Women’s Day: ‘Shoonya’ Shines Kashmiri Womenpreneurs
Sarah Philemon, founder of Shoonya, and Praveen, a Kashmiri artisan (Image credit Bhawna Malik)
Kashmiri Women Walk Traditions for Empowerment
By Bhawna Malik
New Delhi, March 8: In times when men and women in Kashmir valley are battling menace of drugs, tradition and heritage guide many to path of empowerment. Sarah Philemon is working with Kashmiri women from interiors of the valley to mentor them on path of economic freedom.
Philemon leads ‘Shoonya’, an organisation that works with Kashmiri women and other artisans. She took particular interest in bringing Kashmiri women to the economic mainstream.
At Shilpkala Utsav, the Kashmiri artisans mentored by ‘Shoonya’ showcased their skills at bringing the age-old craft of the valley to the people in the national capital. The Kashmiri women sadly reflected that many of the men and women in the valley have fallen to the vice of drugs and liquor.
“Kashmiri women are the worst affected. Men have no jobs. Businesses are badly affected. Men have turned to alcohol and drugs,” said Praveen, a woman artisan from the Kashmir valley.
She said that “women have mouths to feed. Being independent is the only solution.” She took part in the Shilpkala Utsav through ‘Shoonya’.
Philemon is married to an army officer, who is posted in the Kashmir valley. She was impressed with the skills of the women artisans in the interiors of the valley.
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“Kashmir is a treasure trove of crafts. The valley has a rich tradition of vibrant embroidery,” said Philemon. She said that “the local women can make beautiful shawls, mufflers, dupattas, sarees, home décor products by crochet”.
“They have talent. But they lacked resources and platforms to bring their work to the people,” added Philemon. At the Shilpkala Utsav, visitors were impressed with display of vibrant colours artfully crafted by the Kashmiri women.
“Shoonya is a reliable platform for these women. I have widows, disabled and the women whose husbands have become drug addicts working with me,” said Philemon, who is a founder of ‘Shoonya’.
She met Praveen at a local church in the valley. The conversation sent Philemon on a journey to meet more women artisans of the valley.
A massive surge in de-addiction centres in Jammu and Kashmir has been seen in recent years. Kashmir Observer in a report said that the Centre allocated ₹5.42 crores for 32 drugs de-addiction centres in December last year.
“The intention was to revive crafts and artisans. Since my husband is posted in Jammu and Kashmir, I spread the word through the local church where I came in contact with Parveen,” said Philemon.
She “studied work and organised workshops to teach the Kashmir women embroideries to supplement to their skills”. They were trained on skills of “Portuguese, crochet and natural dyeing”.
“We do not use artificial colours. The yellow dupatta is dyed by using haldi (turmeric) and it never fades away,” said Philemon. She aims to make ‘Shoonya’ a zero-waste brand.
“The USP of ‘Shoonya’ lies in transforming ordinary household items into unique pieces of art. Glasses have been transformed into candle holders by covering them with crochet cover knitted by the women artisans,” said Philemon.
Her personal favourites are a yellow dupatta, dyed in turmeric, and a cream-coloured Pashmina Saree, that she prefers to wear in winters.
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