The Epitome of Needlework
First time I noticed Bakhtawer Bhutto Zardari closely and felt warm about her was when I saw her engagement pictures with Mahmood Choudhary, recently, and my eyes got stuck at the shawl she was wrapped in. Let me be honest, before that she was just a middle child of super rich parents born with a golden spoon and who wasn’t even keen in joining politics too.
Thanks to the smart phone technology, I zoomed in as close as I could, from my Samsung phone to view the intricate micro-details of every single motif big or small. As all those who are keen aficionados of hand embroidery would have already read the symbolic significance of the design, I won’t repeat that.
My favourite was the motif where a sunglasses clad Bakhtawer is looking into the mirror, and the second are a dancer and musicians scene in another section of the shawl. The border in black with light floral embroidery completes the design very aesthetically.
I ased Fatima, my painter daughter, “Did you notice her shawl?”
She retorted instantaneously, “Ofcourse, did you expect me to miss it? Its made by Nida Azwer who is famous for such intricate embroidered shawls.”
Having a daughter-friend who shares same fancy bordering on addiction, for hand embroidery and desi handicrafts is such a blessing. Hopefully Rahma, Fatima’s one year old, will grow up to join the club too, one day.
IMHO for those who can afford, instead of investing in gaudy gold jewelry or ridiculously expensive and blingy- overdone wedding dresses appropriate for one time use, such handcrafted heirloom pieces which are worthy of being passed on to several generations down ones lineage, is worth all the investment.
Here are the details I could zoom in of the few pictures shared on social media. I can clearly spend a day with this piece, and drool over its detailed motifs, dissecting in imagination he stitches used, and dream to attempt to plagiarize at least one motif with my amateur needle work skills. Just to satisfy my ego.
Blind to Bounds 
You must be logged in to post a comment.