CULTURE: SHAWL WEAVERS OF THAR
“Making shawls saved us,” says Vishan Das Meghwar, a 35-year-old villager from Thar. “The skill of making shawls helps me earn enough money to feed my family throughout the year,” he says. “I don’t remember the last time my family migrated from Thar due to drought.”
Vishan Das belongs to a small, idyllic village called Tabho Meghwar, located in the Thar desert about 28km away from Mithi, the capital city of Tharparkar district. The village is an oasis of calm in the middle of an arid landscape, where peacocks peacefully roam around the houses or chirp on neem trees.
Tabho Meghwar is renowned for its shawls and handicrafts, and is economically self-reliant. Nearly all the 150 households contribute in weaving and embroidering shawls. The end-product is then transported throughout the country and also exported abroad.
How the art of weaving shawls, passed down from generation to generation, became a lifesaver for Tharis in one village
“Shawls are made in a few other villages too but Tabho Meghwar is distinct because each individual contributes in making shawls,” says Bharu Mal Amrani, a folklore writer from Thar.