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Culture August 16, 2018
Let's unleash this story.
Image via Instagram / @unleashed_worldAt 5:00 a.m., Gudia Khan is already awake for her morning prayers. She does household chores until 8:00 a.m., and then she starts work.
Maybe artwork is a more accurate term. Khan is a talented artisan; she embroiders fabrics for a living, a trade she learned from her mother. The beading is beautifully intricate, often requiring Khan to stay awake through the early hours of the morning to finish her garments.
Gudia Khan is one of many female artisans working in India. Khan, like the others, is very poor and works to sustain herself and her family. Oscar-nominated director Amy Berg offers an intimate look into these lives in the documentary series “Connecting Thread: Unleashing India.”
The project was created by UNLEASHED, a non-profit organization founded by jewelry designer Kara Ross. It seeks to celebrate and empower female artisans and entrepreneurs across the globe.
UNLEASHED employed 42 women, including Khan, for embroidery and paid them 1.5 times what they would earn from couture brands. They also use their platform to document and share the stories of the women behind the art.
The film begins in the colorful, winding streets of Bareilly, India. Here, we meet Gudia Khan in her home.
Khan’s father and brother both died from illness. The issue was not a lack of cure but rather a lack of funds to pay for medicine. Tasked with marrying off her younger siblings and supporting the family financially, Khan has little time to think of herself.
“My dream is for us to own a home and for my brother to get married. That’s all I dream about… I haven’t thought about my own life,” she says.
The audience begins to learn that this story is quite common. Fulwano Noor Bano and Nazama Begam also embroider to support their families. Bano funds her children’s education, while Begam works alongside her daughters. She hopes they’ll pursue successful careers instead of marrying too young.
UNLEASHED has commissioned these women to embroider for them from their homes. In Delhi, FDCI Amazon India Fashion Week showcased their work. Khan was given the opportunity to attend in person and walk the runway.
And so Khan is whisked away to Delhi with her mother to stay in a luxurious hotel and present at fashion week. Still, as viewers, we are never allowed to become too comfortable with her fairytale-esque story. We watch her marvel at the marble floors and dip her feet into the clear, glassy pool, but we cannot forget how far this world is from her home city.
There are many moments that highlight the unequal conditions of Khan’s life. When asked to sign in at the concierge’s desk, Khan admits that she cannot write her name — only the letter “s.” In fact, her trip to Delhi was the first time she ever left Bareilly.
Moments after meeting Khan onscreen, we also discover that she doesn’t know her own age, since she never went to school. She states, “I think I am around 30 or 35 years old.” Her family immediately corrects her, “You’re 25 or 26!”
Bollywood actress Nargis Fakhri also supports her mother and acts as the breadwinner of her family. She points this out to Khan, emphasizing how they are similar. Khan agrees, but she takes care to point out the stark contrast in their situations.
“There’s a difference between us. We are poor and lowly… We work really hard to make ends meet,” Khan says. “You work in movies and your life is different. Perhaps I will also be successful and have something of my own. That’s why I am here.”
These moments take us out of the fantasy, and for good reason. Khan has received the opportunity of a lifetime. However, she is only one of many stories.
This film raises many questions about the conditions of female artisans. They face inequality both as women and as members of their socioeconomic class. Some people in Khan’s village frown upon women who leave the household, but as the only financial support, Khan must leave for work.
Nazama Begam expressed pleasure with the independence she found in embroidery. At home, she can create her own schedule and work at her own pace. However, this brings to mind the millions of exploited factory workers who cannot claim such autonomy. We hope that UNLEASHED can continue to bring better working conditions and lifestyles to other female artisans across the world.
Next time you pick up an embroidered shirt, find out where it came from. There might be a story in those stitches.
