Souvenir hunters get to learn the craft at Global Village
CRAFTSMEN OFFER CUSTOMISED EXPERIENCE TO SHOPPERS INTERESTED IN THEIR WARES
who has been coming to the Global Village for four years, added. He said palm leaves have a pleasant smell and are natural insect repellents, making them ideal as food covers (Dh80-Dh100) and food mats (Dh40-Dh800).
Hakim also offers incense stands for Dh70-Dh100, hand fans for Dh10 and coffee cups for Dh5.
Italian sewing expert Silvia Cannas, 28, is kept busy by customers wanting to have their name stitched on to shirts, towels, bibs, and soft bedroom slippers. Cannas — who can read, write and even sew in Arabic, Russian and Greek — said most orders are for names, but sometimes even for simple drawings.
It only takes her one or two minutes to embroider the name on to the products purchased at her stall. The sewing service is free.
On offer are towels (Dh125), baby bibs (Dh40), T-shirts, bedroom slippers and other items. “It takes two or three months to learn the basics, and another four months or so to improve your ‘handwriting’,” Cannas, who is visiting Dubai for the first time, said. Her stall is at the Russia pavilion.
Strings attached
Indian puppeteer Bittu Bhaat, 22, makes puppets with some help from his workmates. While one person crafts the wood piece for the head, and another gives it a paint job, Bhaat dresses up the puppets and joins the strings.
Bhaat comes from India’s Rajasthan state. His puppets, available at the Indian pavilion, sell for Dh15-Dh30. Bhaat even gives customers a crash course in handling the puppets.
Clay play
Shiv Rattan, 31, offers a ‘Make & Take’ deal for Dh20 where customers get to make their own clay pottery under his guidance and supervision.
Seated at the India pavilion, Rattan said the experience is a stress-buster and makes people appreciate the art more.
Customers can also choose from other items made by him — miniature vases, pen holders, souvenirs, etc. Prices range from Dh10 to Dh80. “There’s something special about working with clay. It soothes the soul. It’s a tradition that is passed down generations. Many people are picking it up as an amateur hobby,” Rattan said.