People and Place

Design Resource

Phulkari

Art of Stitching

People and Place

As the women gets done with the household work, they get together for their daily chit chat be it on terraces, verandas, outside their houses with some on folding beds, some on stair, others on “peedhe” or “charpoy” (small jute chairs) the women of Patiala (Tripuri), Rajpura enjoy the sun “dhoop sakna”, along with their Phulkari. While elderly women are busy cutting vegetables, playing with grandchildren, the young group enjoys embroidering Phulkari. It has become a part of their daily chores.

Sitting in groups, the women help each other with their Phulkaris. Even if a woman is not able do the embroidery (age factor, loss of eyesight, bad health) still she is constantly helping the young generation, telling them stories of her Phulkari to keep the art alive.

Shammi Bai, is one of the finest Phulkari embroiders in Rajpura, Patiala. She is 90 years old but still manages to embroider 2-3 Phulkari a year. She is helped by her grand-daughter who helps her in putting thread in a needle; and loves to learn and hear stories about Phulkari from her grandmother.

Parwinder Kaur, a Phulkari appreciate, who taught herself the Phulkari, always wanted to do something for this art. So at the age of 29 with the help of “Nabard Bank” she started a Gurbachan welfare society .Here she teaches and brings out awareness about this art. So far she has visited, conducted workshops, started a “self help group” in almost 25 villages and has helped around 1500 women with this art. Her dream is to keep this art alive, teach as many women about this rich art and take it to an international level.

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Phulkari