Despite global acclaim, Malerkotla embroiders struggle for govt backing

Third-generation artist and embroiderer Tahir Rana is disheartened that successive governments have failed to provide organisational support to the instinctive talent that the Muslim community in the region has long been blessed with.

While uniformed forces and groups from across the world, including the Indian Armed Forces and various state police departments, depend on the designers, artists and embroiderers of Malerkotla, the administration has yet to establish a platform through which their issues and grievances can be discussed and redressed.

“Toeing the footprints of my father, like many of my counterparts I started working with needle and crosier when I was a school student in the late eighties and started devoting full time to the profession in the early nineties,” said Tahir, regretting that successive governments showed no concern to recognise artisans whose skill and labour had made Malerkotla famous for badges and embroidered flags across the world.

Running a unit under the banner of Kuwait PVC Badges Crown Crafts, Rana supplies directly to government and non-government organisations in Kuwait and Malaysia, as the Covid epidemic had forced most entrepreneurs to eliminate many countries from their lists of direct importers.

“Though our items are reaching esteemed organisations and royal forces of almost all countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, we have stopped direct supplies to all countries except Kuwait and Korea,” said Rana, maintaining that supplies to other countries are now made either through private contractors in India or authorised suppliers of the respective countries.

Mohammad Shafiq, an artisan, said embroidery is labour-intensive and requires skilled workers. “Needlework demands a lot of concentration and one has to keep sitting for hours to yield desired results in quality and quantity,” said Shafiq.

The embroidery is done with silver and gold-plated metallic threads on various types of bases like cloth, woollens, leather and cardboard.

In addition to flags for the Navy, Army and Air Force of prominent countries, other items prepared by Malerkotla artisans include emblems, trophies, souvenirs, button badges, acrylic badges, gold badges, regiment badges, logos, formation signs, blazer badges, cap badges, ribbons and many more materials.

Artisans acknowledged that there is no common platform or organisation to keep a record of over 3,000 manufacturers engaged in embroidery work in Malerkotla.

Although the profession is yet to prove remunerative for the entrepreneurs, they have employed hundreds of men, women and girls, according to the convenience of the employees. Women and girls normally work from home.

The artisans have urged the government to take organised steps to rescue those units that are on the verge of closure due to low profitability.