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By: Faiza Otho
It has been since years when a straw binder Parkash Lal 60, started working near road side with his other family members. This straw binding work is just enough to make ends meet for his family. These straws are generally known as Sarghanda or wheat sticks which are used for making crafts work.
“I have been working in Hyderabad since many years. My ancestors originally belong to Badin and Thar Parker site. To earn better from this straw binding work, I moved with my family to Hyderabad” said Prakash Lal.
“I learned these Sarghanda crafts from my father and grandfather. We are carrying out this work from generation to generation and we feel proud in doing straw work” he told.
Prakash settled with his family on footpath near Radio Pakistan Road Hyderabad. The glimpse of Sarghanda works attracts every passer-by with its beauty. They created their huts on the footpath with the same straws, because they have not enough money to buy or rent a home.
“When I moved to Hyderabad, besides me other families of my community also came along to earn better. Now I am the person in command of this work and they all are working according to my guidelines” narrated Parkash.
It is an extremely difficult work; they start working from dawn to dusk near a busy road, hectic environment and become habitual to bear all these hardships and worse working conditions. When the weather seems cloudy and it starts raining then their difficulties also increase. They have to stop their work which is the only source of their livelihood. The seasonal change or environment is one of the great hurdles for them. They get the Sarghanda straws from their village for making crafts. Each bundle of Sarghanda cost Rs 100 which contains approximately 70 to 80 straws. These straws are then hand sewed with white or colorful threads by men and women artisans. They probably earn 6 to 7 thousands per month which is quite less in today’s era.
Their crafts includes different items like windows chic, stools of various sizes, Mirror work wall hanging, decorative wall hanging and mats of different designs and sizes. Each decorative item costs differently from Rs 300 to 2000.
Their females as well share their duties equally, whether its difficult time, straw binder females go through the same critical situations as that of the males. They have to wake up early in the morning as the sun rises and have to do their work till the sun set as they have no any electricity facilities. Although its quite difficult job for females to work and survive in such an environment. A 20 years old girl named Sona help her mother in sewing the window chics. “I am happy with this work as I am helping my mother and taking some share of straw binding with my family” narrated Sona.
Straw binders working process is very attention grabbing. First they combine and straighten the threads by tying its one end with the support. After straightening the thread, they fix them in a metal frame made up of iron and step by step placed the Sarghanda sticks or straws in a sequence. Then the female artisans sewed it with other colorful threads. When the mat is sewed, they remove it from the metal frame and in the last, cover it up with the newly designed cloth and then put ready to sell.
They are working for their own sake and have no supply business to the other decorative shops. It’s of greatest cultural value in Sindh. This vanishing skill is only seen in few cities of Pakistan, not every where we can see this precious work. It takes the attention of foreign visitors and also the visitors who came from Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtun Khuwa. They appreciated this straw binding work. The quantity of products they made in a single day depends on the speediness of the person.
“Probably we make 3 to 4 items per day but Sona’s brothers are very swift and they make about 4 to 5 items per day” explained Prakash.
Next standing to Prakash Lal was Sona’s brother; he is 24 years young boy who started making this straw binding work when he was just 12 years. “In the beginning I took a lot of time and only made children chairs but gradually I become skilled and trained. Then I start making window chics and other decorative items quickly” Sona’s brother narrated.
There are about 30 to 35 persons including females who work daily from dawn till sunset in a busy and messy environment. They occupy footpath of both sides, as government did not provide them houses, shops, loan schemes or need funds. Their work is not too much easy it’s quite tough. The Sarghanda works needs to be revived. This straw binding work should be supplied to different parts of Pakistan. Because, its help to make our culture from generation to generation.
They have no any particular association under which they are working. Straw binding work is the only source of their earning. This profession will vanish forever, if not supported.
[The writer is student of (MC-2k12)Mass Comm Department University of Sindh. Faiza wrote this feature in 2014 as part of practical work done under supervision of renowned journalist Sir Sohail Sangi] . Later this was also published in http://www.thesindhtimes.com/blogs/life-sketch-of-straw-binders-in-hyderabad/
It has been since years when a straw binder Parkash Lal 60, started working near road side with his other family members. This straw binding work is just enough to make ends meet for his family. These straws are generally known as Sarghanda or wheat sticks which are used for making crafts work.
“I have been working in Hyderabad since many years. My ancestors originally belong to Badin and Thar Parker site. To earn better from this straw binding work, I moved with my family to Hyderabad” said Prakash Lal.
“I learned these Sarghanda crafts from my father and grandfather. We are carrying out this work from generation to generation and we feel proud in doing straw work” he told.
Prakash settled with his family on footpath near Radio Pakistan Road Hyderabad. The glimpse of Sarghanda works attracts every passer-by with its beauty. They created their huts on the footpath with the same straws, because they have not enough money to buy or rent a home.
“When I moved to Hyderabad, besides me other families of my community also came along to earn better. Now I am the person in command of this work and they all are working according to my guidelines” narrated Parkash.
It is an extremely difficult work; they start working from dawn to dusk near a busy road, hectic environment and become habitual to bear all these hardships and worse working conditions. When the weather seems cloudy and it starts raining then their difficulties also increase. They have to stop their work which is the only source of their livelihood. The seasonal change or environment is one of the great hurdles for them. They get the Sarghanda straws from their village for making crafts. Each bundle of Sarghanda cost Rs 100 which contains approximately 70 to 80 straws. These straws are then hand sewed with white or colorful threads by men and women artisans. They probably earn 6 to 7 thousands per month which is quite less in today’s era.
Their crafts includes different items like windows chic, stools of various sizes, Mirror work wall hanging, decorative wall hanging and mats of different designs and sizes. Each decorative item costs differently from Rs 300 to 2000.
Their females as well share their duties equally, whether its difficult time, straw binder females go through the same critical situations as that of the males. They have to wake up early in the morning as the sun rises and have to do their work till the sun set as they have no any electricity facilities. Although its quite difficult job for females to work and survive in such an environment. A 20 years old girl named Sona help her mother in sewing the window chics. “I am happy with this work as I am helping my mother and taking some share of straw binding with my family” narrated Sona.
Straw binders working process is very attention grabbing. First they combine and straighten the threads by tying its one end with the support. After straightening the thread, they fix them in a metal frame made up of iron and step by step placed the Sarghanda sticks or straws in a sequence. Then the female artisans sewed it with other colorful threads. When the mat is sewed, they remove it from the metal frame and in the last, cover it up with the newly designed cloth and then put ready to sell.
They are working for their own sake and have no supply business to the other decorative shops. It’s of greatest cultural value in Sindh. This vanishing skill is only seen in few cities of Pakistan, not every where we can see this precious work. It takes the attention of foreign visitors and also the visitors who came from Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtun Khuwa. They appreciated this straw binding work. The quantity of products they made in a single day depends on the speediness of the person.
“Probably we make 3 to 4 items per day but Sona’s brothers are very swift and they make about 4 to 5 items per day” explained Prakash.
Next standing to Prakash Lal was Sona’s brother; he is 24 years young boy who started making this straw binding work when he was just 12 years. “In the beginning I took a lot of time and only made children chairs but gradually I become skilled and trained. Then I start making window chics and other decorative items quickly” Sona’s brother narrated.
There are about 30 to 35 persons including females who work daily from dawn till sunset in a busy and messy environment. They occupy footpath of both sides, as government did not provide them houses, shops, loan schemes or need funds. Their work is not too much easy it’s quite tough. The Sarghanda works needs to be revived. This straw binding work should be supplied to different parts of Pakistan. Because, its help to make our culture from generation to generation.
They have no any particular association under which they are working. Straw binding work is the only source of their earning. This profession will vanish forever, if not supported.
[The writer is student of (MC-2k12)Mass Comm Department University of Sindh. Faiza wrote this feature in 2014 as part of practical work done under supervision of renowned journalist Sir Sohail Sangi] . Later this was also published in http://www.thesindhtimes.com/blogs/life-sketch-of-straw-binders-in-hyderabad/
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