PAKISTAN-WOOL COMFORTERS Synthetic quilts elbowing traditional wool comforters out of Pakistani homes

Record ID: 576231

  • Title: PAKISTAN-WOOL COMFORTERS Synthetic quilts elbowing traditional wool comforters out of Pakistani homes
  • Date: 4th December 2014
  • Summary: TUMAIR VILLAGE, PAKISTAN (RECENT) (REUTERS) TRACTOR TROLLEY DRIVING THROUGH VILLAGE STREET VARIOUS OF LOCAL 'DHUNIYA' (WOOL CARDER), ALI AKBAR, WALKING THROUGH VILLAGE, WITH A 'DHUNKI', HIS CARDING INSTRUMENT, SLUNG ACROSS HIS SHOULDER BUFFALOES TETHERED IN ALLEY CHICKENS PECKING FOR CRUMBS IN ALLEY S AKBAR ENTERING A HOUSE WITH TWO YOUNG MEN VARIOUS OF AKBAR CARDING CLUMP
  • Embargoed: 19th December 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Pakistan
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAE5TRE90DJ4UO11O55SZNHS1LB
  • Story Text: Ali Akbar, a roving wood carder, known as a 'dhuniya', from a village in the outskirts of Islamabad, says not long ago, autumn in Pakistan would bring scores of roving dhuniyas like himself into the alleys of towns and villages across the country.
    It is the time of the year when, in preparation for the coming winter, families re-card the wool in comforters that have clumped over time and become thin and less effective against the cold.
    Walking from alley to alley, with a 'dhunki', his bowed carding instrument, slung across his shoulder, the dhuniya would call out his familiar chant in a sing-song voice, and residents would emerge from their houses with an assortment of comforters that needed to be re-cycled.
    The dhuniya would deftly pull out the wool from old quilts and mattresses, re-card it to eliminate the clumping, add some more, as the process reduces the stuffing a bit, and then stuff the wool back into the cover, in readiness for re-stitching.
    The distinctive twang of the dhunki when its string is plucked while it is in use, was such a common daytime sound in the rural alleys of the country in the autumn that poets and writers in the sub-continent often used it as a cultural reference to the onset of winter.
    However, since the advent of quilts made from synthetic or man-made fibres, which are light weight, washable and easy to care for, the demand for wool comforters, and the dhuniya's business, has been on the decline in Pakistan.
    "This profession is dying. This craft is good, the material is long lasting. But nowadays people believe in machine made things. So that trade has increased. This has declined," Akbar said.
    The concern was repeated by 65-year-old Abdul Hameed who has been manually carding compressed cotton wool ever since he came to Karachi as a young man looking for a job, thirty five years ago.
    The labourer, who belongs to a remote village in interior Sindh, says wool carders work on a daily basis, and the amount of money they earn depends on the amount of cotton they card per day.
    The reduction in the demand for wool comforters has drastically reduced the income of wool carders, he said as he took a rest from beating flattened cotton wool with a stick.
    The hand-driven carding machine is another gadget that manual carders like Hameed have to compete against, because it does a much better job of fluffing up compressed cotton wool.
    "Cotton fluffed up by hand is not as supple and soft as that done by a carding machine. A machine loosens out all the filaments of the compressed cotton wool completely, and it therefore becomes much softer and rises," said Faqir Mohammad, owner of a cotton re-carding shop in Karachi.
    Scientists say the natural, three dimensional structure of pure wool creates millions of air pockets to trap warmth. This unique cellular arrangement not only makes wool-filled comforters, quilts, pillows and mattress pads feel comfortable, it also offers superior insulation and resists flames.
    When subjected to flames, wool will most likely just smolder and extinguish itself. That is why fire fighters wear wool uniforms and natural bedding manufacturers use wool in their products to meet fire codes.
    Even under extremely cold conditions, wool-filled bedding offers excellent protection against rapid loss of body temperatures.
    Stitching wool-filled comforters and wool mattress pads is a traditional craft in many South Asian countries and is passed from one generation to the next.
    Wool-filled comforters and mattress pads can last for 15 or 20 years and beyond, because they can be re-carded and re-fluffed for generations of lasting use.
    However, manufacturers of synthetic quilts say Pakistani houses are now properly insulated and free from drafts, so synthetic comforters are warm enough in most houses.
    There are now a number of different types of synthetic quilts in Pakistani markets now, including Polyester, Microfibre and Dacron, giving customers a wide choice in quality and prices.
    "Wool comforters are slightly heavier, while these are lighter and warm. That is why people have started using them more, and liking them more," said Safeena Bibi, as she selected polyester quilts at an Islamabad quilt shop.
    However, dealers of low quality wool comforters say their business is not likely to suffer much, because the prices of most polyester quilts are still beyond the reach of poorly-paid, daily wage laborers who buy low quality wool comforters and keep re-cycling them year after year.
    "Laborers who live in huts, or sleep outdoors, they have financial problems. They use the least expensive quilts, because they can only afford something costing between Rupees 800 (US$ 7.86) to 900 (US$ 8.85)," said Mohammad Hussain, an Islamabad shopkeeper dealing in cheap wool comforters.
    Fortunately, Nature has designed the perfect bedding material for poor laborers who are at the mercy of severe winters - wool, which can be recycled for years, at a minimum cost.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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