DARE - Because Entrepreneurs Do

By Chirmi Acharya.

Ever wondered what it takes to make the colourful mojris or jutis we fondly wear along with ethnic attire? Lets take a peek in the life and work of a family who have done the ‘aari-taari kashida’ work all their life.

Shahidan was a young girl when her mother taught her the embroidery on the leather patch which was later pasted on the mojri, as the footwear is called. Shahidan passed on this art to her daughter. Though Shahidan is almost 70 years of age, her work shows sign of skill, hard work and experience. Her daughter Saina who is herself about 40 majorly looks after the work and also takes care of her aging mother.

Hailing from Jodhpur, they have been moving around the country exhibiting their work in various cities and they are praised for keeping alive traditional piece of work in the modern era.

Saina explained the fine features of their work. There are around 25 women in the association they formed some 5 years back and these women do the delicate work of embroidery, including herself and her mother. “It is more or less work out of our imagination. We do not use stencils to do the embroidery, but patterns are born in our mind and we present it on the leather patch.” and as Saina was explaining about their work, her fingers were moving in an automated fashion stitching the pretty flowers on the boat shaped leather patch.

Apart from the ornamental footwear, beautifully patterned with velvet, golden thread and beads with shapes of stars and flowers adorning the surface of the shoe, they also make kurtis and dupattas with similar embroidery and are equally likeable.

The work consists not just the embroidery but buying and selling of the raw material. And this is where the men of the family come in. The leather products, the cloth for kurtis, and the threads are brought in, and the women transform them into art delights. Their family doesn’t own a shop, but they take orders from showrooms apart from presenting their work in fairs and exhibitions.

This mother-daughter duo, their fellow women and family are keeping alive the tradition of a time long gone when jutis or mojris were once worn by common men and the royalty, and they are excelling in their effort as this footwear is in craze amongst people of all generations.

Chirmi Acharya is a Dare Community Editor

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