“It was Eid and I really wanted to have a cloth-based hanging clutch to go with my traditional frock. I searched in nearly all markets but couldn't find one.
One night, I was rummaging through my mother's closet and I found a very dainty tea cosy. On inquiry, my mother told me she got it in her dowry way back in 1990. My grandmother had bought it at Karachi's famous Zainab market. As my mother was reminiscing about the tea cosy, I was, as usual, lost in admiring its intricate details. It is a treat to the eyes: finely decorated with gold, zari thread wool, dori and panni ribbons. It had the unmistakable odour of antique gota and zari bridal works.
At that moment, I had an epiphany, I would transform this beauty into the clutch I had long been longing for. I'm sure my face lit up as it always does when I have a crazy idea and my mom, reading my mind, nodded with a smile to my meek ‘please?’”
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Minal Pervez (Pakistan)