A Blessing in my journey

 

“No Success or achievement in material terms is worthwhile unless it serves the needs or interests of the country and its people and is achieved by fair and honest means.” – JRD Tata

 

Chase your dreams with passion and believe in yourself. That’s exactly what I’ve done so far.

Authentic Parsi Gara hand embroidery is an age-old but now dying art, killed by cheap knock-offs to satisfy a growing but undiscerning demand. Yet in its purest form, it calls for intricacy and perfection to the nth degree. It’s a slow process that involves many hours of hard work and perseverance, a true labour of love. A gara saree is a timeless heirloom passed down like jewellery.

I was fortunate to inherit two of these rare beauties during my wedding. I immediately fell in love with them, and decided that this art had to be preserved and continued in its original form, no shortcuts.                    

Balancing between my career while I worked from home and raised my children, I realised that I was capable of creating exclusive premium quality products, but without the knowledge and skills to harness technology, I struggled to market my business and expand my customer base.

I joined the “Mentoring Women in Business Programme” in 2014, which was a Stepping stone to my success. My goal was to master digital literacy and marketing skills to advance my business. I was mentored by Mrs. Ximena Inigo, an entrepreneur who runs a digital agency in Mexico. We met online every week and Ximena’s expertise in digital design enabled her to support me to access resources and tutorials on everything, from setting up a Webpage to its analytics.

All of this was possible due to the lady herself, Mrs. Cherie Blair, the great mind behind this even greater foundation that empowers millions of women all around the world by assisting them to achieve their dreams in various fields. Secretly, I had always dreamt of meeting this great lady in person. Lucky for me, I did get the honour of meeting her.

One afternoon, my husband informed me that Mrs. Cherie Blair wanted to visit me to see my collection. I thought as usual he was just kidding. But I was pleasantly surprised when he actually showed me the email to confirm the news. I enthusiastically replied stating that I would be happy to have her and invited her for a typical Parsi meal with us thereafter. To my greatest surprise, she graciously accepted my invitation.

But for me, it all still felt surreal until she arrived on 15^th July, 2014 which also happens to be my beloved late Dad’s birthday. I hosted Mrs. Blair along with her PA, CEO and other staff of her foundation.

Amongst heavy rainfall accompanied with thunder and traffic jams, she made it to my place. I was awed by her simplicity and sophistication. She spectated my collection with vigilance and observed that the back looks as good as the front. Well, that’s the real beauty and way to distinguish between authentic hand embroidery and other imitation techniques. She was absolutely in love with my creations, inspirations and their history too.

She presented me with a personally signed autobiography, “Cherie Blair, speaking for myself” and a London memento plate by her. I was delighted to gift her a double sided embroidered frame which was specially prepared for her.

They all subsequently had a quick lip smacking lunch that comprised of Mutton Dhansak with Kababs, Patra ni Machi, Chicken Farchas, Vegetable Stew, and Lagan nu Custard.

Having fallen in love with the art, they gave another Frame to the British Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi. Mrs. Blair then wrote back from London that they thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality, and even the meal they had was the best during their trip to India. She then wrote, “Your Beautiful embroidery now has pride of place in my office back in London”.

To me, Mrs. Blair is a guiding light, a blessing in disguise and her foundation is like a family that weaves together women from different walks of life. Making it possible for women to have equal opportunities and value in society. I joined the programme as a mentee and now I am a Mentor in this esteemed foundation. Meeting young entrepreneurs and helping other women to develop skills and achieving their dreams gives me immense joy and satisfaction.

Following her footsteps, I would love to bring sunshine to the life of others, as I believe that acquiring skill and technique leads to success. My dream is to establish an institute for Skill development where all stiches of authentic hand embroidery are taught with complete allegiance to the original. These masterpieces can then be promoted and specifically graded and certified for intricacy, authenticity and finish. The same institute can also revive various textiles and art which have been eradicated due to industrialization and lack of awareness.  

 This would encourage more dedicated craft persons to take it up, and those already involved to up their game. The end product would be a true and robust revival.

Mrs. Bee with Zenobia and her premium garden of paradise themed Gara.

Presenting our double sided embroidered frame to Mrs. Cherie Blair.

Compiled by Zenobia S. Davar