When two Syrian artists visited India for the first time !

It won’t be a wrong statement  if we say that the 29th SurajKund International crafts fair replicated a miniature world where many talented craftsperson across the world gathered to showcase their handicrafts. Craftsperson from all over the world were present in fair. From neighbouring countries like Nepal,Sri Lanka, Bangladesh to South-east Asian states of Thailand, Malayasia to far Middle-East countries like Lebanon, Syria and others. But this year the fair is special for Fouad Arbach and Ahmad Ratib Dadi, who came all the way from Syria.  While Syria is ravaged by civil war, these two men travelled to India for the very first time to participate in  Surajkund fair.  While visiting this stall we were awestruck by their beautiful handmade artefacts and traditional silk shawls.  The banner of their shop which is named "The Arabesque Factory" was hanging in the front of the stall along with Syrian Flag and dark wooden hanging lantern. Interestingly range of boxes and other artefacts including a board game were made from sea shells and lemon juice ! When we asked them to elaborate more on their process of making these products, they handed us a booklet and showed me a video which were all in Arabic. However what really touched us more was the warm welcome we received from these two gentlemen. They couldn’t speak English but they could understand few words of the language.

 When we asked them for their interview, they happily obliged to our request. Although they only spoke Arabic which was illegible to us, that didn’t deter us from understanding what and Fouad and Ahmed were trying to tell us.  A small message written in Hindi was addressed to the visitors of their stall. It declared “Our products are from Syria. They are made of sea shells and lemon juice. The war is over in Syria. Namaste “. Just like them and their unique handiworks, the simplicity  and directness of their message touches one to his core. 

While Fouad extended the hospitality by offering traditional Syrian sweets to me and my friend, Ahmed , the artist, kindly showed us all his handicrafts and told us that this art of making products from sea shell and lemon juice went back to hundreds of years in Syria. When I asked Fouad whether he would come back to India again, he replied in broken English , “ I love India. I will come again” On a parting note they gave us their visiting card from which I discovered their website www.handmadesyria.com. Before leaving the stall they clicked photos with us. It made me think how technology has made it possible to capture a rare meeting and how this memory will travel all the way to Syria through Ahmad’s cell phone. As we bid goodbye to them, I felt subtle happiness to know that there is always hope and joy at the end of every struggle. Despite the fact that language created a barrier for us to interact, the story of war torn Syria and the pain of Syrian citizens are not unknown us. Even then the presence of Fouad and Ahmed at Surajkund told us that no matter what they have not given up on hope. They fight everyday to stay alive, they fight everyday to keep their art alive.