Tali (taali) is the Sindhi name for widely used indigenous wood community known as Sheesham.....
ARTSY CRAFTS
Tali (taali) is the Sindhi name for widely used indigenous wood community known as Sheesham.
I didn’t know I was going on a mini Pakistan tour when I left for Tali - an arts and crafts store in Karachi. The magnificent chitakari work from Hazara, the glowy camel skin lamps from Multan, the rustic silver and kundan jewelry from Bahawalpur, the ornamental misgari vessels from Peshawar, the stunning kashgari bowls and jhandi candle stands from Hala and the intricate khatha textiles from Islamkot will immediately transport you to another world. You will stand there in awe - and take pictures - for the entire time until it’s time to leave the store.
Sadiqa Husain Tayebaly, the owner of Tali, shares her journey with Us...
What inspired you to open Tali? Tell us a bit more about the store.
We travel widely and I love picking up handmade souvenirs and handicrafts from all over the world. I felt our own handicrafts were disappearing; the shops that existed were shutting down and I saw boutiques taking over and felt the need to revive our own craft. I was always interested in handmade and hand-crafted products and as a child took courses in macramŽ, doll making, pin and thread art, and my sister and I would prepare our own clay and make pottery. Then I ended up studying Product Design and continued to work with different materials, having exhibitions, supplying to stores like Wrappables, Tohfay, Bela, APWA and some others.
Tali is an outlet for high-quality traditional Pakistani handicrafts. We want the artisans to keep growing their businesses, so they don’t have to look for alternate professions.
What are some of the most popular crafts at Tali?
Some of the most popular crafts at Tali are the ceramics from Hala, Matiari, the vegetable-dyed textiles from Bhitshah, Chitarkari (hand engraving) from Haripur, the camel skin lamps from Multan, copper products from Peshawar, silver jewellery from Bahawalpur, paper mache from Manshera, wood carving from Abbotabad, textiles from Mithi, khais from Ghambat, and truck art from Karachi.
Do you collaborate with other artists and art students?
We love to collaborate with artists and students; we have worked with some in the past and currently have some work of young artists and architects in store. Some of the names that come to my mind are Shazia Zuberi and Haya’s studio pottery and we have recently collaborated with Vasl and Sanat Gallery, Sohail Zuberi, Tariq Qaiser, Natasha Shoro, Naiza Khan and many more.
Initiatives like Tali are surely helping local craftsmen. What else can be done to support local craftsmen?
Another very important aspect is to improve their working conditions e.g. the artisan in Hala are still using wood fired kilns. The government needs to step in and provide the facilities they need.
When it comes to buying local and traditional crafts from shops in urban areas, a lot of people assume the crafters don’t get a fair share of the profit shop owners make. In your opinion, what should be done to clear their doubts so that more and more people buy and support local art?
My personal experience is that if the craftspeople are not paid what they ask for you can’t create a lasting relationship. If they can’t make enough profit to live a comfortable life they change their profession. A lot of these master craftsmen have opened tailoring shops, Easy Paisa stores or have opted to become rickshaw drivers. They have to be given more work and paid better so they can keep their craft alive. At Tali, the craftspeople are exposed to the market and also encouraged and given the confidence to demand better prices for their quality products. Sometimes they demand high prices for mediocre work which also should not be accepted. We have to improve the quality by paying better and giving consistent work.
The best way to support them is to buy local craft. We have so much talent and a lot of potential for growth and improvement.
I’m a trustee of the Pakistan Crafts Council chaired by Noorjehan Bilgrami and the object of this not-for-profit organisation is to help elevate the status of craftspeople and give them formal training and opportunities for growth and preserve our traditional crafts.
Last year, for the first time Pakistan participated in the World Craft Council’s Seal of Excellence Award and out of five entries two were given the awards. Slowly, but surely we are making progress.
**************************
On this artsy adventure, I was really intrigued by some of the crafts showcased at Tali. Let’s dive in and see what makes them exquisite.
Chitakari or schist engraving
The art of stone engraving, chitakari, is extremely popular in Hazara. Schist, also known as slate, is a fine-grained, foliated, homogenous sheet-like metamorphic rock that comes from Gangar Mountain range. Schist is used to make tombstones, ceilings, utensils and other domestic items.
Now craftspeople are also using this art form to make table tops, lamp bases, trays, wall decorations, etc. The process is not an easy one: intricate geometric and floral designs are first sketched using a handmade pair of metal dividers (gulkar), then engraved with chisels of different sizes and a hammer. Sometimes a metal stencil is also used.
Ralli work
Rallies are traditional quilts made by women in the rural areas of south eastern Pakistan. Ralli or commonly known as rilli falls under three categories of design: patchwork, appliquŽ and embroidery. Ralli designs are not recorded anywhere but are passed down from mother to daughter.
In the first stage of rally making, small triangular or square pieces of fabric are joined together to make a surface, and then layered together with other fabric in order to make quilts. These rallis hold a special significance not only as part of their main craft, but also as a part of their culture.
Sheesham furniture with ralli patterns, ralli totes and cushions at Tali are a smart way to incorporate ralli art into everyday items.
Truck art
Truck art is a popular form of indigenous art in Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and other South Asian countries featuring floral patterns and poetic calligraphy. Made using techniques known as chasing and repousse, a malleable metal is ornamented or shaped by hammering from the reverse side to create a design in relief.
Truck art inspired key hooks, door hangers and stickers are “mini” reminders of the handwork truck art designer put into their craft.
Kashigari
Kashigari is a form of mosaic work that includes moulding, cutting and firing of small pieces of titles to make pottery, pots, vases and animal figurines and decorative items. The final product is usually painted with signature colours like cobalt blue, turquoise, mustard, purple, brown and white. You will find kashigari work at tombs of saints and Jama Masjid built by Shahjahan in Thatta.
Today, unfortunately, not many are able to do this work. Tali supports kashigars in Hala and bring their work to Karachi for art enthusiasts.
Jhandi work
Jandi work candle-stands are made in Hala. Traditionally this 300-year-old craft was used to make swinging cradles (hindoro) and eventually larger pieces like bigger swings, sofas, chairs and tables. Craftsmen who make these coveted swinging cradles (hindoro) have attained the status of a caste in Sindh. They are known as Vighio or Vigha Mal. The colours for this craft are made by local women.
Misgari
Initially, copper and brass were important metals for making utensils and decorative pieces in Peshawar. Later on when copper engraving got popular, people began to buy beautiful surahis, vases, flower pots, paandaans, bowls and spoons as copper decoration.
In Hindko, brass is known as “mis” and that’s why this craft was called misgari. The market in Peshawar where copper handicrafts are sold is called Misgran Bazaar (bazaar of coppersmiths). However, the artisans aren’t sure if this art form would survive since new generation shows little interest in traditional art forms.
The hand-beaten copper anar containers, kettles, thaals (coasters), water bath are just few items at Tali that prove how valuable this art form is.
- Tooba Ghani
