On their circular faces, the nose was undoubtedly the most distinguishing feature. It showed their common ancestry. Their piercing eyes seemed to be observing minutely. Their lips were pursed, their hands clenched. Whether in size zero or XL, due attention was given to their attire. The miniature Iranian grandmother and grandfather dolls in traditional and modern garments brought joy to the juniors and smiles to the seniors at the Iran Culture House in New Delhi. They further evoked an interest in learning the craft at the needlework and doll making workshop under the watchful eyes of the Iranian women artists.
"The dolls were the star of the show,” noted a report sent by Dr Shernaz Cama, director of Parzor that had organized the three-hour interactive session jointly with the Iranian Women Artists Association (IWAA) on January 28, 2024. The counters in the background showed attractive, handmade crafts ranging from jewelry with special amber or kerba to keep away the evil eye, intricate enamel work on metal, Farohars in silver and enamel in beautiful packaging, neck ties and even carpets woven by the women.
Photo: Dr Shernaz Cama
Dr Faridoddin FaridAsr, cultural counselor at the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and head of the Iran Culture House welcomed the participants inviting everyone to learn from each other. The exhibition showcased how closely the Parsis had actually kept to their cultural roots over the years, be it in embroidery or crochet, or weaving, or wood carving, remarked Cama. The community in India continues to be linked to their madre vatan (motherland) by their craft traditions and creativity, she added. "We are strong women who need to work closer in the future.”
Parzor has enjoyed ties with the Iranian embassy for over two decades and had even availed of help from the Noor Microfilm Centre at the Iran Culture House to protect and preserve the documents and books at the Meherjirana Library in Navsari. Hence, when invited to learn and teach with IWAA, Parzor was delighted to join them. "It was a truly delightful experience working with the team led by Khanum Manijeh Mokhtari who has created this remarkable nongovernmental organization (NGO) with women from all parts of Iran, particularly the Isfahan region,” acknowledged the Parzor report.
Mokhtari gave credit to her colleagues and family comprising Zahra Jahan Tigh, Prof Nasrin Kardani Esfahani, Mozhdeh Moshaftavana, Mobina Kamalidahghan, Maryam and Mahdieh Mokhtari. She referred to their efforts to keep alive traditional crafts and stories connected with them, passing it down from mother to daughter. While not sure whether any of the IWAA artists were Zarathushti, Cama mentioned that they did have Zarathushti women from Tehran (who had been in touch with Parzor and the cultural counselor) on Google Meet watching the livestreaming of the program. "Unfortunately, they could not showcase their craft, as they had hoped. Next time we will see if they can participate online or become part of the NGO,” stated Cama.
The Parsi embroidery component of the workshop was arranged by couturier Ashdeen Lilaowala whose designers explained how to transfer patterns from the khakha (tracing paper) onto a fabric. Fascinated by this exposure, the Iranian ladies wanted to visit other cities in India and see more of Parsi traditional crafts such as toran making and kusti weaving.
Dr Faridoddin FaridAsr, Dr Shernaz Cama and Khanum Manijeh Mokhtari (2nd, 3rd, 4th from l) at the workshop
Iyanah Marker (3rd from l) learns doll making
A doll takes shape
"The room at the Iran Culture House was buzzing with excitement as Indian and Iranian women shared their sense of empowerment through skill development and handicrafts,” noted the Parzor report. Guided by master craftswoman Esfahani, many among the 50 plus women and children attending the workshop experienced for the first time the joy of creating a little doll and infusing it with character.
Outlining the process they adopted, Cama related the different steps, starting with the making of the lower cotton or silk casing for each doll by hand cutting and sewing it. After stuffing it with cotton or nylon it was pressed down with a long pencil. The body and the head were likewise formed following the same procedure. Once the three body parts were sewn together by hand, the dolls were given a sedate appearance by draping them in a full length dress.
More complicated was creating hair from wool by stitching it into the head, making several sections and plaiting or weaving it together. Later it was cut, trimmed and shaped. The hair styling was almost similar for the Iranian dolls with the hair parted at the center of the forehead and covering the ears. Drawing facial features using real make up like eyeliner, eye pencil, rouge with the use of tiny cotton ear buds was more exciting. A head scarf or shawl was secured with a safety pin at the neck or shoulders. Matching accessories, separately made by crochet or with lace or Iranian jacquard, enhanced the appeal of the dolls.
Among the participants who had registered for the program were some of the young children from Farohars, the religion class conducted by the Delhi Parsi Anjuman, who had come with their parents. When Parsiana sought their feedback, 10-year-old Iyanah Marker wrote, "They made it so easy, with readily available materials. I learnt simple stitching. And I loved the colors.” The event was made even more memorable for the youngster since she could buy a Mr Bean Teddy doll. Some of the dolls on display and sale clearly evinced a western influence.
Sales took up a lot of time, realized the organizers, since only cash was accepted. Men had to rush to the nearest ATM while the women moved from counter to counter finalizing their purchase choice. "This is the first of Parzor’s programs with IWAA and we hope to hold workshops and popularize these beautiful creations in other parts of India in the future,” specified the report.
Currently the Parzor team is preoccupied collating and presenting material on the celebration of Navroz in the diaspora for the online Google Arts and Culture Exhibition. "The new Google format allows for video in short clips, encourages personal remembrance and records, and is cross-cultural,” noted the appeal by Cama welcoming inputs in English, Farsi or other languages from associations and countries across the world for these will be simultaneously translated by Google. "This exhibition attempts to trace the festival through its mythology, history and contemporary practice,” notes the introduction on artsandculture.google.com.