Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Expert exchange



The rafoogars are stitching away, oblivious to distractions. The steady rhythm of their work is not even slowed by the regular chime of Intekhab's mobile phone, receiving message updates of the cricket scores. They do pause, however, to allow visitors a close look at what they've been doing.

One very welcome visitor was Val D'Angri, who conserved and prepared the original Eureka Flag for display at the gallery 30 years ago. Val, who is very knowledgeable about the flag and its place in history, is also an expert needlewoman. It was exciting to be given a close, hands-on look at the reduced scale flag she made to demonstrate the exact construction of the original flag. Val, in turn, was greatly impressed by the skill of the rafoogars, and spent some time admiring both their current residency stitching and the old mended shawls they have brought with them.

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