MOVING TOWARDS SELF-SUFFICIENCY

By Sameen Tahir-Khan, Dawn, Karachi http://www.dawn.com, December 05, 2004

Fate works in mysterious ways. When a decade ago, in California, Atiya Suhail learnt quilting and won prizes in quilting competitions, little did she know that one day she would be teaching that art to a group of young impoverished, underprivileged Karachi girls.

When during the anti-Iraq war demonstrations, Salma Shakir, who lives in Dhahran, was given a mug by her brother which read, "Blessed are the quilters for they are the real piece makers," Salma, who was upset by the thought of war and displacement and did some quilting as a hobby, decided to do something for the women of Karachi, her home town. She decided to start a class called, 'piece makers' in an impoverished area, where the girls would be given free quilting lessons.

The venue chosen for the free quilting classes was the Omar Shah Colony, a very low-income area near the Baloch Colony. This area is inhabited by the Punjabi and Pathan communities.

The basti girls were told to enrol so that they could learn the new craft. Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult for them to get permission. Men in their families objected to women's going out.

Some girls and women joined the classes enthusiastically, but very soon they had to confront opposition from their families. Though the classes were held only once a week for two hours a day, interested women were told they had to stay home or do their chores, or find some job that could fetch them money. "Those who objected were not farsighted. They did not see that these women were learning a useful skill, which would ultimately bring them money. They only saw the two hours spent in the school as waste of time," Tahira, the project manager, says.

"Eventually, only seven girls remained in the class, which is actually good, because the really serious ones stayed," Tahira adds.

Luckily these piece makers found a patron in the SARID (South Asia Research Institute for Policy and Development). It's a non profit, self financing organization, founded in Boston by a Pakistani-American, Javed Sultan, which decided to provide piece makers with material and equipment required for the purpose.

Atiya Suhail, the teacher, had a very challenging class. "These girls are intelligent, but they have no sense of value. They would come into class and gossip about who was doing what in the basti. Quilting requires a lot of patience and attention. These girls were easily discouraged and would refuse to correct their mistakes, saying it was too time-consuming. But the most positive side of the class is that there is no absenteeism. And these girls have a lot of enthusiasm.

Both Tahir and I have to give them a dose of pep talk almost everyday. These girls have not seen the world, they do not know what competition is. We constantly have to tell them that they will be very successful, but only if they work hard. Only if they produce the quality work they are capable of producing," Atiya says.

Twenty-two-year old Sumaira is from Balakot. Her husband is a labour working on daily wages. He did not object to her going out and learning the skill. He, in fact, would like her to work and make some money. Sumaira dreams of learning quilting and subsequently teaching others. "We observe strict purdah, so this is something I can do sitting at home," she says.

Zahida is 20 or 21 years old. She tells me earnestly, trying to calculate her age. She is from Multan. She is hardworking and also financially the poorest in the class. Her father died when she was quite young and her five older sisters tried to earn a living. "I dream of having my own business. I want to be successful and independent," she says. She adds, "But I get nervous. Every time I cut a piece of cloth, my hands tremble."

Anwer Bibi, in her early fifties, is the oldest member of the class. She is an expert ralli maker, but now she wants to learn the craft of making a quilt. But can you teach an old bird new tricks? "Yes, you can, provided they have iman in their hearts and a burning desire to learn," Anwer Bibi says. "Quilting is very beautiful and a little more difficult than ralli making."

Why teach them a foreign trade? Though quilting originated in India hundreds of years ago, it is usually associated with the pioneering women of Americas.

"Things are changing rapidly in the market economy," Tahira says. "Blankets and razais have been replaced by comforters. Quilting has made an appearance in Pakistan. I am pretty positive that this trend will catch on and there will be a demand for it. It will become popular. It may take a couple of years, which is fine with us. I want our girls to be able to capture that market. We want them to stand on their own feet economically and financially. And I think, InshaAllah, they will."

Will the poor, semi-literate girls of the Baloch Colony achieve their goals? Only time will tell; but there is no shortage of enthusiasm, dedication and willingness to learn, the very ingredients for success. The Japanese, who learnt the art of quilting from the Americans, with their creativity took it to new heights. Some of their single quilts have fetched as much as $20,000. Maybe the girls of the Omar Colony will have similar luck. In this regard, if any of the readers have suggestions or wishes to volunteer their time, they can go to www.sarid.net.