4 Bathinda women take phulkari embroidery to int'l stage at Creativa Dortmund

Time of India

22-04-2025

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Bathinda: Hailing from the Malwa hinterland, with modest backgrounds and not much access to the outside world, four women from Bathinda villages have taken Phulkari (a flower pattern embroidery) to well-known boutiques and design stores of Cologne. After rubbing shoulders with renowned handicraft designers at the Creativa Dortmund fair in Germany, these women successfully brought Phulkari to the global stage by showcasing their work at one of Europe's largest and most creative exhibitions in March.
Creativa is a large European creativity and handicrafts fair, known for showcasing the latest innovations and trends in the creative industry.
"My maternal grandmother gave me a Phulkari at my marriage, which piqued my interest towards this artform. I received a formal training in this folk art and even provided training to certain women. Now, when I got a chance to showcase this talent, I prepared Phulkari bookmarks to be handed over to foreign delegates, which were highly appreciated. I had a chance to hold a debate over creativity and collaborations to take Phulkari to other levels. Upon visiting design centres in Cologne, I got an understanding of German fashion fiestas," says Satbir Kaur from Ramsarra village in Bathinda, who acted as a Phulkari trainer at a centre prepared by Guru Gobind Singh Refinery. The refinery collaborated with Nabha Foundation in sending the Phulkari trainers to the Dortmund exhibition.
Apart from Satbir, Manpreet Kaur from Mahinangal village, Sandeep Kaur from Malkana village, and Lakhbir Kaur participated with Nabha Foundation executive director Shubhra Singh and Guru Gobind Singh Refinery CSR head Vishav Mohan Prasad.
Manpreet Kaur says, "I was studying privately at home and never imagined that I would attend an international creative fair, but aligning with HMEL Refinery's Phulkari project gave my life a whole new purpose. During the German visit, I found that, like the Kashmir Pashmina Shawl, the naturally coloured Indian creativity could be taken to further heights with trending designs."
Sandeep Kaur said after participating in a bag-making workshop at the fair, she learnt a lot about world designs and prepared bags as per the European styles.
Over 700 exhibitors from across the world participated in Creativa, where these women initially found themselves to be inferior but won laurels with their creativity and designs.
These four women earlier received training at a centre set up by the refinery and later turned out to be trainers. Nearly 300 rural women have received training in Phulkari making in the last few years.
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