Meet an embroiderer who is passing on an ancient Indian tradition to her Canadian neighbours
CBC
Drawing upon the rich embroidery heritage of her childhood in Mumbai, Sarita Gujar combines traditional Indian craftsmanship with western embroidery techniques — and is sharing her skills with other embroiderers in Fredericton.
Gujar's expertise is in shisha embroidery, also known as mirror work. This ancient technique was originally the domain of poor artisans who mimicked the bejewelled fashions of the wealthy.
In time, mirror work has become admired in its own right.
"It's a different type of culture which we don't see here much. I want to pass [it] on to Canadians," Gujar says.
Born and raised in the Indian state of Maharashtra, renowned for its artistic traditions, Gujar as a young bride left her home for Fredericton 58 years ago.
When she arrived, she took courses at the University of New Brunswick, where she received a diploma in business administration.
After she raised her children, she became interested in shisha embroidery. In 1993, she joined a group of women in Fredericton who came together weekly to make embroidery.
She learned Western embroidery techniques — and shared her skills in mirror work.
"Traditional Indian embroidery is passed on from one generation to another," she said.
Gujar plays a significant role in Fredericton's multicultural and Indo-Canadian community. She is one of the founders of the temple in Fredericton, and also worked as a social worker for various organizations.
Her embroidery has been displayed at Government House, and she has travelled around New Brunswick to showcase her custom-embroidered cloths and artwork.
Shisha or mirror work embroidery originated in the 17th century in India. The process involves attaching small pieces of mirror to fabric to create a reflecting, beautiful pattern.
A traditional South Asian embroidery, mirror work today is popular in many part of the world.
"One can recognize its tradition, religion, by looking at the embroidered piece, the colour, the stitches, the designs," Gujar said.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
A suspended Moncton structural engineer faces more lawsuits alleging design flaws in buildings that require repair.
Sajjade Tugano has come a long way since he first set foot in Chibougamau, six hours north of Quebec City, in the depths of winter in November 2021.
A national mentor-based hockey organization that helps marginalized youth through the sport is paying tribute to one of its members and youngest coaches.
After months of asking the City of Saskatoon to do more to solve its homelessness crisis, advocate David Fineday took to the stand at city council Tuesday.
A community organization wants to breathe new life into a historic building in Regina.
Some Prince County residents are walking away with more answers after attending Tuesday night's public information session in Albany, P.E.I., on the Wejipek Wind Project.
After just a few months of using vape detectors in a couple of bathrooms, a B.C. high school principal says it's reduced vape use in those areas to basically zero.
Burlington MP Karina Gould gets boost from local young people after entering Liberal leadership race
A day after entering the Liberal leadership race, Burlington, Ont., MP and government House leader Karina Gould was cheered at a campaign launch party by local residents — including young people expressing hope the 37-year-old politician will represent their voices.
Anold Mulaisho was born intersex and wonders where they fit in, in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order for the United States to recognize only two sexes, male and female.
WARNING: This story contains references to suicide.
Subway service is down on Line 1 between Sheppard West and Lawrence West due to a broken power rail, the TTC said Wednesday morning.
A long-term care home in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood has cleared one more hurdle to add desperately needed beds to its property, a move that's been praised by housing advocates but opposed by locals concerned about the impact on the neighbourhood.
A Charlottetown resident is calling on the P.E.I. government to do more to protect homeowners after reading about a recent oil spill very similar to one on his Montague property 20 years ago, which he says ruined him financially.
WARNING: This story includes details of abuse.
Two years after Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly declared she was taking the unprecedented step of moving to confiscate millions of dollars from a sanctioned Russian oligarch with assets in Canada, the government has not actually begun the court process to forfeit the money, let alone to hand it over to Ukrainian reconstruction — and it may never happen.
Alberta business and oilpatch leaders are returning home from Washington this week after the U.S. presidential inauguration festivities — and gritting their teeth after a roller-coaster of emotions.
Youth workers in Toronto's Jane and Finch area are flipping the script on negative stereotypes about their communities with a new fundraising campaign that offers anti-bias training in exchange for donations to bolster their programming.
In a sudden move that came late Tuesday evening, city officials rolled out cots and temporarily opened a warm building in east London as frigid temperatures continued.