FAISAL QURAISHI
CO-OWNER
My great-grandfather was a prosperous merchant when he brought our family to Aurangabad more than 150 years ago. Aurangabad was already a business, textile, and manufacturing center. In a very few years, he established a network of master weavers that, with their apprentices, became one of the most renowned and honored in India.
Their skill and patience enables them to spend days and even weeks at their looms, crafting a single magnificent shawl as a work of art
With ZariZar, this network of craftspeople is entering the globalized world of high fashion, using the most refined silk, Kashmiri wool, and zari threads to weave luxurious patterns for customers with universal tastes.
Scroll down and meet a few of ZariZar’s master craftspeople, whose parents and grandparents have worked with mine for over a century.
TIMELESS WEAVER
MEET SOME OF OUR MASTER WEAVERS
SINDHU AMBORE
Please tell us, what inclined you to learn to weave?
I learned to weave 22 years ago under the guidance of a master weaver named Abdallah. I was 25 years old at the time.
What gives you the most satisfaction about your work?
I love to weave and it is even more satisfying to know that a customer has seen and appreciated my work — and has purchased it! With the training I received, not only can I weave these beautiful fabrics, but I also design them.
Who decides how much you work each week?
I choose the days and the hours I work. It usually turns out to be about 8 hours a day and I tend to work six days a week.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not weaving?
When I am not working, I enjoy listening to music, watching the news, and cooking.
JITENDER AIMIS KOKNE
Who did you learn your craft from?
I learned weaving at home from my friends and family, when I was 13 years old. I have four brothers who also learned to weave at home.
What gives you the most satisfaction about your work?
My sense of satisfaction comes from knowing that I am preserving an age-old art and that there are only a handful of weavers in the world who can weave like I do. That thought makes me feel proud and grateful.
Where do you work? At home or in a factory with others?
I work at home and can work as little or as much as I choose. But it is a privilege to do this work, so I often work as much as 10 hours a day and 6 days a week. Of course sometimes it is less.
What activities do you enjoy when you're not weaving?
When I take time off to relax, I go on family outings and enjoy listening to the songs of Kishor Kumar.
VIJAY SHANKAR RAO KHOJE
Who did you learn your craft from?
I learned the art of Himroo weaving from my father Shankar Rao Geeta Ram Khoje. We had a loom at home, so I watched him weave and then, when I was 14, he taught me how to weave myself.
What gives you the most satisfaction about your work?
I work at a weaving center and get a lot of enjoyment from the good company around me, while I am working. Weaving is really a family affair for us. My wife, three of my brothers and my daughter have all dedicated our lives to this craft.
Who decides how much you work each week?
Like others who work for ZariZar, I am given the freedom and responsibility of choosing my own schedule. I tend to work a lot — often 6 days a week and usually 10 hours a day — and that is because I derive pleasure from seeing these beautiful shawls emerge from my loom.
What do you enjoy doing when you're not weaving?
When I am not at the loom, I will often help members of my village in any way I can.