A Time to Weave, a Time to Remember
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LZK-5 SOUTH ASIA Leena Z. Khan is an Institute Fellow studying the intersection of culture, cus- ICWA toms, law and women’s lives in Pakistan. LETTERS A Time to Weave, A Time to Remember Since 1925 the Institute of By Leena Z. Khan Current World Affairs (the Crane- NOVEMBER, 2001 Rogers Foundation) has provided LANDHI, Pakistan–The first time I met Kausar she had just completed weaving long-term fellowships to enable 20 yards of khaddar, or hand-spun cotton fabric. With proud satisfaction, she showed outstanding young professionals me the bright blue-and-orange woven cloth. “It took me only one day to weave to live outside the United States this,” she said, beaming. Kausar is among a handful of khaddar weavers still using and write about international the traditional khaddi, or areas and issues. An exempt handloom.1 operating foundation endowed by the late Charles R. Crane, the Kausar was born in Institute is also supported by Landhi, a dusty and bumpy contributions from like-minded 30-minute drive east of individuals and foundations. Karachi. Landhi, an indus- trial township founded shortly after Partition,2 is in- habited primarily by low-in- TRUSTEES come families. The township Joseph Battat faces a number of festering Mary Lynne Bird problems, from substandard Steven Butler housing and sanitation, to William F. Foote poor health facilities, to con- Kitty Hempstone stant power failures. Kausar Pramila Jayapal has lived in Landhi her en- Peter Bird Martin tire life. I had the pleasure of Ann Mische meeting with her on several Dasa Obereigner occasions. She graciously Paul A. Rahe shared her personal stories Carol Rose and experiences with me Chandler Rosenberger with courage, candor and John Spencer humor. Edmund Sutton Dirk J. Vandewalle Kausar belongs to the Street in front of Kausar’s house in Landhi ‘Ansari’ indigenous group, a HONORARY TRUSTEES traditional community of weavers. Khaddar-weaving has been a part of her life for David Elliot as long as she can remember. Kausar’s parents, originally from Agra, India, disas- David Hapgood sembled their khaddis prior to embarking on their train journey to Pakistan at Pat M. Holt Partition. In India, khaddar weaving had been the main source of income for the Edwin S. Munger family. Like hundreds of other Ansaris, they settled in Landhi when they arrived Richard H. Nolte in Pakistan and reassembled their khaddis. There, they continued their ancestral Albert Ravenholt tradition of weaving. A cross-generational skill, khaddar weaving was literally Phillips Talbot learned ‘on the knees’ of the elder weavers. “Nearly every Ansari had a khaddi in their home,” Kausar told me in Urdu.3 “Young girls learned how to weave by Institute of Current World Affairs 1 Khaddar weaving can be traced back to the days of the great Mughal emperor Akbar The Crane-Rogers Foundation (1556-1605), who had a penchant for wearing the fabric. Kausar traces her roots to Agra, a Four West Wheelock Street north-India city with a rich tradition of khaddar weaving. Hanover, New Hampshire 03755 U.S.A. 2 The division of India and Pakistan into separate independent states by Britain in 1947. 3 Our conversation was entirely in Urdu. Kausar is fluent in spoken Urdu but is able only to read and write her name. watching their mothers, grandmothers and aunts.” weavers rarely left their homes to sell the khaddar in the markets. My father-in-law and husband sold the khaddar While both of Kausar’s parents wove carpets and I wove and kept the money. I was given spending money khaddar, she learned the skill from her father’s sister. only to run the day-to-day activities of the house. I do Kausar reminisced with nostalgia: “I remember sitting not know exactly how much the khaddar sold for.” on my aunt’s lap as a young child as she wove on the khaddi. I would count the days until she would let me Life for Kausar and other weavers has changed since weave on my own. She was very patient with me. She the introduction of the power-loom in the mid ’70s. Prior would often say ‘you are not ready yet, but I promise to to the power-loom, handloom weavers were earning up let you weave when the time is right’. She finally let me to 2,000 to 5,000 rupees per month from sales in the open weave at the age of nine. I made many mistakes and my market, as compared with today, where thay earn only weave was very loose at first. I was around twelve years 500 to 1500. Today, power-loom khaddar sells for 20 to 80 old when I completed my first thaan [one thaan, or bundle rupees per yard, depending on the quality, whereas of khaddar, consists of approximately 20 yards]. Most of handloomed khaddar starts at 100 rupees per yard. Power- the girls in my family were weaving by the age of ten. It loom khaddar is not only cheaper to produce, but is made was something that all young Ansari girls looked forward in less than half the time as handloom khaddar. As a re- to doing. Weaving is in our blood.” sult the sales of hand-woven khaddar have dropped dra- matically. Kausar continued to weave khaddar after her mar- riage. She wove from fajr [sunrise] to magrib [sunset] and Unable to compete with power-loom khaddar, many took breaks only for meals. “I usually wove 40 yards per of the weavers discontinued weaving. Many of the khaddis day.” Simultaneously, Kausar supervised her small chil- were once again disassembled and put away in storage dren, who sat on her lap as she wove. Through her weav- while others were sold, Kausar said. “There is no longer ing, Kausar contributed to the financial support of her an economic incentive to produce handloom khaddar. family, yet did not exercise control over the fruits of her Times have changed. This is a dying tradition and the labor. Among Ansaris, the selling of the khaddar was an younger generation is not interested in weaving. They activity performed almost exclusively by the men. I asked would rather work in garment factories where the daily Kausar how much she earned from the sales. “I have no wages are much higher. Without a financial incentive, the idea,” she lamented. “In our community, the women younger generation will not want to learn this craft.” Al- 2 LZK-5 though Kausar has taught both her girls, ages 20 and 16 for my children. My youngest daughter [age nine] is the how to use the handloom, neither expresses an interest smartest out of all my children. I will educate her at least in weaving. until she completes her metric [grade ten]. I want her to go far in life.” “I would rather work in a factory,” her eldest daugh- ter Shamaila told me. “There is very little money in weav- She is also setting jehaze (dowry) money aside for her ing khaddar. I want to do something that will give me a daughters. “My husband should be more concerned big name.” about his daughters’ futures, but he does not care. I am the only one saving for my daughters’ weddings. In our Kausar fears that handloom khaddar is on the decline society, giving a girl a proper jehaze at her wedding is due to the availability of cheaper power-loom khaddar, very important. Every family starts to save as soon as the since most shopkeepers do not find handloom khaddar girl is born. Everyone asks ‘How much did you give your profitable anymore. They say that few people can differ- daughter in her jehaze? I don’t want anyone telling me entiate between handloom and power-loom khaddar and that I didn’t give my daughters enough. I have no choice, would rather buy power-loom khaddar at a cheaper price. since I have to live in this community.” “There are a few who still appreciate handloom khaddar and specifically ask for it. Anyone who Arranged marriages are indeed still the norm in Pa- knows khaddar can differentiate between power-loom kistan, regardless of socio-economic status. While it is and handloom khaddar. There is something about hand- becoming common for young men and women from af- made khaddar that power-loom khaddar lacks. It’s in the fluent backgrounds to have more of a say in the matter, texture and the way it feels when you wear it. A machine- and even choose their own partners, most meetings for made fabric can never compete with something that is couples are circumscribed and generally take place un- handmade.” der close family supervision. Kausar, far from being af- fluent, had no say in her own wedding. “Things will be Kausar describes herself, her family and her commu- different for my daughters,” she says with surety. “I will nity as ghareeb (poor). Today both she and her husband not force them to marry someone they do not like.” work to support the family. Her husband is a mechanic Kausar, as do many parents in Pakistan, views the mar- and also makes chatois (mats made of straw and plastic). riage of their daughters as a source of worry. The cost of He sells the khaddar she weaves in various cloth markets weddings can range from 50,000 rupees (about 800 U.S. in Landhi and Karachi. While he does not directly give dollars) to several lakhs (one lakh is approximately 1,500 her the money earned from the sales of khaddar, her hus- U.S.