Aligarh through its artisans

AdventureTour amp tasteRelaxingEducationalAncient amp HistoricalMeher AliJournalist writer and researcher Meher Alirsquos Instagram page meheraligarh is full of stories and pictures of old residents of Aligarh and their ancestral homes the crafts that they have dedicated their lives to and how commerce and industry has impacted their traditional ways Alirsquos interest in documentation started with her photographing abandoned cotton mills in and around Ahmedabad There was something sad but beautiful about observing spaces that had transformed from being hubs of commercial activity and labour to those of neglectMapUday MohiteWhen she moved to Aligarh the cityrsquos old mansions drew her in including her own built in 1935 by her great grandfather Abid Husain Khan Ali says many families had shifted to Aligarh after the establishment of the Aligarh Muslim University ldquoAligarh in many ways has stood for Indian Muslim empowerment and upward mobility through educationrdquo she remarks adding that working class Muslims have not had as much access to it leading to some resentment in the community When visiting ancestral homes in the Civil Lines area near the university she spoke with the families This led to publishing a first photo essay in the Himal Southasian magazine A fellowship later brought the opportunity of documenting rural areas around Aligarh and stories of its craftspeople followedNem Singh basket weaverNem Singh is one of the oldest basket weavers of Mahmoodpur Nagariya village about an hour and a half from Aligarh in the Etah district During mango season the entire village seems to spill out onto their aangan or patios to weave baskets as in and around Aligarh mangoes are typically stored in these All those who weave them belong to the Jatav caste and identify as Dalits Before Independence they used to work as bonded labour for the uppercaste zamindars Nem Singh was seven when he became a bonded labourerPervez Alam matrimakerTaj Bakery in Upar Kot Aligarh Pervez Alam 62 is one of the last remaining pupils of the original matrimaker Latif Khan who introduced matri to Aligarh according to the local craftspersons Originally from Gorakhpur Khan came to Aligarh after he got married Making matris was Khanrsquos ldquobaapdada ka kaamrdquo or his ancestral work says Alam Here Alam places a piece of unbaked matri on a tin sheet All sheets are stored in the windowless room behind him for at least four hours for the matris to rise before bakingReshma Bano embroidererReshma Bano has been embroidering since she was nine About 65 kilometres from Aligarh is the town of Marehra where women do beaded embroidery on cushion covers and table mats The goods are meant for export This work known as Karchobi is an import from Iran and arrived in India around the 17th century according to historian Irfan Habib The term comes from lsquokarchobrsquo which refers to the wooden frame on which the embroidery is done Here Bano embroiders a snowflake pattern using white and silver beads on a white satin cloth This set of orders was for ChristmasAbdul Rashid Khan whistlemakerAbdul Rashid Khan has worked in a workshop in the Beni Israilian mohalla for close to 40 years The workshop is owned by one Aziza Akhtar whose grandfatherrsquos company ldquoScoutrdquo became the first to manufacture brass whistles in the country that were supplied to the police and Indian army Khan whose father owned a workshop in Tandon Pada that produced brass whistles learnt the craft in his childhoodMohammad Iliyas Ansari locksmithLocksmith Mohammad Iliyas Ansari has spent his life in the old Beni Israilian area of Upar Kot where he was born in 1957 Unlike the more affluent Civil Lines area of Aligarh Upar Kot has many working class families Many of them have converted a part of their homes into workshops so that commerce and industry exist alongside domestic life as is the case with Ansarirsquos home He runs a workshop on the ground floor of his house that produces parts for locks and keysRashida Begum locksmithRashida Begum a locksmith and single mother has set up a workshop in her home in Upar Kot the centre of Aligarhrsquos lockmaking industry To save on rental costs artisans who manufacture lock and key parts typically do so from their homes Rashida Begumrsquos daughter and her siblings help their mother manufacture locksWant To Hear From YouWe are looking to visit and write about interesting places of stay and travel near and far If you wish to host us for a fair engaging experience review write to us at smdmailmiddaycom