People trying to flee the worst of the flooding in Pakistan in September of this year. Photo: Oxfam International
Artisans of Lila Handicrafts from Pakistan have been attending the Folk Art Market since 2004.
At the 2011 Market, they also featured in the ‘The Arts of Survival: Folk Expression in the Face of Natural Disaster’ exhibition at the Museum of International Folk Art, which explored how folk artists have helped their communities recover from recent natural disasters.
The exhibition explored how artisans from Lila Handicrafts had dealt with the floods of 2010. However, on their return from Santa Fe, Naina Valasai and her husband Surendar from Lila Handicrafts faced another natural disaster.
We contacted Surendar and asked him to tell us their story.
Naina ValasaiHe begins, ‘When we were attending ‘The Arts of Survival: Folk Expression in the Face of Natural Disaster,’ in July, we had really no idea that things we are learning there would so soon be put into practice by the Mother Nature for us to experience.’
Throughout August and September, heavy monsoon rains pounded the province of Sindh. More than 1290mm (over four feet) of rain was recorded during the extended monsoon, four times higher than average.
Surendar continues, ‘Mud houses collapsed as half of the Sindh province was submerged and turned into a dotted ocean. Overall, 8.9 million people were affected, 1.52 million of them thrown totally homeless.’
Millions of acres of standing crops were damaged, in an area where the economy is based almost completely on agriculture, and people struggled to gather what belongings they could and move to safety.
Naina and Surendar moved their family to a rented house in the city of Hyderabad, leaving their home a few days before the roads submerged completely. Cellphone connections also failed, making it doubly hard to keep in touch.
Surendar’s brother Dev went to their village to gather information about the devastation to share with the Folk Art Market and Lila Handicraft’s longtime supporter Patricia Stoddard.
Within few days, a 3-day sale took place in Santa Fe for Pakistani artisans which raised $12,000 for the relief operation coordinated by SHINE Humanity. The sale was a collaborative effort between the Folk Art Market, the Museum of International Folk Art, Market Board members JoAnn Balzer and Sylvia Seret, along with numerous staff and volunteers from the Museum and the Museum of New Mexico Foundation Shops, in conjunction with Patricia Stoddard.
Surendar says that, ‘The relief operation, started with the Flood Relief Sale by the Folk Art Market, Museum of International Folk Art and their beautiful volunteers, was the most prompt and timely for folk art ralli quilt artisans in Kaloi, Khetlari, Lalo Wahandani and other villages.’
The proceeds of the sale went towards distributing relief items (including food and mosquito nets) to 255 artisans – providing enough food for 15 days for each artisan family. Lila Handicrafts helped the SHINE Humanity team’s initial response and many of the artisans went on to help the World Food Program as their efforts ramped up.
The World Food Program is now providing food rations to the affected people in Kaloi and surrounding villages.
Surendar continues, ‘Lila Handicrafts Artisans Welfare Association also arranged food ration relief for more than five hundred artisans and provided 120 tents to them with the cooperation of Government Departments.’
People have started repairing their homes and returning to their routine life. Only in the last few weeks have the roads reappeared after the water receded.
Lila Handicraft artisans have now started working on new Ralli Quilts products (including ralli quilted handbags), and are hoping that they will again be accepted for next year’s Market.
‘Our target is to sell enough for rebuilding our homes and hopes,’ says Surendar. ‘The Arts of Survival: Folk Expression in the Face of Natural Disaster inspired all of us to survive . . . We have started making Ralli Quilts without receiving any orders. The Flood Relief Sale and its volunteers did a wonderful and lovely job by extending help to the Artisans in time and for this we owe our gratefulness to them.’