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Bhurabhai

Hi, I come from the Banaskantha district in northern Gujarat. I am an engineer by profession, but embroidery art is my passion.

"Gujarat is a place of diverse culture and a perfect blend of varied arts and crafts. And there are a huge number of people who do exquisite art work, embroidery being one of them. Embroidery art is a tradition that is practiced in almost every household. It is a custom handed down from generation to generation, normally from mother to daughter. It is almost a must-learn for the daughters but, for men, it is left to their own discretion whether to learn or not. And I decided to learn, because the vibrant colors and intricacy of the embroidery work always attracted me.

"When I got married in 1996, my wife brought with her the legacy of this mesmerizing art of embroidery and together we started this lovely journey of needle and threadwork. I gave up my engineering work to devote myself to this work full time, along with my wife.

"The tradition of embroidery is not a mere work of art – it has deeper meaning. Earlier, it was never meant to be sold. The girls would create fantastic embroidery work of different products like bedspreads, wall hangings and purses to take with them to their groom's house when they married.

"It is only during the last two to three decades that these works have been sold and exhibited. My wife is an expert in this work and she is also the recipient of a national award. Along with about 40 family members, we are taking forward this beautiful work that we have inherited from our ancestors.

"There are many types of embroidery in Gujarat, each representing different tribes and castes. Our tribe comes from Pakistan; we came and settled in India during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. We brought with us this amazing type of embroidery called soof embroidery. Besides soof, we also specialize in other types of embroideries.

"We have been exhibiting our work in different parts of the country and the response has been great. In fact, my wife has been to London to participate in an exhibition and demonstration sponsored by the government of India.

"We feel honored to be in association with Novica. It will be great to have our products displayed on your website for the world to appreciate."