Dubai: There’s something about crochet that brings people together. But as this group of 50 Indian women in Dubai shows, the craft can take them to another level.
As the motley group of housewives, students and working women prepares to showcase their individual crochet pieces at the Mankhool Community Park on March 18, it will be no patchwork. Part of a global attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest scarf, their individual works will take them that much closer to their goal.
Five kilometres
Dubai-based Anjana Bhatia, key member of the group that goes by the name Mother India’s Crochet Queens, said: “We are part of an effort under which Indian women from all over the world have joined hands to create a five kilometre long scarf. This will be crocheted in pieces of two metres length and joined into one to be displayed in Chennai, India on May 14 this year.”
She said the group was formed in 2015 by Chennai-based Subashri Natarajan to unite Indian women in the diaspora to break the Guinness World Record for the largest crochet blanket in 2016. It was 11,148.5 square metres and covered the football pitch on which it was laid in Chennai. Over 1,000 participants aged eight to 85, from India and 13 other countries created hundreds of patches to make the big blanket.
“The group today has 2,500 members comprising housewives, students, senior citizens and working professionals with a passion for crochet. The youngest member is seven and the oldest is 80. Each member has to contribute a minimum of five scarves,” said Bhatia who manages the Dubai effort with Vinothini Ramesh. She said once the Guinness Record is broken, the group will distribute all the scarves to the needy through NGOs and social organisations.
“This will be done on the same day as the event,” she added.
