KARACHI: Featuring the work of artisans from different parts of Sindh, the 18th edition of the Sartyoon Sang Crafts Exhibition, organised by the Sindh Rural Support Organisation (SRSO) in collaboration with the government of Sindh, at Ocean Mall, Clifton, showcases over 5,000 intricate and beautiful products.

In comparison to the previous years, this year’s three-day exhibition, which opened on Friday, looks far bigger and better with dedicated stalls for bedding (ralli, bedsheets, etc), cushions (cushions and cushion covers), home decor (framed crafts, decoration pieces, jewellery boxes, etc), basketry (baskets of all sizes and shapes made of wheat stalk as well as date leaf) and readymade clothing.

Speaking to Dawn, SRSO’s head of Craft and Enterprise Development Sector, Suriya Agha, said that the new layout of their exhibition area allows more space for customers to move around. “They also know what to get from which stall,” she said.

About the annual exhibition, she said that they start preparing for it three to four months in advance. “The artisans are already working from home since these crafts are a part of their culture and heritage. We only select the ones with three to four years of experience with the SRSO to showcase their work here. The rest are already busy with their businesses,” Suriya shared.

The SRSO, she said, has been the driving force behind bettering the lives of so many artisans in Sindh. “They have the talent and skill, inherited from their ancestors, and with our training they also have a business sense to market their skills,” Suriya further said.

The SRSO’s CEO Muhammad Dittal Kalhoro said that the SRSO aims to facilitate better income opportunities for rural artisans by establishing Business Development Groups all over Sindh.

Uzma Solangi, an artisan who travelled with the exhibition from Mohenjo Daro, said that she learned applique work from her mother and grandmother. “I belong to a group of 25 women from the Dhandh village near Mohenjo Daro trained in business and marketing by the SRSO,” she told Dawn. “Our training has given us confidence. We also know that our products have a good market here and abroad,” she added.

The clothing items were available in various sizes such as small, medium, large and extra large. Hajani Mahar from Sukkur said that the individual or one piece shirts, pants and chadors as well as waistcoats were selling very well. “We also have stitched and semi-stitched, one, two and three-piece items which are doing well in the sales department. But the block printed ajraks and embroidered stoles have to be the hot favourites. This time the ajrak print ties are also getting a lot of attention,” she said.

Fajar Khand, helping out at the readymade clothing stall, also said that the artisans whose work is being showcased at the exhibition hail from areas including Sukkur, Badin, Ghotki, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Khairpur, Larkana, Matiari, Mirpurkhas, Noushero Feroz, Qambar Shahdadkot, Sanghar, Shikarpur, Thatta and Umerkot.

She also pointed out that each product at the exhibition was handmade. “It is all basically a labour of love,” she smiled.

The exhibition concludes at 11pm on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2026