Ashraf                       24              Middle           Embroidery
   Nasira Ghulam                        27               Matric          Embroidery




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 41
                                  THAAP-Craft Center Dera Bhukka
             12 Master Trainers & 38 Craftswomen. Nucleus for surrounding villages
   Mariam Rashid ( Master               24              5 Class          Tar Kashi, Embroidery, Goota
   Trainer)                                                              work,     Stitching,   Ceroshia,
                                                                         mirror work, Ar
   Sugrah Bibi ( Master                 50                none           Tar Kashi, Embroidery, Goota
   Trainer)                                                              work, Stitching, Ceroshia,
                                                                         mirror work, Ar
   Salma Bibi (Master                   35                none           Ralli, Embroidery, Ceroshia,
   Trainer)                                                              Ar, product development
   Naseem Bibi                          20                none           Tar Kashi, Embroidery,
                                                                         stitching,
   Mukthar Bibi                         35                none           Ar work , Woolen Changar,
                                                                         mukesh, embroidery
   Nargis                               35                none           Stitching
   Manzoor Bibi                         35                none           Goota work, mirror work, tar
                                                                         kashi, embroidery
   Amna Bibi                            36                none           Tar Kashi, Embroidery, Goota
                                                                         work, Ceroshia, mirror work,
                                                                         Ar
   Parveen Bibi                         38                none           Chunri, bandini and dying
   Qaim Khatoon                         24               None            Palm Leaf products, decoration
                                                                         pieces
   Rashida Bibi                         26               Matric          Master Cutter & Stitching
   Mussarat Bibi                        40               Matric          Master Cutter & Stitching




         Resource Center Bahawalpur                               Khaadi at THAAP Center Bahawalpur




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 42
  DISTRICT MULTAN CRAFT CENTERS
            THAAP CRAFT Center Chah Bajay wala, Multan
                                      8 Master Trainers, 28 Craftswomen
       Master Trainers                  Age             Education                     Craft
   Zakia Bibi                            35               None              Embroidery variety, Ar
   Nagina Bibi                           29               None              Embroidery variety, Ar,
                                                                            Sheesha Kari
   Marriam                               20              Primary            Embroidery variety, Ar,
                                                                            Sheesha Kari
    Amna                                 39               None              Embroidery variety, Ar
   Shazia                                42               None              Embroidery variety, Ar
   Tahira                                                Primary            Embroidery   variety,          Ar,
                                         29                                 Khussa Making
   Qamar Waheed                                          Primary            Embroidery   variety,          Ar,
                                         45                                 Stitching
   Naheed Begum                                                             Embroidery   variety,          Ar,
                                         35               None              Stitching


                      Craft Center Khan Bela, Jalalpur Pirwala, Multan
                                      4 Master Trainers, 21 Craftswomen
   Kalsoom Bibi                          35               None              Ar, Embroidery
   Maqsood Bibi                          39               None              Ar, Embroidery
   Allah Bachai                          55               None              Ar, Embroidery
   Bhiravaan Mi                          46               None              Ar, Embroidery


                THAAP-Craft Block Printing Center, Keeri Wala, Multan
                                      4 Master Trainers, 25 Craftswomen
   Najma Zafar                           45               None              Block Printing & Embroidery
   Najma Bibi                            35              Primary            Embroidery &Sewing
   Shabana Mai                           29              Primary            Embroidery &Sewing
   Nusrat Khadim hussain                 31              Primary            Block Printing &Embroidery




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 43
                            Ghoogo Ghora-Paper Craft Center Multan
                                          2 Master Trainers, 40 artisans
   Ghulam Fatima Mai                                      None              Paper Craft &
                                         35                                 Toys/Decoration items
   Manzoor Malang                                         None              Paper Craft &
                                         40                                 Toys/Decoration items




                                                                    THAAP Center
           THAAP Block Printing Center Multan

  THAAP will continue to work with the Centres which have been adopted by the
  organization and continue with the effort of revitalizing and reviving the endangered
  crafts in the districts. Although it would have been possible to continue with the 10
  Centers established for the Project but financial constraints do not allow that all can be
  taken up at present. All Centres have been equipped with the human resources of
  master trainers/artisans (MT) and members ranging from 40-70 women and the tools
  necessary for a particular craft as well as the essential equipment for the craft. The
  village based centres will pay a pivotal role of assisting in Design Development through
  Designer-Artisan Collaboration. With the skills and wherewithal prompted through this
  Project and the hope of continuing support it can be expected that the women artisan in
  the villages in the two districts will indeed be empowered. THAAP will endeavour to
  have the THAAP-CRAFT Centers organized as self sustaining insofar as possible.


  5.       ACHIEVEMENTS

  MASTER TRAINERS
  The most noteworthy achievement of the Project is the development of a skilled human
  resource poised to take the next leap by contributing to the development of cultural
  industries in Pakistan. The training of 488 women and the availability of 64 Master
  Trainers and expert artisans in the two districts of Multan and Bahawalpur surpassed
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 44
  the TOR requirement of 100 women per district and 10 Master Trainers. The situation in
  Bahawalpur was remarkable with 46 Master Trainers while Multan has 18 Master
  Trainers/ experts. They have enhanced their craft skills and have learnt the basics of
  designing new cultural products. This is the first step that the Project set out to achieve.




                              Chunri Center Abbass Nagar


  CRAFT CENTERS
  Craft Centres have been established to support the continuing development of a variety
  of crafts. These are viewed as self-sustaining and it is hoped that the business they
  engender will provide them the means to continue with craft making. One centre in
  each of the districts will act as the nucleus, the resource base, which THAAP will
  continue to support for some time with the developmental work and assist with
  training and marketing. In the long term Local artisan groups will be made
  independent and sustain themselves. THAAP will endeavour to network artisans as
  collectives.

  CRAFT DEVELOPMENT
  Crafts which were the core areas with which the Project engaged and met success are
  listed below. Others such as Blue Pottery which had been identified as having potential
  did not come up with the expected results. Firstly, it was difficult to find women who
  could view this as a livelihood opportunity. Much of this had to do with their
  experience at the Government Blue Pottery Institute at Multan where at one time about
  14 women naqash had been working. The nature of the craft requires infrastructure of
  kilns, potter’s wheels etc which none of the women were able to establish
  independently thus restricting their inputs to mere jobs at the Institute with no earning
  opportunities at home during leisure hours. None could develop their own businesses.
  There is no demand for home based women naqash. Mansoor Shah, who is a well
  known blue pottery expert was asked to involve some of these women in the craft work

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 45
  in his workshop and he did manage to make some headway but not sufficient to be
  noted as an Achievement. The successful endeavours are as below

  1.     PITLOOM
  Construction of the floor installed pit looms; a new arrangement for the traditional pit-
  loom was developed during the Project by Master trainer Ijaz Abbassi. The earlier
  version which is in a pit in an earthen floor was being disused because it had limited
  cloth width, was easily damaged due to dampness and also the artisans complained of
  back aches. The pit-loom had been effectively replaced by the Amritasri/ Kasuri Loom
  which allows cloth to be woven in a larger width than the maximum of 30” wide pit-
  loom product but requires the “tana” to be prepared on a machine, which the NRSP
  possesses but can be commercially done in Multan city only. This had created a
  problem for all the village weavers who had been purchased the Kasuri loom through
  micro-finance by NRSP. Almost all were no longer being used since NRSP stopped
  buying from the village weavers. This has had a devastating effect on traditional
  weaver’s villages like in Village Riazabad where about 40 weavers are no longer
  working.
  It seemed most appropriate to go back to the earlier pit-loom which enables the weavers
  to prepare the entire product themselves while also safeguarding the exquisite weaves
  which can best be prepared on pit-loom. The floor-installed pit-looms were constructed
  at the THAAP office at Bahawalpur and training of 20 women artisans from Dera
  Bhukka was carried out. In Basti-Gadan and Abbass Nagar traditional handloom
  artisans were found who were making khais (bed spread), shawls and cloth. These
  artisans became the master trainers for the Project. The hand spun yarn from local sheep
  wool and local variety of cotton was produced on charkars (spinning wheels) during the
  Project. This has been traditionally prepared exclusively by women whereas both men
  and women are involved in the weaving process. A THAAP Pit-Handloom Center has
  been established at Abbass Nagar and Dera Bhukka with about 15 artisans each while
  support has been extended to the weavers of Basti Gadan. In the process of this work an
  interesting fact emerged which can best be explained in the words of Mariam Bibi from
  Dera Bhukka. She told us in an interview that “My father was an excellent weaver but
  everyone called us “Pauvali” (weaver). I felt embarrassed…..pauvali is a derogatory term. Now I
  want to learn how to weave.” This brought into perspective another reason perhaps why
  so many have given up this trade. The most striking example is Thatta Pauvalian, now
  Sadiqabad, in District Khanewal which was known to be a center of the handloom
  cottage industry but now there are no more than of handful of women weavers and its
  old name has also been changed.


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 46
  2.      BLOCK PRINTING
  A THAAP-CRAFTS BLOCK PRINTING CENTER has been established in the Old City
  of Multan. This was to enable craft families who had left the ancient art of Block
  Printing for which Multan was famous to re-establish their business and relearn the
  craft that they had abandoned. A case in point is of Najma and her husband Ustad Zafer
  who belong to a lineage family of block printers and had a flourishing business till
  about 10 years ago but due to lack of clientele they had since abandoned the family
  trade. They took up the challenge and re-learnt and recreated the process through their
  own persistence and the several workshops that were held to assist them and the other
  25 women who are the nucleus of the Center. The Block Printing has generally
  deteriorated in the entire region with just a handful of printers now available. For some
  aspects of the training a Block Printing Ustad, Zahir Shah provided critical input on
  procedures to be followed to get the color to penetrate the cloth properly and also ways
  and means to get sharp edges on the motifs. Through the THAAP-CRAFTS Center the
  training will need to be continued. Discussions with Lok Virsa are underway to invite
  master block printers from India where the craft has been very well developed.
  Traditional organic dyers have been found in the Project districts who will be involved
  in the endeavor.

  3.     EMBROIDERY
  The prevalent craft of embroidery poised a challenge since it appeared to be stuck in a
  rut with just a few patterns repeated industriously. Developing a new repertoire of
  designs and patterns was a difficult task. The women had got so used to the patterns
  that they had been mechanically working at for the market contractors that any change
  appeared problematic, particularly when it involved developing patterns themselves.
  This was successfully carried out and pursued with great interest by the artisans. There
  are now 209 women embroidery artisans trained in the districts.

  4.     CHUNRI
  Chunri or the art of tie and dye is a famous craft of the Saraiki speaking region as well as
  Sind. Bahawalpur ranks high as a center of Chunri making and villages like Abbass
  Nagar are known centers of this craft and most sought after. Chunri making is a
  predominantly women’s craft which involves the tasks of bandhini (tying) and dying
  which are usually done by different persons. Chunri was being made mostly for the
  market contractors and losing the finesse of the traditional products. The project took
  the challenge to bring back the high quality and fine work of the earlier days. This was
  successfully implemented and a large number of women in Abbass Nagar have been
  trained to produce high quality products as well as new uses found for this exquisite

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 47
  craft. These new products which they had not tried before were developed. This
  includes bags, saris, chunri and ralli work combined to make exquisite bedspreads.

  A THAAP-Craft Center has been set up in Abbass Nagar and 66 women are attached to
  it under supervision of 11 Master Trainers and the 14 bhandini experts. The Center
  wants to extend its craft work to include handloom and block printing which was
  earlier done in the village but had been discarded. Training in handloom was carried
  out and palm leaf artisans are also attached to the Center. There is potential of including
  other crafts such as pottery, long since abandoned but potential and desire of
  expanding their work to make it truly a craft centered village is palatable. Nusrat Bibi,
  the Manager of the Craft Center speaks of the progress during the project in these terms
  “I can immediately think of 14 women who are now expert bandhini makers”. This credit goes
  to the UNESCO-Norway funded Project.

  5.     PALM LEAF
  The palm leaf and wheat stalk craft is a traditional and seasonal craft practiced by the
  women, usually in the late summer when the raw material has been dried and prepared
  for weaving. All villages invariably have some women who are acknowledged masters
  and are much sought after to prepare a range of products for a girl’s dowry and other
  such special occasions. Safia Bibi and her elderly grandmother Mithan Mai of Basti
  Majnon, and Mariam of Abass Nager, (District Bahawalpur), makes floor mats,
  (Chatais), hand fans and praying mats, fruit bowls of varying sizes and platters with
  dried date palm leaves. These products are sustained by the demand from their
  communities and have thus survived for generations but are now threatened due to the
  commercial products which are usually cheaper and rapidly replacing these hand made
  products. The Project created attention to the marketability of palm-leaf and wheat stalk
  craft by developing new products which will be exhibited to test the response of the
  urban buyer. The most successful were the place mats and fruit bowls which were
  developed. This craft has the potential of providing livelihood opportunities but a
  bigger market needs to be created through development of new products. The craft has
  been included in the THAAP-Craft Center at Abbass Nagar. Khan Bela Palm Leaf work
  did not come up to expectation because of the commercial and cheap tinsel which was
  increasingly used.

  6.    THE TRADITIONAL-CUT KURTA
  In Bahawalpur some of the old Kurta styles, which are not in vogue any longer were
  revived. Thus, the 28 Kali (panelled) Kurta to the 10 Kali Kurta and others which are still
  worn like the 4 Kali and 8 Kali Kurtas were used. The method to increase the kalis from

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 48
  to more than 14 Kali was taught, the artisans are now Training was carried out by our
  Master Cutters and Master Tailors for the artisans from all the districts. Patterns were
  prepared on “buckram” locally called “cheepe” so that this would be available in all the
  Centres for reference. Products were developed using the 28 Kali Kurta.

  7.      RALLI
  Ralli is synonymous with the Cholistani desert, where it is widely practiced and most
  intricate although it is found in other parts of the region as well. The Cholistani artisans
  have used this exquisite craft to prepare new cultural products such as cross slung
  computer bags, bags, patties (borders) for apparel, bed spreads. The THAAP-CRAFT
  Ralli Center at Khangah Sharif, Derawar has 5 Master Trainers and 18 women attached
  with it; with an additional 29 women at the nearby Basti Meganwaal. Artisans from
  these two villages and village Derawar were trained jointly. The Art of Ralli making has
  great potential and needs to be further explored.

  8.      GHOGHOO GHORA
  The Ghoghoo Ghora or a toy horse is a traditional craft and one of the oldest in Pakistan.
  Its origin can be traced back to the Indus Valley civilization, and the clay toy horse.
  Over a period of time the ghoghoo ghora has evolved and different styles adopted. In the
  Multan region a special kind of the toy horse is being made of rags and paper by the
  khanabadosh (gypsy tribes), who are nomadic and roam around in the region in search of
  work and come to Multan at the Eid Festival. The men and women of Malang’s
  extended family of about 40 persons were challenged to prepare other decorative toy
  objects such as the parrot, camel, elephant and such others which they successfully
  prepared. A total of 42 persons participated in the Project.

  OVERALL: Achievements in Bahawalpur have surpassed those in Multan for a variety
  of reasons. Bahawalpur achieved more than expected targets because of the interest of
  the women artisans and their large numbers who earn a livelihood through craft related
  work. Given that there is no large urban center in the district the communities are
  basically agrarian living in villages and crafts products continue to be used by them.
  Much of this may have to do with the fact that the erstwhile rulers of the Bahawalpur
  state were supporters/ promoters of crafts and arts and had brought in several craft
  families to the state. Entire village of craft persons can be found such as Abbass Nagar,
  Dera Bhukka. In the case of Multan, the city is where most of the craftwork is centered
  and due to its urban character, industrially produced products have replaced the
  handicrafts. This was noted in the British period gazetteers (See Multan District
  Gazetteer 1922) and since then with growing urbanization the crafts are seriously

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 49
  compromised. The famous crafts of Multan such as blue pottery and fresco painting
  have very few practitioners and children of lineage families have already abandoned
  the family craft and no new adherents seem to have been trained. The Block Printing
  experience is an indicator of the situation with the other traditional crafts.


  Exhibition of Cultural Products
  An Exhibition of Craft Products had been organized in Islamabad to showcase the
  products prepared in the Project, scheduled on 6th December 2010. This has been in
  avertedly delayed due to the cancellation by the high profile Chief Guest, the Prime
  Minister. A new date has been now scheduled for 21st December 2010. The Exhibition is
  to be held at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts galleries for which all
  arrangements are in place and cultural products ready for display and sale. The
  exhibition is viewed as an opportunity for the women artisans to experience the
  response to their work and to see the demands of an up-market clientele. Orders for
  products being displayed will also be taken to allow the benefits of the Project to
  continue for the artisans. The exhibition is designed by THAAP designers in the
  following manner.

  The Exhibition: Connecting People through crafts
  RALLI…..Rallana….to connect….
  The Exhibition takes its name from the exquisite Rallis which the nomadic tribal women of the Rohi
  (Cholistan) continue to make. Scholars opine that the name is derived from the Saraiki word “Rallana”
  meaning “bringing together or to connect”.

  The exhibition focuses on the cultural products prepared through the UNESCO funded
  Project in District DG Khan and the UNESCO- Norway funded Project “Empowerment
  of Women through Crafts in District Multan and Bahawalpur” which was
  simultaneously carried out in the three districts. Training and capacity building of the
  women artisans was central to the Project. The effort throughout has been to
  contemporize the traditional crafts while training the craftswomen to learn ways and
  means to eventually manage and set up their own enterprises. Collaborative training
  sessions were carried out by the THAAP design team over a period of about 6 months
  emphasising on design development and preparation of cultural products based on
  traditional craft skills, which are able to compete with the modern-day products of the
  market. The Exhibition is a means to promote and market the cultural products from
  South Punjab and promote the over 500 craftswomen who played a pivotal role during
  this period.


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 50
  The crafts included in the exhibition are those which are prevalent in the districts and
  mostly done by women. The exhibits comprise of various forms of embroidery stitches
  (tankas) and palm leaf products from all the three districts, appliqué work and
  patchwork (Ralli work) from Cholistan, Tie and dye work (bandhani or chunri making),
  beadwork and hand-woven shawls and cloth from Bahawalpur; block printing and blue
  pottery from Multan district.

  The setting where these crafts are made and the craftswomen reside, will also been
  presented to highlight the ambiance and richness of the area as well as the problems
  faced by these women and their communities. The tangible heritage of the region will
  be showcased including a section on the archeological heritage of the region. Pottery
  pieces from Hakra- Indus civilization (3500 -1500 BCE) are showcased in this segment.
  The reconstruction drawings of various pottery pieces have been made showing the
  kind of pottery used in the ancient world. Beside the pottery pieces from antiquity there
  are maps of the area to show where these treasures are located and a photographic
  display of the medieval forts in the Cholistan desert. South Punjab has a unique and
  rich cultural history which has been captured in the panels and objects on display. Its
  heritage of music is offered as a DVD of the river songs of the Mors, prepared by local
  people themselves. The exhibition brings to life the richness of the unique Saraiki
  culture seeped with the mysticism of the Sufi saints for which South Punjab is famous
  as well as the different eras which left their indelible mark on the culture of the region.

  The Exhibition is a reminder of the extremely rich cultural history of the Pakistani
  people as embodied in the living culture of South Punjab. The display of various arts
  and crafts is a story of an unexplored region waiting to be told and heard. It is an
  endeavor to present a region worthy of record.



  8.       NATIONAL AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FOR
           HANDICRAFTS

  Recognition of Crafts and Artisans is very much needed at the national level. At present
  the only award is the Lok Virsa award and the President’s Pride of Performance given
  to artisans occasionally. An assessment of these two awards shows that they have had
  limited impact basically because the process is based on exclusivity and nominations
  are made through a “word of mouth basis” rather than a rigorous evaluation and wider
  invitation process. Similar is the case of the Pride of Performance, which per se is a

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 51
  prestigious award but has not had any impact on the craft sector. Some Pride of
  Performance laureates were met in South Punjab and some were requested to be
  trainers, but soon it was found that they really did not the skills for which they had
  received this recognition. In some cases it was found that they had been unable to grow
  and appeared to be caught in a rut. Their craft skills were being compromised on the
  vagrancies of the modern clientele who were unable to assess the value of the
  traditional techniques and were going on for cheaper material for example the fresco
  being done in oil paints and what is alarming the old frescoes rendered on the walls of
  heritage buildings particularly shrines and mosques being replaced/repaired with oil
  painted version.
  The UNESCO award of Excellence for Handicrafts, earlier the “Seal of Excellence for
  Handicrafts” (established 2000) has not had much of an impact in Pakistan either,
  although the reasons for the award are laudable. Of particular note is that it is given to a
  product rather than a person, thus the reason to excel has been inbuilt. However what is
  important is that a lead up to this award requires that a National Award should be
  instituted on a yearly basis.

  Based on the UNESCO award the following is recommended. Language and text where
  needed/relevant has been taken from UNESCO document

  PREAMBLE
  i)     The National Award of Excellence for Handicrafts serves as a quality-control
  mechanism and as a marketing device that guarantees the quality of handmade,
  traditional and innovative craft products from the region.
  ii)    The Award is a “stamp of approval” and validates that the cultural product
  meets the highest standards of quality and has been produced with careful regard to
  cultural authenticity and environmental conservation.
  iii)   The National Award of Excellence will be given every two years. (Alternating
  with UNESCO award years)
  iv)    Awards will be in the form of a “Certificate of Authenticity” jointly given by
  UNESCO and a government (Lok Virsa) and non-government partner organization.

  Objectives (same as UNESCO with one additional objective)
  The National 'Award of Excellence for Handicrafts' aims to encourage artisans to
  produce handicrafts using traditional skills, patterns and themes in an innovative way,
  in order to ensure the continuity and sustainability of these traditions and skills.
  Objective 1: Establish rigorous standards of excellence for handicrafts
  The National “Award of Excellence for Handicrafts” aims to promote quality crafts that
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 52
  upholds rigorous standards of excellence. It aims to ensure that when consumers buy
  awarded handicrafts, they are buying high quality, culturally authentic products that
  have been manufactured in a socially-responsible manner with respect for the
  environment.
  Objective 2: Encourage innovativeness
  While it seeks to promote the continuation of traditional skills, the National Award also
  encourages product innovation in order to ensure that handicrafts remain relevant,
  valuable, and marketable in modern life.
  Objective 3: Offer training and support services
  The program aims to provide capacity-building and training workshops to assist craft
  producers in the improvement of their product design and marketing, development of
  their markets, and protection of their intellectual property rights.
  Objective 4: Provide new opportunities to ensure sustainability of handicraft
  industries
  The handicraft sector plays an increasingly significant role in local economic
  development and poverty eradication. By providing new market opportunities, the
  program aims to enable handicraft producers to establish sustainable livelihoods. This
  will be achieved through developing networks of handicraft producers and buyers,
  including the higher-end of the market, and through exhibitions and trade fairs.
  Objective 5: (Additional Clause) The Award will especially support village based craft
  production and offer training and marketing opportunity for long term sustainability of
  livelihood and craft development in villages.

  EVALUATION CRITERIA

  A product that is granted the 'Award of Excellence' meets the highest level of craft
  excellence and is distinguished as a benchmark for craft production.

      •    Excellence
           Demonstrated excellence and standard–setting quality in craftsmanship: determined by
           the use of high quality materials, a high standard of technique and the special
           attention to manufacturing and finishing details.
      •    Authenticity
           Expression of cultural identity and traditional aesthetic values: demonstrated by a
           well-achieved application of aesthetic and cultural expression or traditional
           crafting techniques.


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 53
         •   Innovation
             Innovation in design and production: demonstrated by an effective and successful
             blend of traditional and contemporary, or inventive and creative use of material,
             design, and production processes.
         •   Marketability
             Marketability of the craft products with potential for the regional and/or international
             market: related to the functionality of the product, the safe use by potential
             buyers, a balanced price-quality relationship or the sustainability of production.
         •   Eco-friendly
             Respect for the environment in materials and production techniques: Exemplified
             through the sustainable use of natural dyes, natural fibers, recycled materials
             and the use of materials and production processes that are environmentally
             friendly
         •   Fair
             Social responsibility: The producer must affirm that no labor law or copyrights
             was violated and no individual or group exploited unfairly at any stage in the
             production of a handicraft submitted for the Award program.

  A product which meets all of the criteria will be granted with the 'National Award of
  Excellence'. This recognizes the highest level of craft excellence and distinguishes a
  product as a benchmark for craft production.

  PROCEDURES (RECOMMENDED)
  JURY
  i)         A Jury of Selectors will be formed for two cycles of the National Award of
             Excellence in Handicrafts
  ii)        The Jury will comprise of 9 members and one Chairperson. The criteria for
             selection will be of individuals who have been engaged with the Craft Sector
             either having worked or published scholarly books/papers/reports and enjoy
             good repute.
  iii)       The Jury will be assisted by Assistant Jurors who can be as many as needed on
             the basis of knowledge of the particular craft and the region within Pakistan
  iv)        An examination of Assistant Jurors may be held for purposes of identification of
             suitable persons
  iii)        All participating organizations will be involved in the nomination process.
             UNESCO will have the deciding vote.
  iv)        All Jury positions are honorary.

  PROCEDURES FOR NOMINATIONS
UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 54
  i)       A nationwide invitation will be sent through the print and electronic media
           announcing the awards.
  ii)      Local language newspapers will also carry the award announcements
  iii)     Government administrations at the District Level will be sent the announcements
           with a request for wide publicity in their districts
  iv)      Government and NGO Sector will be requested to send in nominations

  JURY PROCEDURES
  i)   A two stage Jury will be held. In the first stage a short list of craft products will
       be generated.
  ii)  Second Stage of the Jury will examine all short listed products for purposes of
       awarding the “National Award of Excellence in Handicrafts”
  iii) There will be no restriction of the number of products recognized however each
       must meet the objective and conditions of the “National Award of Excellence in
       Handicrafts” as laid down earlier
  iv)  The products awarded will be publicized on UNESCO website and partner
       organizations website

  FOLLOW UP
  i)  The winning entries and the artisans will be facilitated through training,
      networking and capacity building to prepare products for submission to the
      “UNESCO Award of Excellence in Handicrafts” held on a two-yearly basis




                                     Fresco : Zain ul Abadeen Shrine, Multan




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 55
  THE WAY FORWARD: CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
  It is now widely acknowledged that crafts are a resource which can be harnessed for the
  economic well-being of communities and through livelihood opportunities can alleviate
  poverty particularly amongst the village communities. Craft making is the single most
  prevalent non-farm livelihood that communities in the villages of Pakistan. A large
  number crafts persons; particularly women are supplementing the family income
  through craft related activities. Crafts as a means of livelihood needs to be brought at
  the core of the development agenda. Ways and means to strengthen the CRAFT
  SECTOR AT THE VILLAGE LEVEL is and should be the Central Concern for
  developing the Future Strategy.

  Interventions and a strategy can be formulated which addresses the needs of the Village
  crafts persons at the Village level itself. Some villages have been identified in South
  Punjab which are truly traditional Craft Villages with over 80% of the population
  involved in some form of craft making as the primary source of livelihood. These
  villages need attention and a holistic, all encompassing, strategy needs to be developed
  which targets the improvement of the socio-cultural and physical environment of the
  traditional habitat of craft persons. Rather than dislocating communities to urban
  centers where craft villages are now being made, this strategy recognizes that crafts
  persons are an integral part of communities which succors and provides them support
  and as such this structure must not be disturbed. Through the upgradation of the
  traditional Craft Villages in districts, immediate importance to Crafts and craft persons
  is achieved, their status is enhanced and others are encouraged. This will bring crafts to
  the center of the development agenda and assist as well in the development of cultural
  industries which will empower the multitude of craft persons in the villages.

  Additional support to the crafts is needed through setting up Craft Museums and
  Design and Enterprise development centers at the district headquarter level.
  Establishing collaborative linkages between designers and artisans needs to be an
  ongoing activity to assist the development of new cultural products. Bahawalpur has
  the potential of being considered under UNESCO “Cities of Craft & Folk Arts” which
  should be the aim and development of a Traditional Folk Art and Craft Village will be a
  step towards this.

  As the first step, a Pilot Project, the integrated development of Abbass Nagar, District
  Bahawalpur is envisaged. This can be followed by similar interventions in, District

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 56
  Multan. A Museum of Crafts & Enterprise Development Center in the district
  headquarters of Multan and Bahawalpur is the next essential step.

  The following projects are envisaged

      1. CRAFT & FOLK ART VILLAGE ABBASS NAGAR:
  INTEGRATED AND ENVIRONMENTALY APPROPRIATE DEVELOPMENT
  Abbass Nagar is 20 miles from Bahawalpur City on the Khairpur Tamewala Road. The
  community of 800 houses (about 6000 persons) has more than 80% of the population
  involved in craft making. Majority of the people have small farm holdings of about 1-2
  acres thus a large number earn livelihood through craft making. In the proximity of
  Abbass Nagar is the Lal Soharana Wild Life Park, a tourist destination and a number of
  villages. This together with the majestic palaces of the erstwhile Nawabs of
  Bahawalpur, the imposing forts and archaeological sites of Cholistan and the desert
  experience knits together as a cultural tourism circuit in which the Craft and Folk Art
  Village will be embedded.

  OVERALL GOAL:
  The overall goal is to support the Social, Economic and Cultural Development of a
  Traditional Craft Village.

  BRIEF OVERVIEW OF ABBASS NAGAR
  ASSETS
       Existing strong traditional base of crafts
        (Chunri, Handloom, Embroidery, Palm Leaf
        & Wheat Stalk, Block Printing, Khusa making,
        pottery)
      Strong presence of Craft persons including
                                                      Traditional House Form at Abbass Nagar
        large number of women (800 households
        involved with Crafts)
      Connected to the Market : Small Business Enterprise exists and has potential for
        development
      Capacity for development of Contemporary Crafts Products
      Training Centers Established (THAAP- CRAFTS CHUNRI & HANDLOOM
        CENTER) with 8 Master Trainers
      Compact Settlement (800 households) with surrounding villages involved in
        craft production e.g. Dera Bukka 1BC and 33 BC Sardar Wali


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 57
          Local Expertise of constructing the traditional gopa house (sal) exists and people
            continue to build using traditional methods and material.
          Educational Institutions ( Two Government Primary/Middle School for Girls &
            One High School for Boys) available
          Locational Advantage : 22 miles from Bahawalpur, Transport Network adequate
          Cultural Tourism Potential: Close to Lal Sohanara Wild Life Park, and other
           cultural sites of Bahawalpur e.g. Thul at Dera Bukka.

  ISSUES & LIABILITIES
      Very poor physical infrastructure, sanitation,
       and lack of clean drinking water, no piped water
       supply, no solid waste disposal system etc.
      Disorganized craft sector
      Exploitation by middle men/contractors
      Potential for cultural industries not fully used.
       Low education in adults: improvement in
                                                          Village Street, Abbass Nagar
       education highly desirable.
      Health facilities need improvement. No First level health facility (BHU) available
      Quality of education needs enhancement
      Cultural tourism potential remains unexplored

  PROPOSED INTERVENTIONS IN THE INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLAN:
     Empowering communities specially women through Livelihood and Economic
      Opportunities and Development of Cultural Industries & Farm Related Activity.
     Community driven and participatory Up-gradation of Physical Infrastructure
      (water supply, sanitation, street paving, environmentally conscious solid waste
      management, tree plantation, biogas, solar street lights (pilot); energy efficient
      development. Removal of Cattle Sheds to a common enclosure managed by the
      community. And creation of community meeting spaces such as Jhok Sanj.
     Quality Improvement of Education & Health facilities and provision of adult
      literacy.
     Strengthening of THAAP-Crafts Design and Business Resource & Training
      Center & Museum managed by women artisans.
     Provision of Business opportunities and showcasing through Annual Mela
      /Festival of Crafts in Abbass Nagar.




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 58
                  Chunri Making at Abbass Nagar
                                                            Pottery from Abbass Nagar




                   Village Shoe Maker at Abbass Nagar
                                                            Palm Leaf Products at Abbass Nagar



      2. The THAAP CRAFT Centers for South Punjab
       Artisans need to be networked through an organizational structure of village based
      craftsperson to create strength and voice of the artisans. THAAP can assist in this
      endeavor while continuing with capacity building and enterprise development
      work. Ideally a mobile design unit needs to be established to reach the remote areas
      of the districts. Such a mobile unit will facilitate the artisan-designer collaboration
      which was the main strength of the Project. In the long term a South Punjab Craft
      Council needs to be established harnessing all artisans presently working in villages
      and home based craft activity.

      3. CAPACITY BUILDING IN BLOCK PRINTING CRAFT &
         NATURAL DYES
           Block printing techniques have deteriorated at an alarming level while natural
           dyeing techniques are almost extinct. There is thus a great need to revive these
           crafts which were at one time the back bone of the Craft Sector in these two
           districts. It may be necessary to get input from the region particularly India and
           Japan where these have survived.

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 59
      4. CHOLISTAN ARTS AND CRAFTS: CULTURAL TOURISM
         AND EMPOWERMENT OF COMMUNITIES OF CHOLISTAN

      Cholistan could easily be one of the richest cultural zones of
      Pakistan but remains largely ignored and inhabited by the
      poorest of the poor. It’s potential derived from its immensely
      rich living culture and its archeological sites remains
      unexplored. Some parts of the desert are difficult to assess and
      are very remote but extremely rich in their craft traditions.
      These could provide the basis for livelihood opportunity and
      alleviate the abject poverty of the communities. Considering
      the terrain and logistics it needs a separate Project targeting                                Child at Basti Bijnot, Deep
      communities living in the remote parts as well as on the                                       Cholistan. There are no
                                                                                                     schools, health facility,
      periphery of the desert.                                                                       clean drinking water.




      Ralli from Basti Bijnot. The
      isolation of the area has preserved
      the craft skills. Rallis are mostly
      made for family use and rarely                                        Traditional Gopa Settlement in Deep Cholistan
      sold    because     of     lack  of
      opportuntiy
                                            Artisan of the Blue Ralli




      Interior of House, Basti Bodiwal, Deep Cholistan              Interior Art, Basti Bijnot, Deep Cholistan




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 60
     Raja Mai at Workshop April 2010

                                                         Raja Mai with the Community children who wanted to
                                                         be photographed




                                                Collection of Rallis at Basti Khangah, Derawar




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 61
                                                  ANNEX

   1.               TERMS OF REFERENCE & PROGRESS
   2.               SAMPLE REPORT FROM FTL
   3.               SAMPLE REPORT: FIRST TRAINING WORKSHOP
                    Report: Mobeen Saeed, Designer
   4.               SAMPLE REPORT: FIRST TRAINING WORKSHOP
                    Report : Aisha Imdad, Designer/Artist
   5.               SECOND TRAINING WORKSHOP
                    Report : Sajida Haider Vandal, Executive Director THAAP-CAS
   6.               MANAGEMENT SAMPLE: ORDER AND TRACKING FORM




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 62
                                                          TERMS OF REFERENCE

                                       TERMS OF REFERENCE                                                PROGRESS/STATUS
         1.   Devise and finalize a work plan and strategy for                         Achieved
              selection     and      training        of    women        from   local   Work Plan submitted on 15 March 2010
              communities in districts Bahawalpur, Multan for                          Budget Breakdown submitted on 15 March 2010
              employing local craft traditions as a means for
              alleviating poverty. The workplan, along with a
              budget      breakdown         for      the    activities    shall   be
              submitted to UNESCO Islamabad by 15 March 2010,
              at the latest;
         2.   Identify at least 20 women from each of the selected                     Achieved
              villages      (five    villages        per    district)    practising    Women identified from Selected Villages in each
              traditional craft/s and organize training workshops in                   district.
              development of cultural products, contemporizing                         Crafts identified
              design to inculcate design innovation methodologies;                     Three Training Sessions Held
              marketing and managing skills, with a functional
              literacy component woven into the programme;
         3.   Train at least 10 Master Trainers for upscaling the                      Achieved
              initiative;                                                              10 Master Trainers will be trained by end of Project
                                                                                       for upscaling initiative
         4.   Establish a National Award of Excellence for                             In Final Report
              Handicrafts,          based       on         UNESCO’s        regional
              programme on the same;
         5.   Maintain separate financial records and submit                           Separate records maintained
              separate progress report on the two activities;
         6.   Submit progress reports on Empowering Women                              Submitted
              through Handicrafts to UNESCO Islamabad by 10
              July 2010, at the latest
         7.   Submit to UNESCO Islamabad a final report on the                         Submitted. Delayed because of the Flood situation and
              Norway-funded           project,        “Empowering          Women       villages affected under Project. UNESCO informed and
              through Handicrafts” by 15 September 2010 at the                         requested for extension. Extension allowed
              latest
         8.   Introduce the crafts of Southern Punjab to potential                     Exhibition was to be held on 6th Dec 2010. Prime
              market through an Exhibition in October 2010, the                        Minister of Pakistan was invited as the Chief Guest.
              proceeds of which would go directly to the women                         Exhibition delayed due to foreign trip of PM and asked
              beneficiaries to sustain their efforts;                                  to give new date. Requested date 21st December 2010.
                                                                                       Products prepared under the Norway funded Project will
                                                                                       be exhibited along with those of DG Khan component




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 63
                       ANNEX 2: SAMPLE REPORT FROM FIELD TEAM LEADER



                  Report Writing
          Report by: Field Team Leader
          Bushra Saghar
          Date of Report: 3rd April 2010




                                            District : Multan

                                                     Movement Plan of Field Work

           Place of Visit: Kotla Tolley Khan
           Objective: Introduction of Project and purpose of Training.
           Meeting with women khussa workers / khussa making /Embroidery Worker
           on the upper of khussa

                                                                         Meeting With Persons
           Names of persons

  1. Shareefan Mai                              6. Muhammad Hussain

  2. Shazia Hussain                             7. Tahir Ali

  3. Rubina Bi Bi

  4. Salmaa

  5. Safia

 Comments
    • How Many women are eager for training?

                       02 Women are agreed for Training.

      •    Why they are not interested in training?



UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 64
           According to them, they are working in a part of Khussa making. Payment depends on
           the work they are able to produce so if they give time for training they will lose income.
           Factory owner are very possessive since they benefit out of it and the women are not
           willing to take any risks. The Factory Owners were asked to allow women to participate
           in this workshop since they will also benefit from improved skills of their workforce.

      •    Is Visited Place suitable for workshop?                       Yes




                                                  Discussed Issues
                       Different fields of work in Khussa making, like embroidery on
                        upper side of khussa. Potential for further developing this for
                        producing other products
                       Discussion about the need of training on Khussa Making, it will
                        enhance the skill which will help them increase income
                       Payment on the basis of quantity of manufacturing




           Outcomes:
      •    Key person , Mr. Tahir and Mr. Muhammad Hussain agreed to make us sure that
           they will arrange a meeting with women who will participate in Training.
      •    Innovative Ideas:
      •    Training should cover all aspects of Khussa Making and potential use of skills for
           other products
      •    Lump sum amount for spending time in training should be given to each
           participant.




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 65
                                  ANNEX 3: SAMPLE REPORT
                 FIRST TRAINING WORKSHOP : REPORT BY MOBEEN SAEED, DESIGNER

           Venue: Multan
           Date: 17th April 2010
           Coordinator: Ms. Bushra Sagar (FTL)
           Workshop Timings: 10.30am till 3.00pm
           Participants: 20 Women
                                             Proceedings of the Day
           The workshop was started with a brainstorming session regarding “what is your skill
           and talent?”/” what are you good at?”
           The participants shared that most of them are good in making “puni of the khusa” ,
           “kinari of chapel” .
           The workshop was started with color combination as day 1. After this lecture the
           participants were praised for the kind of work they have already been involved in
           making like kohla puri chapal. The participants were encouraged to share the
           information regarding their worth in the market, like what they charge for their labor
           and what they expect and what they are paid etc. It was amazing and surprising for our
           team to know that they were paid very less for their labor. For instance they were
           getting Rs. 20 for stitching of khusa, Rs. 5 for kinari, and Rs. 45 for “tilay ka Kaam”. They
           got Rs 90 for preparing 12 pair of shoes. The more the light, the lower the prices, if the
           work is a bit heavy, only a few more bucks are paid.
           7 women were selected as Master trainer as follows:
           1. Tasleem
           2. Manzoora
           3. Hanifa
           4. Yasmin
           5. Ambreen
           6. Iffat
           7. Naseem

           The team admired the coordination of Ms. Bushra as she very well handled her job and
           her responsibilities.

           Highlight:
      •    The group was highly motivated to work with us as they realized that we will pay them
           their worth and were eager to join hands with us.
      •    They were keen to share the hand embroidered clothes they brought with them.
      •    Very simple women, the idea of getting orders and money inspired them a lot. They
           were keen for working and improving their living standard.

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 66
      •    They usually don’t work for the market but they start making their daughters dowry
           when they turn 9. At the same time they also start training their daughters in the skill
           they know at that time when she turns 9.
      •    I personally discovered that multani women used “chaawul tanka” which was very new
           to me.

           Lowlight:
      •    One of the lowlight of this workshop was that the group was a mixture of different skills
           and was not all related to Khusa making.

           After Multan workshop we visited the Sawi Mosque, though most of it was broken but
           we enjoyed the preserved architecture.

           Day 3: Workshop
           Venue: Bhawalpur, Bheli
           Date: 18th April 2010
           Coordinator/FTL: Ms. Muzammal
           Workshop Timings: 11 am till 4.00pm
           Participants: 40 Women
                                             Proceedings of the Day
           Day 3 workshop started in a better mood as when we entered the workshop room, we
           were surprised to see all women sitting in lines and they had their work displayed on
           the tents wall. The presentation of their work was impressive. They displayed all types
           of work they were good at like “Koroshia, Gota, Embroidery, Chabia and Pukhia made
           from palm leaves”. Their specialty was palm leaves product.
           Day 1 lecture about colors was delivered. Same activities as day 1 were repeated with
           participants.
           The one interesting activity the participant enjoyed that day was when Ms. Mobin asked
           them to market their product on the stage. They were asked to tell about the material
           they used, the color combinations, their inspiration, what they would charge for the
           product. It was a very interesting and interactive session and all girls enjoyed and
           clapped for each other. Even the shy ones gathered courage and market their product.
           From this workshop we selected following Master Trainers:
           1. Sadai Batool
           2. Zarina Khan
           3. Sana
           4. Irum
           5. Naseem
           6. Rubina
           7. Munira


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 67
           Highlights:
           1. Most of the women were literate. They understood what we communicated. They
               were organized and were keen to learn from us.
           2. They were eager for more academics and skill up gradation processes. They wanted
               us to organize more workshops for them in skill up gradation
           3. Highly motivated group of young women eager to learn and explore new
               dimensions like Sadia who wanted to open up her own venture to teach young girls
               like her different skill and trades.
           4. I personally admired the ribbon work and “pipalgira tanka”

           Lowlights:
           1. Very hot climate.

           The very day we visited the pit loom master Haji Atta Ullah. We saw designed ‘khais’.
           He was too old and one sad thing was that he had no students or shagard even none of
           his family members were interested in learning his skill. They were all going to schools.

           Day 4: Workshop
           Venue: Darawar fort
           Date: 19th April 2010
           Coordinator/FTL: Ms. Muzammil
           Workshop Timings: 1.30 pm till 4.30pm
           Participants: 33 Women
                                              Proceedings of the Day
           The day started with a surprise. When we arrived at the workshop there were no
           participants present. Even the tent was not put and no arrangements were made. We
           waited till 1.30 till all participants gathered. The reason was that they were not duly
           informed about the workshop time and venue. When they were informed they reached
           in 30 minutes time. We started with 10 women participants in open field. Slowly the tent
           was put and other participants joined us.
           Ms. Mobeen was started the workshop. The interesting fact about that group was that it
           was a mixture of two communities, Hindu and Muslims. The strange thing was that they
           sat in two different groups as per their religion and did not want to communicate with
           each other. So the trainer’s firs t challenge was to relax the mood and start group
           communication through combine’s interest topics. It was a big challenge to make them
           understand that they have to work in collaboration in the workshop. The hindu women
           were found more cooperative than Muslim women.
           The hindu participants were dressed in ghagra, choli and chadar on head where as
           Muslim women were dressed in Paksitan shalwar kameez. The trainer made each Hindu
           woman stand in front of a Muslim woman and share their color combinations they were
           wearing and significant things about their dressing with each other.


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 68
           After that mutual sharing session to break the barrier of communication, they sat
           together and looked at the collateral brought for them. They saw the designs, and
           product and discussed their values and importance and what they can make and
           produce. They shared that they are good at making ‘Rulies and Eplic work”.
           The day 1 activity of making something out of colored cloth was started. They made
           rulies and eplic using the sample cloth.
           It was a very backward community. Especially Hindus wed their daughters when they
           are born. They live with their parents till they are young and then sent with their
           husbands.
           Following are the master trainers selected form this group
               1. Najma
               2. Sachal
               3. Sattu mai
               4. Zakia
               5. Naheed
               6. Meera
               7. Bachul
               8. Raja mai
               9. Azra bibi
               10. Perveen
               11. Shamim
               12. Shamshad

           Highlights:
              1. Though conservative and isolated in the beginning the workshop changed the
                   mood and brought the participants closer to each other.
               2. We can have them make rilies and appliqué work, mobiles, rag dolls, file cover,
                   wedding/gift boxes, ghagra and choli
               3. Eager to learn and work with us

           Lowlights:
              1. Their language is difficult. It is difficult to communicate with them.


           My Recommendations:
      1. All master trainers should be invited for training at one center point where they should
           learn from trainer as well as from each other.
      2. For embroidery, gota etc we concentrate
               a. First on material (fabric) then
               b. color combinations

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 69
               c. embellishments
               d. patterns/contemporary designs/motifs
               e. provide feedback at every step
               f.   start final product
      3. visit Kheror paka near Multan for block printing
      4. the relies and appliqué work at Derawar fort should also be tried on female dresses, it
           will be a new trend for the people, on them we can have embroideries on them from
           Bheli
      5. the Kroshia work at Bheli should also be tried for trendy casual college bags
      6. Kroshia and appliqué work should be combined together for dress shirts.

           It was a wonderful session where a lot of learning took place at both ends.




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 70
                                ANNEX 4: SAMPLE REPORT
             FIRST TRAINING WORKSHOP APRIL 15-19, 2010: REPORT BY AISHA IMDAD,
                                   DESIGNER/ARTIST



           Daily Report from the Project:
           Development of Traditional crafts of Southern Punjab
           By Aisha Asim Imdad
           From 15th April 10 to 19th April 10

           15th April 10: Arrived from Islamabad to Multan by air around 2 o’clock in the
           afternoon. Reached the Rest house and was joined by the rest of the team by 4 o’clock in
           the afternoon. After settling down the team members had a meeting in which they all
           discussed their developed strategies for the workshop. It was decided that all of us
           should work together in the workshop. I was to start the workshop and then involve
           Mubeen and Sadia with me during the lecture.
           16th April 10: Started from the rest house at 7:45 for DG Khan. We arrived at the
           workshop venue at around 10 o’ clock. The workshop coordinator Ms. Shagufta met us
           and introduced us to the women who had come to attend the workshop from main DG
           Khan city as well as Choti a surrounding village famous for its embroidery. There were
           around 55 women present for the workshop. I started the workshop with the lecture,
           which I had specifically prepared for the workshop. The lecture was planned to develop
           and improve the color sense and their approach towards their design, which they have
           been making all their lives. They were told various concepts of colors so that they could
           look at colors with a new approach by explaining about primary, secondary and tertiary
           colors. Then they were also told about the color and harmony and color and moods. The
           lecture also intended to improve their designing sense by looking at other finished
           traditional crafts produced by other countries especially India. That was done by
           showing them real products as samples and also pictures in the books and slides on the
           computer.
           We did various small exercises with them during the lecture to practically make them
           understand the theoretical ideas. While I was talking about the colors and harmony I
           asked them to make their own color schemes, which had harmony between them. For
           that I gave them strips of various color cloths. They all made their own color schemes
           and then we picked up few of the good color schemes and few of the bad color schemes
           and discussed about them. This exercise helped them in learning about how to mix
           various color schemes more successfully in their embroideries.
           While I was talking about colors and moods I asked various participants as what various
           colors remind them of. They all talked of various things that they related various colors
           with. Like one participant thought that blue reminded her of a sky while the other
           thought that it reminded her of coolness. One woman said that black color reminded her

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 71
           of a buffalo as they are all around them in their environment while the other thought
           that it was used as a nazar batto – to ward off evil. Hence they all gave their various
           impressions on various colors. This exercise helped them in designing their color
           schemes according to various seasons as well as various occasions.
           Mubeen and Sadia showed them the designs through various reference books and
           samples they were carrying with them. I showed them samples which I had selected for
           them. After showing them all the samples and books and slides we asked all the women
           to choose one small square colored cotton cloth of 1x1’. And choose their own color
           scheme and develop their own design, which they have never done before. They all
           made their own designs first on the A4 paper then transferring it on the cloth. The
           exercise was a big success as they all tried to create something from their own
           imagination.
           After this exercise the lunch was served to all the participants. After the lunch I chose
           the best pieces and talked about them to the participants. It helped them in
           understanding what were the good points in their designing and what were the faults
           that they had made.
           Mubeen and Sadia sat with Ms. Shaghuta and chose the master trainers, which were 7 in
           number. These women are tentative candidates for master trainers from DG Khan.

           At around 4: 30 pm we left DG Khan and reached Multan at around 6:00 pm.

           17 April 10: We started from the rest house to conduct our workshop at around 10 o
           clock and reached the Basti in one hour as there was a huge traffic blockade. Ms.
           Bushara who was coordinating this workshop for us was waiting for us on the spot. This
           basti consists of women who make embroidered uppers in tilla for khoosas and kolapuri
           chappals. The workshop venue was at one of the woman’s house. Around 20 women
           participated in the workshop.
           As the aim of the workshop was to contemporaries the work of these women and help
           them in applying the same skill to other products beside shoe uppers. Hence we started
           the workshop by explaining our goal to them and also explaining how it will help them
           in improving their circumstances. I enquired about their education status. They told me
           that all the older women were not educated but they were making sure that they
           educate their daughters. One woman told me that she had nine daughters and she is
           working hard to educate all of them. Her elder daughter had studied till 12th grade and
           was now working as a teacher. She also told me that she is teaching all her daughters the
           skill of embroidery and stitching so that they have multiple skills in their hands. All the
           women were very emotional about their lack of education and one woman said that she
           feels very bad that her parents did not make any effort to educate her.
           After this discussion we explained to them that we are going to talk about developing
           their color senses as they all told me that they all use the colors in the tilla and ar
           embroidery themselves, as they have to buy the thread. We started by explaining
           various stages of colors; primary, secondary and tertiary colors. Then we talked about

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 72
           the effect of color on our moods and how the same colors also effect out customer
           moods like they will buy certain colors in certain weather and certain colors are
           associated with certain occasion. Then we asked them to select their own color scheme
           and explain why they did it. Most of them came up with good color schemes. And
           applied the concepts they had been taught in their color schemes. Then Mubeen and
           Sadia showed them pictures of handbags, belts and other leather products that they can
           make out of their same skill.
           The women after looking at all these images started to say that they are workers and if
           we want them to make these products for them then just bring the cut out items to them
           and they will make them why show them these items. Then we explained to them that
           we want to give them exposure to what the women are doing in other parts of the world
           and we want them to improve their design building sense and also want to help them in
           developing these products on their own and be able to sell them in the market on their
           own. For this purpose we will help them once in developing their products, show their
           work in big city like Islamabad and then it is up to them how much they work and
           develop their own businesses. Then they were all excited and were ready to cooperate
           with us but kept on saying that they are not all making shoe uppers but are also doing
           embroidery and are ready to work with us. When I asked about this fact to Bushara she
           said that she is herself confused by this fact because they all told her that they make shoe
           uppers. In the beginning many of them had also told me that they were paid very little
           by the Khoosa factory makers. They said that for putting the edging on the shoe they are
           paid Rs. 5 per shoe and for tilla embroidery they are paid Rs 90 for 12 pairs of shoes.
           This sudden change of stance that they were not making shoe upper was bit confusing
           for all of us. Then Saba came back from her exploration of the area and told me that she
           has found out from local people that all the people of this mohalla work for Khoosa
           factory owners and are not allowed to work for any body else. She tried to see some of
           the factories from inside but most of them were not very welcoming. I think that is why
           these women were afraid to commit to us publically.
           Then we served them lunch at 1:00 pm and then they all went home and brought their
           various embroidered products to show us. Mubeen selected five women from this
           Mohalla. We departed from the Mohalla at around 2:00. The arrangements made by Ms.
           Bushara were very good she followed the time to the dot and gave every woman their
           lunch boxes in their hands. Every thing went smoothly due to her good and efficient
           arrangements.
           After leaving the workshop we left for Sawi Masjid. Sadia was already at the site making
           a sketch of the masjid. We sat by her side and talked to local people. They were all
           saying that they want the masjid restored, as it is an important part of their lives. Then
           Saba and I talked to the local children on how to take care of the masjid and they were
           very interested in learning about it. We left the masjid site at around 4:00 pm. We did
           not get any lunch as the lunch boxes finished so we went to Zenzibar for our lunch.
           Then girls went for shoe shopping and we reached the rest house at about 6:00 pm.



UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 73
             18th April 10: We started out at around 7:30 to reach Khairpur Tamiwalla, village Bheli.
           We got delayed as Sameer forgot to buy the missing supplies for the workshop. So first
           we went to the Bazaar and looked for threads and colored cloth for the workshop. We
           could not find any shop in Bahawalpur selling these items so early in the morning. We
           started for Bheli at around 8:00. We stopped in the main city and Sameer got all the
           supplies. We reached the village by 10:30. The women were waiting for us at the house
           of Zameer’s sister. She is a very organized woman. She had displayed the work of
           various women in the tent house we were supposed to conduct our workshop.
           We started our workshop as usual by explaining why we are giving this workshop.
           Then I asked the women their education status and there were only few girls who were
           educated. There was one girl who had given her metric exam and was awaiting her
           result. She wanted to be a beautician. Another girl who had studied till 7th was very
           intelligent and was interested in learning from us. We started by explaining about the
           colors and then I asked them to make their own color schemes. Once all the women
           made their color schemes I talked to them about their various chosen color schemes.
           Then I told them about various products which they can make with their same skills.
           Then I showed them various product samples, which we were carrying with us. Then I
           asked Mubeen and Sadia to show them various contemporary designs books so that
           they can see what kind of work is being carried out in other parts of the world. Once
           that exercise was done with them I asked all the women to take one small handkerchief
           of their own choice color and make a small embroidery design which is their own design
           and their own color schemes. They took to this exercise with great enthusiasm. All the 25
           participants started making their own design patterns and tried to work in more
           thoughtful way. It took them around two hours to finish their embroidery. At around
           2:30 lunch was announced and all the women left for the lunch. They returned by 3:15
           and we sat with them and discussed various aspects of their designed embroideries.
           Then Mubeen, Sadia and Saba announced the best designed embroideries to the rest of
           the women and selected the master trainers from these women. After that we said
           goodbye to all the ladies and left for the house of the weaver who can weave in silk
           thread at around 4:00. We reached the weavers house and found that he was extremely
           old and was walking with the help of walking sticks. We sat with him and he told us
           that he has been making khais for last 50 years. But his children were not ready to take
           up this as their profession. One of his daughters was M.A. in Islamiyat and she said that
           it was a very bad profession and they are happy that they don’t have to carry it on. The
           weaver said that he used to make silk cloth but due to its expensive thread he has
           stopped making it but offered if we buy him thread he will make a sample for us. Hence
           I asked Muzamil to take money from Saba and buy the silk thread for the weaver and
           get a sample made for us. We left the house of the weaver at around 5:00 for
           Bahawalpur. We reached the Bahawalpur cit at around 7:00. I immediately collected my
           luggage and started for Multan by 7:45 with Afzal. I reached Multan by 9:00 pm. I was
           told by the rest house people that Sameer has taken their room key with them and they
           cannot let that room to anyone as it has no key. Hence I asked Afzal to ask Sameer to

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 74
           return the key to them somehow. I called Saba and asked her to make Sameer TCS the
           keys to them.
           19th April 10: I left for the airport next day at 8:00 am. Reached the airport by 8:30. My
           flight for Islamabad was at 9:30. Flight got delayed by one hour and left 10:00. We
           reached Islamabad at 12:00 in the afternoon.




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 75
                                                 ANNEX 5:
                                      SECOND TRAINING WORKSHOP
                       Report : Sajida Haider Vandal, Executive Director THAAP-CAS

           Dates: : 1-7th May 2010
           Objective: Follow on training with Master Trainers and discussions on
           outcome/response to First Training Sessions
           Distribution: All Core Team Members

           BAHAWALPUR
           Visit 2 May 2010 by Car
           Team- Imtiaz Lashari, Muzamal Yasin, Sajida Haider Vandal
           Bastis visited : Basti Khangah, Basti Derawar and Chak 28 (place where persons
           from Basti Menghwal were located for the harvest) and Chak DRB 110

           BASTI KHANGAH
           Master Trainers (MT) met
             1. Razia Mai,
             2. Satho Mai,
             3. Shamshad,
             4. Parveen,

               •   Najma, the fifth MT could not be met, she had had a fight with the others
                   and would not come to their house. Later Muzamal went to her house but
                   Najma was not available.
               •   Another good craftswoman was Farzana d/o Satho Mai




           Razia Mai                Satho Mai                 Shamshad                Parveen                  Farzana d/o Satho Mai



           Venue
           Family House of Razia Mai ( First/Corner House in the Basti)



UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 76
           Proceedings
               Deliberation                                     Actionable point                   Resp. Persons
           a)   Tried speaking with just the MTs but            Continuous effort of crowd All
                unsuccessful. Our visit had generated too       control needed
                much interest and curiosity but the
                crowd was manageable about 20 women
                and children
           b)   Avoided buying anything. All items              Instill that no low quality        All
                shown were of low quality. Tried to             stuff will be accepted/ paid
                impress that quality is what we were            for
                looking for
           c)   Women had prepared samples of                   Improvement        of    quality   Muzamal will check
                appliqué (28” long and 6” wide) as              critical                           work in progress.
                decided in the last joint meeting of                                               Send samples to
                Working Group. Material had been                                                   Mobeen (MS) for
                provided by FTL Muzamal. The samples                                               her comments and
                lacked quality basically problem was in                                            communicate      the
                the cutting of design which is first                                               same to the MTs.
                prepared by cutting the cloth and then                                             (Satho Mai’s contact
                stitched onto another piece with fine                                              no : 03472044972 if
                hand stitching. Being geometric patterns                                           MS wants to talk to
                it is difficult to maintain the geometry                                           her directly.
                thus there were problems in keeping
                shapes intact, keeping borders straight.
                The samples were rejected for the
                purpose that they had been made for, as
                borders for shirts. We however decided
                to pay the agreed upon amount of Rs 100
                per border with the proviso that in future
                only acceptable standard work will be
                paid for.
           d)   A Design Kit (standard sized Copy book,                                            Muzamal to follow
                box of Color pencils, one HB & one 2B                                              up     and    send
                pencils, rubber, sharpener) was handed                                             drawing book to
                over to all the MTs. They were asked to                                            Lahore via Courier
                use the paper freely and try and develop                                           when some work
                designs and motifs in the book from                                                has been done
                which we can select to use. They were
                also asked to prepare small samples on
                cloth if they so wanted. Muzamal will
                follow this through with them
           e)   Razia Mai cuts the designs out for the                                             Muzamal to supply
                group. Muzamal will give her a pile of                                             lots of newspaper to
                old newspapers so that she can practice                                            Razia Mai
                cutting patterns
           f)   Satho Mai is considered the leader and          Need to work with Satho Mai        Designers to follow

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 77
                the one as the with the best design sense                                          through
                by the group.
           g)   Satho Mai showed us the embroidery               Need to work with Farzana.        Muzamal to prepare
                work of her daughter Farzana which was           See if motifs can be used as      a database of all the
                of acceptable quality although could be          embellishments                    various tankas with
                improved. She was also asked to develop                                            photographs      and
                some designs in her mothers book. We                                               names.
                gave her some ideas but left it to her.
                There were two tankas used, Benazir                                                Designers to check
                tanka and Sindhi Tanka                                                             Farzana’s drawing
                                                                                                   book to see potential
           h)   Some more material was handed over to                                              Mubeen to check if
                the group which had been purchased                                                 sizes are OK and
                from the bazaar in Mithra                 for                                      inform Muzamal for
                developing more borders which will be                                              onward
                paid for if good workmanship is                                                    communication
                maintained. Two sizes were decided ( 3”
                width and 6” width of length 36”, 28”,
                22” and 18” respectively covering range
                of large to extra small.
                Agreed Prices : Rs 120 for 36”/28” border,
                                   6” width
                                 Rs 70 for 36” , 3” width
                                 Less by Rs 20 for shorter
                                 lengths (22” and 18”)

           i)   Context: Basti has 18 households/family each of 40-50 persons e.g. Razia’s         Saba to note
                family enclave has about 50 persons. They belong to a Pathan tribe which           Sameer    to   give
                came with the Abbasi Nawabs from Shikarpur Sind about 5 generations                coordinates of all
                ago.                                                                               locations to Saba,
                Razia started learning the craft much before she was married at about 10           wherever available
                years old. She was married at about 17 years of age. She never went to
                school but learnt the Quran. Now there is a primary school for girls and
                boys but the teachers only come about twice a week so there is not much
                that the children learn




           Benazir Tanka                          Sindhi Tanka                       Muzamal in dialogue


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 78
           BASTI DERAWAR

           Venue : House of Zakia

           Master Trainers
                   1.   Zakia (Contact 0344 2200679)
                   2.   Naheed
           Both girls did not want their photographs taken. They were both very young
           maybe 19 years old and very much under the control of the family which
           appeared to be conservative

           Proceedings
           S      Deliberations                         Actionable Points                Resp. Person
           a)     The girls showed us some work         Potential exists                 Muzamal      to   follow   up.
                  which they were preparing on                                           Designers to note
                  order. It was neatly done. For
                  the front of the shirt they were
                  being paid Rs 500.
                  A long discussion ensued re
                  color coordination, what other
                  products could be prepared,
                  quality control, time involved in
                  preparing a product etc.
           b)     They were not sure whether                                             Muzamal to follow through
                  they will be allowed to                                                Designers Note that we may
                  participate in the Workshop.                                           face some difficulty in geeting
                  Lashari may be able to help. The                                       all the MTs in Bahawlapur
                  girls appear to work for his aunt                                      because of cultural practices.
                  who lives in Dera Nawab and                                            Muzamal feels that we should
                  has a boutique                                                         try our best and her previous
                                                                                         experience      proves     that
                                                                                         eventually when families see
                                                                                         the benefits women are
                                                                                         allowed to participate in such
                                                                                         events, sometimes chaperoned
                                                                                         by men. We will keep track
                                                                                         and see how it develops
           c)     Cloth was left with the girls for     Set a budget for the items       Muzamal to follow through
                  preparation of samples.               to be purchased from each
                                                        place for the Exhibition




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 79
           BASTI MENGHWAAL
           This is the Hindu community. They were all engaged in harvest and relocated at
           Chak 28 on someone’s farm. That is where we met them. They were planning to
           go back to their Basti next day
           Master Trainers
                    1. Raja Mai
                    2. Bachal Mai
                    3. Sachal Mai
                    4. Mirah Mai
                    5. Roopa Mai
                    6. Kamu Mai




         Raja Mai                                Bachal Mai                                 Sachal Mai




         Mirah Mai                               Roopa Mai                                  Kamu Mai



           Venue : Chak 28

           Proceedings
           The family including women and some men were met at the aforementioned
           Chak where they were working as daily workers harvesting wheat at the farms.
           They showed some of the rillis they were preparing. Bachal Mai’s was an
           exquisite piece which she was preparing for her son’s trousseau. The patriarch of



UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 80
           the family is a skilled khusa maker, who prepared shoes from start to finish
           including the tilla work on the uppers.




         Khussa placed on Rilli                  Back of Khussa                            Front upper of Khusa


           Chak DNB 110
           New Location introduced by Mehboob Khan Baluch of Small Industries
           Handicraft Shop, Bahawalpur
           The Gohar Shaheen Center is run by two friends and they have about 37 girls
           working for them. The Center had participated in an earlier UNESCO project
           with good results

           Master Trainers (selected)
             1. Adeeba (0343 7178292)
             2. Rubina Kausar




                                  Adeeba                                  Rubina Kausar


           Proceedings
           S       Deliberations                          Actionable Points               Resp Person
                   The MTs showed us the work             Both were willing to            Muzammal to include
                   that they had been doing ranging       come to Bwp for Training        both MTs for training
                   from embroidery, shadow work           Session                         Workshop
                   and appliqué work on dupattas.
                   Work was of fine quality with
                   potential of developing further.
                   In our assessment both MTs were

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 81
                  skilled and one of them was also
                  a “cutter”
                  The samples that we were                Designs     will     be          Muzammal to collect and
                  carrying were shown to them and         developed by the MTs             send them to Lahore
                  they were asked to develop some                                          Office for   Designers
                  designs which would be suitable                                          review
                  for these.
                  A Design Kit was given to both          Potential for design to be       Muzammal will visit
                  the MTs and they were asked to          explored                         them again and follow
                  develop some motifs and transfer                                         through; collect samples
                  some of them onto cloth. Two                                             and design books when
                  designs prepared by Mubeen                                               ready to transmit to
                  were also given to them for                                              Lahore office
                  preparing samples




                Embroidery at DNB 110


                                                             Dupatta displayed by Rubina

  BHELI & 2 Others, DISTRICT BAHAWALPUR
       Visit 3 May 2010 by Car
       Tour Group- Muzamal Yasin, Sajida Haider Vandal
       Basti visited : Bheli, Riazabad, Abbass Nagar
  BHELI
       Venue : House/Industrial Home of Kulsoom
       Master Trainers
          1. Kulsoom Hasan (owner of Industrial Home)-
              (03067741477)                                                          Bushra Bashir
          2. Bushra Bashir




                                             Kulsoom Hasan


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 82
           Other MTs identified by Kulsoom
              3. Rubina (not present)
              4. Munira (not present)
              5. Nasreen (not present)
              6. Irum (not present)
              7. Sana (not present)

           Proceedings
           S      Deliberations                           Actionable Points              Resp Person
               1. Center was set up 5 years back by
                  BRDB. Kulsoom has received
                  training and works for Nur.
                  Showed us some work. Finely
                  done on designs supplied by
                  designers. At full strength there
                  are 15 girls in the Center.
               2. Showed our design samples.                                             Muzamal to purchase
                  Gave both design kits and left                                         and dye thread for
                  two designs developed by                                               shirt/dupatta ordered
                  Mubeen + the Shirt front with                                          And
                  instructions to first prepare a                                        When samples are ready
                  color sample of one corner for                                         the same will be sent to
                  approval. Two pieces of cloth                                          Lahore for review of
                  were also left with them to work                                       designers.
                  out design. One shell pink/peach
                  cloth was left for preparing shirt
                  in large size as per design shown
                  (in self shadow work). Cloth was
                  not sufficient for 48” length so
                  more cloth for dupatta will be
                  purchased and given to them by
                  Muzammal. The cloth saved from
                  the cloth piece will be used later
                  for a scarf
               3. Design Kits were given to the two                                      Muzamal     to    follow
                  MTs. Others will be given the                                          through
                  same later by Muzamal                                                  Send Design books to
                                                                                         Lahore when ready




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 83
           RIAZABAD

           The village specializes in Handloom cloth. This is the NRSP project area where
           weavers have been trained on the Amritsari/Kasuri loom (8pedals).

           Master Trainers (Potential)
             1. Muhammad Ramzan (0342-5902136)
             2. Jan Muhammad (uncle of 1 above)

           Possible to get some women master trainers as well




                        Muhammad Ramzan                        Jan Muhammad

           Proceedings
           S      Deliberations                           Actionable Points              Resp Person
                  Met one family which has been           Explore potential of pit       Designers
                  trained by NRSP but work is very        loom cloth
                  much reduced with a lot of
                  weavers sitting idle. They cannot
                  prepare the cloth on this loom
                  without the help of NRSP who
                  prepare the waft on some sort of
                  a machine. Weavers are still
                  retain the skills to work on pit
                  looms.
                  Exquisite pieces made on pit            Explore potential of pit
                  loom were shown as well as              loom cloth
                  samples that they had prepared.
                  Weavers were asked to prepare                                          Muzammal to follow
                  sample of muslin cloth of fine                                         through
                  quality as substitute for the                                          Designers to see sample
                  Indian malmal which is currently                                       to ascertain whether an
                  being used for dupattas and                                            order can be placed with
                  shirts throughout the district.                                        weavers to fulfill need of
                  This will be done on pit loom                                          project in Bwp area
                  thus of width about 15-20”. They
                  will    need     thread     which


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 84
                  Muzammal will procure and
                  supply to them
                  A sample of sheep wool “looee”                                         Muzammal to follow
                  (chadar) prepared on pit loom                                          through and get the
                  was shown this was in two pieces                                       sample prepared asap.
                  which are to be stitched in the
                  center thus the red borders are on
                  three sides. An order was placed
                  for preparation of two pieces of
                  the chadar with the red edging on
                  all sides which could be used as
                  stoles.
                  Discussion on developing silk           The potential needs to be      Muzammal to take one
                  hand woven cloth resulted in the        explored as a product for      weaver with her to
                  possibility of getting a sample         Project                        explore    the   Multan
                  prepared which the weavers                                             market and buy suitable
                  agreed to do. The yarn for this                                        yarn. Sample to be
                  needs to be procured from the                                          prepared for approval
                  Multan market.
                  Some samples of palm leaf work          This can be included in
                  were shown.                             the   Project   if   the
                                                          handloom materializes.




         Sheep wool Chadar in two pieces          Sample Stole                              Palm Leaf Work




         Samples prepared for client selections




                                                    Sheep wool woven chadar-close up view

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 85
           Abbass Nagar

  S      Deliberations                                      Actionable Points                Resp Person
      1. Saw some of the samples. Showed a piece
         which we were carrying.
      2. Order placed for the two suits which                                                Muzamal to follow through
         Muzamal had already given them earlier.                                             and send samples to Lahore
         They were asked to prepare the finest                                               for approval.
         work that they could do which if
         approved would follow through with
         more orders. Prices were also settled



           SUMMARY
           Centers/ Villages to participate in the Project from Bahawalpur
      1.      Basti Khangah, Derawar                  Appliqué/Patch work
      2.      Basti Derawar, Derawar                  Appliqué/Patch work
      3.      Basti Menghwal, Derawar                 Appliqué/Patch work, embroidery,
                                                      khussa making
      4.      Chak DRB 110, Derawar                   Embroidery, Appliqué/Patch work
      5.      Behli                                   Embroidery
      6.      Riazabad                                Handloom
      7.      Abbass Nagar                            Chunri
      8.      BC 28                                   Palm Leaf Work



      1. The above situation reflects that an effort is being made to interlink the various
         villages in a joint program and inter dependency which will eventually offer the
         possibility to create an organizational structure to strengthen the crafts persons
         and sector.

      2. All persons met were informed about the formula that if items procured sell at
         higher rates in the Exhibition their share in the profits would be assured i.e.
         between MT, craft person, overhead costs, seed money for common fund with
         the assurance that the major benefit would be of the craft person. This needs to
         be thought through as the Project proceeds.

      3. Budget needs to be determined for each place as we proceed with Project


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 86
      4. Design Kits are to be provided to all MTs and dispatched to Lahore when ready
         for review of Designers.

      5. Follow up Training of MTs by Designers needs to be finalized with dates and
         program. The training will be in Bahawalpur. Expected number of MT
         participants is 25-30 persons. Most were willing to attend. Muzamal needs to
         follow with those still doubtful and determine final number.

     6. Examine Potential to train women in weaving in some of the villages where as
          yet there are only men weavers.
  MULTAN 5 May 2010
          Visit 5 May 2010 by Car
          Tour Group- Bushra Saghar FTL Multan, Sajida Haider Vandal
          Bastis visited : Basti Mooluk, Chah Usmani Bajay wala Near Chungi #09 Multan
          City
  Note : On 4th May 2010, I visited Thatta Pavelian,
  (now Sadiqabad) and now in Dist. Khanewal.
  Accounts and records show that this was a major
  center of handloom in the region, (pavelian means
  handloom workers in the local language, Saraiki).
  I had been informed by Lashari and others that
  there were several persons still weaving cloth and
  the NRSP had also included this in their Project
  area. I found that by now most people had given
  up the craft and only about 10 houses existed Khais on Pit Loom
  which still prepared hand-woven cloth. It appears that this is primarily a women’s craft
  now. I met two old women who were weaving khais. They were selling these for Rs 200
  and Rs 250. On enquiry it appears that their daily wages turn out to be Rs 25 per day.
  None of the younger women I met showed any interest in this because now they were
  involved in low quality embroidery work for contractors (labor paid for shirts Rs 100-
  Rs150). Considering that we are purchasing cloth from the market I think we need to
  explore whether we can get some made from these women weavers. Bushra Saghar FTL
  Multan, has been asked to visit the Basti and explore potential and interest and get
  some samples made.




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 87
           Attached below is the Report of the FTL Multan, Bushra Saghar with my comments
           added at the end


  FIELD VISIT-MULTAN (REPORT BY BUSHRA SAGHAR FTL MULTAN)

           CHAH USMANI BAJAY WALA NEAR CHUNGI #09 MULTAN CITY

           Master Trainers (MT) met
             5. Sughraan Mai,
             6. Khurshaid Bibi,
             7. Yasmin Basheer


      1. General information
           Type of Activity                Meeting with the Master Trainers of Multan City

           Objective achieved                  •    Follow up Meeting with Master Trainer Of Multan
                                               •    Visit of Basti Malook for meeting with Khussa Makers
                                               •    Order for producing the sample work to the master
                                                    trainer

           Date of Meeting                 May 5, 2010

           Duration                        9;30AM -4PM

           Report by                       Bushra Saghar

           Date of report                  May 8, 2010

           Location                        Chah Usmani Bajay wala Near Chungi #09 Multan City; Basti
                                           Malook
           Participants                    Madam Sajida Vandal,Project Manager Miss Bushra Saghar ,
                                           Field Team Leader, Sughraan Mai, Khurshaid Bibi, Yasmin
                                           Basheer, Master Trainers in Multan
                                           Muhammad Khadim, Jeweler, Haji Naveed Allah Bakhash,
                                           Khuusa Maker and Yasmin Bibi Embroidery Worker in Basti
                                           Malook

      2. Meeting Detail
      •    Introduction of the participants
      •    Follow up of the Training


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 88
      •    Discussion about the Skills of the Master Trainer i.e. Embroidery on Upper of Khussa
           and Aarr work
      •    Shared the Samples of the Aar work , kinari / Gotaa with the workers and discussed the
           quality of the embroidery in Detail
      •    The Chain of Pearls and Leather with Aar work were shared with Madam Sajida Vandal
      •    Seen the Variety of Khussa
      •    Discuss about the Areas of Khussa making

      3. General Discussion

           Participants showed their interest to work in the new style and good quality. They
           shared that they are working on order by the local outlets, where their work is not much
           acknowledged in regard to their hard work. They showed their willingness to do the
           work with us. On the suggestions of the advancement and improvement to their work,
           they said that they want to do more good work if they will be paid better and in time.
           With the bulk order and limited time, it’s very difficult to maintain the quality.

  Follow ups:

        Sample of Block print with new designing on khaddi cotton /lawn will be given to the
           workers for manufacturing
        Sample of Aar Work with Gotta / Kinari will also be given to the manufacturers
        Order will be placed for manufacturing of the Khaddi Cloth
        Distribution of Master Trainer Design Kit to the master trainers of Multan
        Conducting the 10 Days Training of Organic Color die for the women of district Multan
           and D.G Khan in Multan City
        Identify the Manufacture of the products of Camel Skin and Arrange a meeting with
           them
        Meeting with the Mr, Chuhdary Sajjid Nadeem, Community Development Officer of
           Jalal Pur Peer Wala and Shuja Abad District Multan (formerly PVA Supervisor Cultural
           Mapping Multan)
        Collect the Sample of lacquer work from Jaam Pur
        Mapping of Cultural Assets D.G Khan and taken the Coordinates of G P S.

           ADDITIONAL COMMENTS/ INFORMATION (SV)

      1. Mr. Muhammad Ali Wasti, Director Arts Council offered to help in the Project. He is an
         excellent contact and has been working in the crafts for a considerable period. I had
         detailed meetings with him. He is now going to get some samples prepared. I gave him

UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 89
           some seed money for the same. Bushra FTL needs to meet him asap and follow this
           through with him

      2. The following Crafts had potential of inclusion in the Project


      S       Craft                              Follow on Action                    Responsible Person
      a)      Khussa making crafts for use       a) The samples prepared by          a) Sadia to collect samples
              in different objects                  the women following the             and     convey    further
                                                    Training Session 1 by               instructions
                                                    designers are ready and          b) Sameer      to   forward
                                                    can be collected from SV            Sadia’s email to Bushra
                                                 b) Designs as examples by              for onward discussion
                                                    Sadia need to be sent to            with craft women
                                                    the craft women                  c) Sadia to prepare training
                                                 c) Need to prepare training            program
                                                    program for Session 2
              Ghugoo Ghoras                                                          Bushra to see when the
                                                                                     objects can be prepared
                                                                                     Designers to see whether
                                                                                     these women can be included
                                                                                     in a training program
                                                                                     Designers to see what othr
              Ar & Gotta Work                   a) Samples were shown to             a) Bushra to show sample to
                                                   the women to discuss how              other MTs not met by SV
                                                   these two have been used              and pursue discussion
                                                   in    the    contemporary         b) Bushra to check progress
                                                   designs. Bushra has been              and when some patterns
                                                   given a sample for future             are ready send these to
                                                   use as well                           Lahore for review of
                                                b) MTs were asked to                     Designers
                                                   develop same designs and
                                                   suggest what can be
                                                   highlighted     in   gotta
                                                   within that. This needs to
                                                   be follow
              Block Printing                    a) Bushra has been given a           a) Bushra       to     meet
                                                   sample suit for discussion           Muhammad Ali Wasti,
                                                   when crafts women are                Director Arts Council
                                                   identified.    Muhammad              who had located some
                                                   Ali Wasti is helping with            block printers and get a
                                                   this                                 sample prepared.
                                                b) Organic             Dyeing        b) Bushra to follow through
                                                   techniques      will    be           with Wasti Sahib re
                                                   imparted to identified               organic dying workshop.
                                                   master block printers.


UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 90
                                                    Training will be given by
                                                    Ustad from Keror Pacca.
                                                    This will be a one day
                                                    workshop. Other MTs
                                                    from Bwp and DG Khan
                                                    can be asked to participate
                                                    if they so want. Mr. Wasti
                                                    will request Ustad and
                                                    Bushra is to make the
                                                    necessary arrangements
              Camel Skin                         a) Mr. Wasti is going to get a      a) Bushra to keep in touch
                                                    sample prepared using               with Mr. Wasti and keep
                                                    traditional techniques but          SV informed
                                                    new forms.
              Palm Leaf Objects & Toys           a) Bushra needs to locate           a) Bushra to follow through
                                                    areas where this can be
                                                    done
              Naqaish Kari Boxes (Trunks)        a) Mr. Wasti is going to get a      a) Bushra to follow through
              and Ozek Kari shopping bags          sample      prepared      for
              with THAAP-Crafts Logo               approval of the boxes and
                                                   costs etc. Only to be used
                                                   for carrying exhibits and
                                                   display to enable orders to
                                                   be placed
                                                 b)Shopping bags (~200) need
                                                   to be prepared. Mr. Wasti
                                                   has been asked to get a
                                                   sample done using recycled
                                                   paper using in some way
                                                   the paper cutting craft used
                                                   by khussa makers.
              Examine Potential in Jalalpur      a) With       our       former     a) Bushra will visit both
              Pirwala and Shujabad                  Supervisor Sajid posted in         places and send here
                                                    the      Social    Welfare         report.
                                                    department the potential
                                                    of seeing whether women
                                                    from here also needs to be
                                                    explored

      1. Please note that we need to plan for the follow on Training Session with MTs asap.
         All designers are requested for their inputs. The Session will be held in Multan and
         some or all MTs from DG Khan will also attend. We can expect about 25-30 women.
      2. Bushra to prepare a list of villages/mohallas from which participants are expected and
         a List of MTs



UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 91
                                            ANNEX 7
                             MANAGEMENT: WORK ORDER & TRACKING FORMS

  This is a Consolidated Form but for the Report has been shown in two parts. The form is shared
  with the craftswomen to ensure transparency and fair price to all

  Consolidated Form




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 92
    PART 1: WORK ORDER FORM
                 I      REF
                 D     CODE




                                                                                Collection




                                                                                                                          D t il) d
                                                                    Material




                                                                                                                           Material
                                                                                                 Scheme
                                                        Locale




                                                                                                                            Tanka
                                                                                                                            (Nos+
                                                                                                  Color
                                  Item




                                            No
       BWP-CH-       Style: SA-   SARI      2           Abbas       Silk @ Rs           Indigo       Turquoise base       7 yds    Chunri
         001            WB                              Nagar       440 per                        (1089) with indigo
                                                                    yd                            (127) and white (1),
                                                                                                    green (230). Add
                                                                                                 other colors if design
                                                                                                       demands
       BWP-CH-       Style: SA-             2           Abbas       Silk        Tooti Nama       Red Base color (46)      8.25     Chunri
       002           B                                  Nagar       (Grip                        with black (403),
                                                                    Silk   80                    gold (304). Add
                                                                    grams) @                     other colors if design
                                                                    Rs    440                    demands
                                                                    per yd
       BWP-CH-       Style: SA-             2                       Silk        Tooti Nama       Black    Base (403)      8.25     Chunri
       003           B                                              (Grip                        with green(238) and
                                                                    Silk   80                    red (46).Add other
                                                                    grams) @                     colors   if  design
                                                                    Rs    440                    demands
                                                                    per yd
       BWP-CH-       Style: D     Dupatta   1           Abbas       Chiffon     Tree of Life     Orange base with         3        Chunri
       004                                              Nagar       @ Rs 185                     Shocking pink
                                                                    per yd
       BWP-CH-       Style: D               1                       Chiffon     Tree of Life     Green    base    with    3        Chunri
         005                                                        @ Rs 185                     Brown
                                                                    per yd
       BWP-CH-       Style: D     Dupatta   2           Abbas       Organza     Tooti Nama       Orange Base              3.5 *2
       006                                              Nagar                                                             yds
       BWP-CH-       Style: D               2                       Organza     Tooti Nama       Purple Base              3.5 *2
       006                                                                                                                yds




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 93
            PART 2: WORK ORDER FORM
  S.   ID       REF                                                                                                                                                     Final                        Dates                Craft person




                                                                                           Dyeing Cost (Border)
                CODE                                                                                                                                                    Rate




                                                                         Border St. Cost
                            Material Costs
                                                                                                                                                                        (40%)




                                                                                                                                                        Total Labor &
                                                           Border Cost
                                             Chunri Cost




                                                                                                                  Ironing Cost




                                                                                                                                                                                        Completion Date
                                                                                                                                           Pack & Tag




                                                                                                                                                                                                          Approval Date
                                                                                                                                                          Material
                                                                                                                                 Courier




                                                                                                                                                                                           as agreed
                                                                                                                                              Cost




                                                                                                                                                                                Order
   1   BWP-     Style:    3080               1000          105           100               100                    30             10        20           5390            7545    18-     18-Jul            22-             Nusrat MT,
       CH-      SA-                                        0                                                                                                                    Jun-                      Jul             Zarina,
       001      WB                                                                                                                                                              10                                        Parveen
   2   BWP-     Style:    3630               1000          105           100               100                    30             10        20           5940            8315            19-Jul            22-             Nusrat MT,
       CH-      SA-B                                       0                                                                                                                                              Jul             Zarina,
       002                                                                                                                                                                                                                Parveen
   3   BWP-     Style:    3630               1000          105           100               100                    30             10        20           5940            8315            20-Jul            22-             Nusrat MT,
       CH-      SA-B                                       0                                                                                                                                              Jul             Zarina,
       003                                                                                                                                                                                                                Parveen


   4   BWP-     Style:    555                350           300           80                60                     0              10        20           1375            1925            18-Jul            22-             Nusrat MT,
       CH-      D                                                                                                                                                                                         Jul             Zarina,
       004                                                                                                                                                                                                                Parveen
   5   BWP-     Style:    555                350           300           80                60                     0              10        20           1375            1925            18-Jul            22-             Nusrat MT,
       CH-      D                                                                                                                                                                                         Jul             Zarina,
       005                                                                                                                                                                                                                Parveen
   6   BWP-     Style:    525                350*2         300           80                0                      0              10        20           1205            1675            28-Aug            12-             Nusrat MT,
       CH-      D                                          *2                                                                                                                                             Sep             Zarina,
       006                                                                                                                                                                                                                Parveen
   7   BWP-     Style:    525                350*2         300           80                0                      0              10        20           1205            1675            28-Aug            12-             Nusrat MT,
       CH-      D                                          *2                                                                                                                                             Sep             Zarina,
       006                                                                                                                                                                                                                Parveen




UNESCO-Norway Funded Project “Empowering Women through Crafts in Dist Bwp & Multan”: End of Assignment Report 94

						
Other docs by yaofenjin