The dusty evenings of summer at times reminds me of an old woman named Amma ‘Mah Ganj’ from my area Awaran.
She comes to mind whenever I think about our unprivileged area. Mah Ganj has been for years associated with a skill
that demands extremely hard working. The skill is at the same time valuable and beautiful. Sitting on a charpoy
near a water-skin and talking to her animals in her local dialect, Amma Mah Ganj used to make handmade mats,
baskets, fans (Gawato), local slippers (Swas), brooms, ropes and other valuable things.
The Baloch people are fortunate to have culture spread over its land in its various colours.
And this culture looks even beautiful when living in this culture you get the basic necessities of which is a
fundamental right of every human being.
It is nothing but an irony that Amma Mah Ganj comes from a region, which is rich in mineral resources and the sea coast.
Amma Mah Ganj and other women in this profession expect to get a reasonable wage by crafting such beautiful things. However, the reality is to the contrary. One can only imagine the labour and hard work that goes into this art by looking at the needle pricks on her hands. We only wished that the products made from dry leaves of date trees could bring some relief to her financially dry life.
Amma Mah Ganj proudly says, “I don’t know what modernisation is. But I can tell you that no matter how much the world develops, these products will never lose their prominence.”
Indeed, the fact is that these products made with such hardship are not only useful but also an integral part of Baloch culture.
It is a need of the hour to exhibit all these products at the international level and a proper wage given to the workers. This will not only help eliminate poverty but would also restore the confidence of local people.
It is nothing but an irony that Amma Mah Ganj comes from a region, which is rich in mineral resources and the sea coast.
Amma Mah Ganj and other people of her area don’t know how a leader from the middle or feudal class would bring a change in her life; when Gawadar Port would be built and how much would it contribute to the wellbeing of Baloch people; or if the long-standing suffering would ever change into prosperity?
Instead of deluding in the name of the Gawadar to Kashgar economic corridor, if practical measures are taken and skillful people get access to the wider international market, then the people of Balochistan can benefit from these facilities – actually the dream of every common man.
