The exquisite fabric made through brocade weaving in the small Qasba Mubarakpur, Uttar Pradesh was originally termed ‘Kim Khwaab’ or woven dreams by the enamoured Mughals, pertaining to its surreal beauty.
For creating awareness around Indian Handicrafts and Handlooms from a young age, we came up with the concept of Khwaab. Khwaab is our humble attempt at acknowledging the dreams, aspirations and needs of the weavers from this craft cluster through thorough integrated workshops, aiming to provide children from the age seven to 14 years, with a broad outlook of the craft and bringing the stories and lives of these weavers to urban schools.
It weaves the story of brocade weaving in a manner similar to how these bunkars weave silken fabrics. Our objective is to sensitize children from a young age about their rich craft heritage, so that they grow up to appreciate and value the remarkable 'kala' developing in small rural clusters of India.
Board Game : Weaved
A major highlight of our school workshops is a board game called the ‘Weaved’, meaning Woven Education, which takes the students through the life of the weavers of Mubarakpur and explains the complicated process of Brocade Weaving in eight easy steps.
DIY Kit
The intricate process of weaving a brocade saree is a wonder in itself. The process has been simplified into a linear format which involves steps like converting a motif into graph (naksha), from graph to weaving on paper. The end product which is the weaved motif formed on paper would be presented to the kids as souvenir for them to keep.
Hindi Storybook - The Story of Mubarakpur
Pop Up Book - You are a Weaver
These workshops involving the Board game, DIY Kits and Story Telling Sessions will inturn result in the children not just seeking knowledge but also getting a hands on experience of the craft process in contrast with this digitally run world.
It will not just sensitise them to the problems and issues of the Mubarakpur Cluster but will also make them appreciate the cumbersome nature of the craft and the effort and skills of the weavers will be acknowledged.
It will not just sensitise them to the problems and issues of the Mubarakpur Cluster but will also make them appreciate the cumbersome nature of the craft and the effort and skills of the weavers will be acknowledged.
