Intricate embroidery by Pakistani women

Islamabad
With summer back with a vengeance, reaching out into your closet for a light muslin ‘kurta’ covered with the never out of style ‘chikankari’ embroidery is a convenient and natural choice.
Wear the ‘chikankari kurta’ over a traditional ‘shalwar’, straight pants, jeans, tights the choice is endless.
In fact the Behbud craft shop in Super Market, Islamabad, has made it even easier for you.
“Don’t go to Lucknow to buy ‘chickankari’ products simply walk into our craft shop and see for yourself how Pakistani women produce this fine and intricate embroidery,” say volunteers from Behbud.
Originally ‘chickankari’ was embroidery crafted with white thread on white muslin, but Behbud has gone several steps ahead and now has this age old embroidery in colours and patterns of your choice.
In fact Lucknow is still known as the place from where ‘chikankari’ originated and for many Pakistani visitors this fabric was a must have on a trip to India.
Behbud reached out to recapture a part of our South Asian heritage when embroidery ‘chikan’ which comes from the Persian work ‘chakeen’ was rendered by nimble fingers while producing delicate patterns on fabric. Though machines stepped in and Pakistani fabric manufacturers were offering machine made look alikes, but at Behbud you can buy genuine hand embroidered ‘chickenkari’, similar to fabric worn by Moghul royalty both men and women.
Pakistani women whose livelihood depends on this embroidery will be displaying their work at the Behbud Crafts Shop in Super Market, F-6, on June 6 and 7 from 10 a.m. till 9 p.m. on both days.
“Behbud has achieved a unique status of a market leader through novel ideas and strong business relationships. These patterns & motifs are generally floral or geometric ....the stitches are unique and of three categories.....flat stitches ......embossed stitches and jali work. Since 1967 Behbud has trained thousands of women into master crafts person,” Abida Malik, senior vice president at Behbud Association of Pakistan tells ‘The News’.
Since a dedicated team of volunteers work in all major cities of Pakistan Behbud says that its endeavour is to place traditional craft techniques within a contemporary context.
“We took traditional ‘rilly’ from Sindhi modernised it by changing the colour scheme and motifs. We also took the traditional ‘tar kashi’ and mixed it with ‘rilly’ and other forms of embroidery. Behbud industrial home Rawalpindi is one of the largest Behbud centres in the country for the hand embroidery and home to two to three thousand home based workers,” adds Abida.
Pindiites are proud that it was this city where Behbud became a pioneer of Pakistan’s NGOs and has enjoyed it’s long almost 50 year history alongside its reputation as a partner in working towards poverty alleviation and community development through its sustained efforts.
As shoppers will see for themselves on June 6 and 7 that thousands of economically challenged women are ensuring that Behbud catalyses lasting change, creating an ecosystem in which the poor have the chance to seize control of their own lives.
“We do this with a holistic development approach geared toward inclusion, using tools like education, healthcare, legal advocacy, community empowerment, social enterprises for women’s economic self-sufficiency and empowerment,” says Behbud.
The achievements and successes of Behbud can be directly attributed to the hard work and dedication of its two generations of volunteers and its founder’s passionate commitment to the human welfare of Pakistan’s most underprivileged communities and women.
And when you finish shopping for your ‘chikankari’ embroidery do step upstairs into the Behbud café which many say is “Islamabad’s best kept secret”.