Nahida Azad – ‘First Hoop Embroidery Artist’

Srinagar: Nahida Azad also known as Nadi,a 24-year-old girl hailing from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district is a ‘First Hoop Embroidery Artist’ from Kashmir valley.

Nahida has done her schooling in her town Anchidora and pursued Graduation from Women’s College Anantnag. She is presently pursuing her Masters in Gender studies at University of Kashmir, Srinagar.

Nahida found solace in art at a very early age. From stone art to calligraphy Nadi left no stone unturned to quench her soul’s thirst of doing something unique and creative. She is planning to expand her range of embroidery by adding new designs.

Nahida while talking to ANN News said, “I used to do stone art and calligraphy for my friends back in school. But with time, I found it difficult to balance between studies and my passion. My friends insisted me to put a stall of my stone art and embroidery in one of the carnivals. I was overwhelmed by the response that I got for the embroidery pieces” adding, “When people visited my stall they kept asking if I made them. It is where I thought that I need to go back to my roots. From that day I started my work of embroidery yet again. There has not been a single day since then when I haven’t embroidered”.

“I recently received eleven orders from Norway. I’ve clients based in Delhi and other parts of the country as well”, She further said.

Nahida said that “My parents have always been very supportive. Without their support, my dreams would have come true”.

“I want to keep on improving my work with each passing day. I’m planning to add some concepts which are quite new to hand embroidery. I want to make sceneries and portraits from the thread,” She added.

Nahida’s mesmerizing hand embroidery art is winning hearts all over the internet as she uploads pictures of her work on her Instagram Page “Ath-Kaem” and has around 2000 followers and has reach of not just national audience but international audience as well.

The cost of one piece ranges from Rs 800_4000 depending upon the size of the cloth customer chooses.

One of the followers Ifrat Rashid who has also purchased some of the hoops said, “One of my friends guided me to Nadi’s Instagram page. I was awestricken seeing it. Nadi’s attention to detail and unique designs drew me to purchase some pieces” adding, “Nadi truly puts her heart and soul into her designs and that makes her standout from the clutter we witness these days on social media”.

Nahida’s art has inspired a number of girls to be a part of this old tradition of hand embroidery.

Zubair Ul Islam