This collaborative research project aimed at highlighting the practice of the Rafoogar community in Najibabad, through engaging them in a process to create a collection of contemporary works, using their traditional darning skills. The impetus for this project came from the artists’ identification of preservation of a disappearing traditional craft.

The artist saw am urgent need to promote the work of the Rafoogars by bringing their invisible craft to the forefront that might otherwise vanish with the time. The objective of the project in Najibabad on one hand was to create an awareness within the Rafoogar community about their incredible skills of darning in ‘repair’ and renewal of damaged precious textiles and on the other hand also to acknowledge the important role of the Rafoogar in the context of sustainability, a current issue and concern towards ecology applicable to various cultures across the continents.

First and foremost, it was important for Mehra to connect with local Rafoogar community through their invisible network of personal narrative and private reflections about the town and their own darning practice. This was accomplished by asking them to reflect on their own work through their experience and observation with living memories. An old fabric was circulated amongst the Rafoogar community for their signatures to make them aware of the project and confirmation of their participation. Local Rafoogar community was then involved and motivated to search for their family trees, old Town Maps and stories related to the Town. The idea was to create a Map of the town on an old recycled cloth, marking the historical and important landmark. After several meeting and discussions it was decided to distribute the work between several Rafoogar families, as they were reluctant and unwilling to work together as a group due to business/trade rivalries. Several tasks were assigned amongst the individuals who implemented various steps like drawing, tracing, printing, dyeing, painting, darning, needlework, in the workshop.

The workshop concluded with a ‘Rafoogar Bathak’ in Najibabad .It was organized in the courtyard of a school building of our family Dharamshala .It was well attended by large number of members from the Rafoogar community and some of the local residents. This was the first time ever that this kind of event took place in the town. Darning demonstrations and display of some of the exhibited shawls brought excitement and interest to the local residents of the town. Banners, Pamphlets and Invitations were used for the publicity of the event. A questioner was distributed to the participants and visitors in the Rafoogar Baithak to get their feedback and response to such an event.