Nadiya, Dina, Brishti, Shimu, Mim, Khadiza, Tumpa, and Nur Nahar — they all reside in Begunbari slum in Dhaka. All of them are aged between 10 to18 years. While some of them are studying and working, many of them have dropped out of school. Like other dwellers of Begunbari slum, they all belong to either lower class or lower-middle-class families. There are over 1500 families living in that slum and most of them are day laborers, factory and garment workers, housemaids, or small-scale entrepreneurs like tea stall owners. During the 2020 coronavirus lockdown in Bangladesh, these girls have been learning the craft of hand-painting on clothes for the past 3 months. As their schools are closed, they have invested this time in pursuing a creative passion. They are very happy about it and also often express their gratitude towards their teacher. They are also very hopeful about it. During the initial training period, they drew pictures and designs and then colored them, filling in designs where necessary. After they were past that phase, each of them has completed a hand-painted Orna (shawl-like scarf). It took 2/4 days for them to complete their first creation and they are hopeful that they can do it in lesser time in the near future. Their family members are also very content with this achievement. They want to teach this craft to other people as well. They dream of doing big in life with this skill. They are hopeful that this skill will help them break the chain of poverty. It will also aid their confidence, help in their cognitive development, and to help empower them. In this third world developing country where women empowerment is a necessity, 8 girls pursuing their passion in crafts to build towards a better future ignites the fire of inspiration among numerous others who dream big and have the intent to transform their dream into a better reality.
“My name is Sumaiya Akhter Nadiya. I am 15 years old. I am a student of class 9. I have hand-painted an Orna (shawl-like scarf) for the very first time by myself after getting training for 3 months. It took me 4 days to complete my first Orna. I hope it will take less time in the future. I hope I will prosper in life with this work. Thank you, sister Shahana, for teaching and inspiring us for this work.”
“My name is Nusrat Jahan Dina. I am 16. I am an SSC exam candidate for 2021. During the lockdown of 2020, I drew and colored many pictures on Orna (shawl-like scarf). But we practiced on white paper for the last 3 months. It took me 5 days to complete the hand-painting on this Orna. I want to teach other people this craft as well. So that they can also do something with the learning. I had this idea before learning this craft and I also thought this during my painting work and I was having fun. I will visit my grandparent’s home wearing this Orna. I feel very proud after this work. Khoda Hafez.”
“My name Brishti Akhter. I have attended the SSC exam in 2020. I don’t go to school anymore. I am 17 years old. When I started learning hand-painting, an idea appeared in my mind that after hand-painting many more Orna (shawl-like scarf) and Sharee I will open a showroom. I want to go out with my family wearing this Orna. It took me 3 days to complete this Orna.”
“My name is Sumaiya Akhter Shimu. I am 12 years old. I study in class 5. After learning for 3 months I have done this hand-painting job on the Orna (shawl-like scarf). It took me 2 days to complete this hand painting. I felt good while doing this job. I went to visit Hatirjheel wearing this Orna. Then after returning home I preserved it. I wish to teach this to other people. I have learned this during the covid lockdown.”
“My name is Maria Akter Mim. I am 15 years old. I am in class 8. I have learned hand-painting for two months. After learning, it took me total 4 Days to complete this work on this Orna (shawl-like scarf). I hope it will take less time in the future. I am glad to learn this craft. After completing the Orna, I went to visit Hatirjhil wearing it. Now I desire to teach other people hand-panting as well. My plan is to teach other people this craft while I practice it.”
“My name is Khadiza. I study in class 7. I am 13 years old. I am learning hand-painting for 3 months. I have liked very much learning this. I used to draw small pictures at first. That’s how I got to learn this. Then I learned hand painting on Orna (shawl-like scarf). It took me 3 days to complete this Orna. When I do this work, I think of many designs in my mind. And I hand-painted the Orna as I like. Firstly, I drew flowers in my Orna then I painted with colors. I had fun while doing this. Everyone in my house was very happy seeing my work. I enjoy doing it. I feel proud that I learned this. My sister and my mother get happy seeing my work. I have designed and handpainted An Orna by myself for the first time.”
“My name is Farzana Akhter Tumpa. I am 18 years old. I am studying in class 8. I have hand-painted an Orna (shawl-like scarf) after taking 3 months of hand-painting training. It took me almost 3 days to complete this work on the Orna. I hope it will take less time to do this next time. I hope I will prosper in life by doing hand-painting. We are very happy to learn this work.”
“My Name is Nur Nahar. I am 17 years old and I have studied till class 7. I have learned hand-painting besides my work. I have completed my work on my Orna (shawl-like scarf) within 2 days. I am very happy about completing my Orna’s work. I had a lot of ideas. I want to make Sharee for me and my daughter for Pohela Boishakh.”
— Piyas Biswas — Student of Diploma in Visual Journalism — The Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University.
