The flying carpet

Kot Billa, a village of artisans, has long perfected the art of making durries. Over half of this 350-house village is engaged in this profession. Durries are draped over every house and corner shop. Many housewives are pitching in too. Says Nasreen, a 24-year-old mother of two: ‘‘After completing my household chores I make durries. It takes two-and-a-half hours to make one plain durrie but complex designs take much longer.’’

Mohammad Iqbal has been in this business for the past 15 years in this village on the border of Himachal and Haryana. Business is good and his durries have been picked up by big brands such as Fab India and Tuft, the carpet company that exports to Canada. These big brands give them their designs as well as the raw material.

Now, with the Business School of Fashion coming up, business promises to get even better.

Nasiruddin is another villager who employs nearly 40 craftspeople. His stuff is picked up regularly by exporters from Panipat and Delhi. Many villagers have made good money from making durries and have moved to bigger houses in Raipurana, a village 15 km away. Says Faqir Mohammad: ‘‘I started my work 15 years ago after graduating since I couldn’t land a job. Today I have 100 workers under me. My products are picked up by the Khadi emporium and businessmen of Panipat.’’

On an average, workers earn Rs 3000 to 5000 a month while the contractors get orders in lakhs every year for these exquisite durries.