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 15th
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.
Presenting our double sided embroidered frame to Mrs. Cherie Blair.
Very well written Zenobia. So proud of you and your accomplishment 🌹
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Nafeeza
DeleteYou are an inspiration to many women. Wish you Goodluck
ReplyDeleteThank you Paricher
DeleteVery inspiring journey Zenobia. Keep it up and may your dream of setting up instruction comes true. All my blessings and good wishes.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your kind words and good wishes.
DeleteVery very proud of you Zenobia.
ReplyDeleteThanks for preserving our tradition & culture.
You are really a rarest of rare combination of beauty with brains (With all due respect)
KEEP IT UP.
Regards.
Thank you very much Burzin
DeleteAll the best !!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteHi Zeno, I am so proud of you. You have proved that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it. You have remade yourself and also opened pathways for others. Keep dreaming BIG!
ReplyDeleteThank you 😊
DeleteAs a newbie in the area of handloom textiles and embroideries, i feel so happy and proud to read about your work. In fact, it is inspiring. I would be happy to connect and learn more from you. This would be invaluable.
ReplyDeleteAs a newbie in the area of handloom textiles and embroideries, i feel so happy and proud to read about your work. In fact, it is inspiring. I would be happy to connect and learn more from you. This would be invaluable.
ReplyDelete