Rafooghar's journey so far...

Rafooghar - The House that mends (inspired from the word Rafoogar/ Rafu Gar, needle-worker, darner or a cloth mender) is a safe, creative space for emotional repair, restoration and rejuvenation in New Delhi, India

Our first meeting. A group of fourteen women from Jasola, Madanpur Khadar and Shaheen Bagh came together at an introductory section to discuss what they would like to experience by participating in Rafooghar. The women shared that they lacked both time and space for ‘fursat’ (leisure) and ‘sukoon’ (peace). Some wanted to have more confidence to express themselves and build community through conversations.

Our sessions begin with theatre and movement based activities- a great way of helping the participants relax and get comfortable with each other. 

An embroidery session in progress. Some of the best embroidery artists, educators and art therapists come to Rafooghar to facilitate modules on various challenging themes like identity, agency, mobility etc

Art warm ups during a module on Expressive Portraits- Meri Pehchaan. Women gave us a glimpse of their wants and desires by drawings their self-portraits.

Love Lihaaf- the quilt of love and friendships. The module was designed so that women could get to know each other better and form deeper bonds by listening to each other’s stories. This quilt was made by piecing together individual narratives of everyone who has been a part of our ‘parivaar’ (family).

Our very first community exhibition- Daastaan-e-rafoo: Stories in Stitches at Kalindi Kunj.

Baithak for collective stitching at our very first community exhibition- Daastaan-e-rafoo: Stories in Stitches at Kalindi Kunj.

Azad Lab- Pinky and Rehnuma in conversation with artist Mohd. Intiyaz at the communty exhibition.

Our embroidery gatherings in public parks -‘Dil Bagh Bagh’ loosely translates as “the heart is so happy that it has become a blooming garden. Through these gatherings, we share the joy of stitching amidst nature with others and also bring embroidery out from the confines of the domestic sphere, making it a more public and visible activity.

The rebellious sisters, Pinky and Preeti, laugh and tease each other as they stitch together.

Hariom, the only male-identifying member of Rafooghar, shares a lighthearted moment with the women at Rafooghar.

Our work Meri Zindagi ka Naksha / Mapping Mobility at Bodies on the Line-an exhibition by ART RIGHTS TRUTH, University of York, UK explored the role of the body in contemporary forms of protest. The increasing threats to traditional forms of resistance globally, led to the curation of the new languages for human rights developed within the arts. 

Rafooghar was invited by Cequin India to kickstart 16 days of activism to end gender based violence through a public event in a marketplace in New Friends Colony, New Delhi. We found a nice spot in the market, rolled out some chatais (mats), hung some of the pieces created by our women and started stitching. Many curious eyes watched us from far while some joined us and stitched with us.

Leaving their kids behind (probably for the first time) to see their work at the India Art Fair. Some of the  women were quite relieved to spend time on their own without the constant chatter and demands of their little ones.

The artists of Rafooghar showcasing their work at the India Art Fair, New Delhi.

Umeed ka Karavaan- the traveling quilt of hope has been going from community to community, city to city, and country to country, with people from all over the world contributing their hopes and dreams to the it and creating a tangible representation of shared aspirations.

For the last two years. we have been celebrating both Holi and Iftaar together at Rafooghar through potluck gatherings.

The ever-growing Rafooghar family- Resisting softly with Stories and Stitches.

Our first space- a tiny windowless room in one of the most marginalized neigborhood which our women made beautiful with their presence, stories and embroidered works that decorate every nook and corner of this space.

Shaira ji and Roshan ji enjoying themselves at one of our many exposure outings. This was their first visit to a museum where they connected with their inner child through play, storytelling, active involvement, and intentional engagement.

Daastaan-e-rafoo: Stories in Stitches at the 19th International Asian Women’s Film Festival, IIC 

“ The Rafooghar Project mends fissures and holes of which we might not even be aware; in the process darning together both wounds and women - invisibly but indivisibly. The Shaheen Bagh peaceful protest of 2019-20 was an inspirational story, Rafooghar is its worthy successor.”-Laila Tyabji

Laila Tyabji opened our exhibition at the 19th International Asian Women’s Film Festival at the IIC.

Rafooghar at Participatory Design Conference, Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia. We exhibited our work as well as facilitated workshops to introduce people to the power of collective stitching.

Pinky and Nahid Ji living their dream of posing in front of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  and recreating their special moment from Rafooghar at KL.

The first public screening of Daastaan-e-rafoo: Stories in Stitches - a film by Harmeet Basur, featuring the women of Rafooghar, followed by conversations with them at Arthshila, New Delhi

Meethi Baradari-Sweet brotherhood- our ongoing module where embroidery, often labeled as a ‘feminine’ activity, demonstrates its power as a tool for redefining masculinity, vulnerability, emotional openness and challenging societal gender norms.  The module has been designed by Achal Dodia (he/him/any) and Hariom Srivastav (he/him).

The women of Rafooghar and their first-ever gym experience! This session wasn’t just about fitness… it was about breaking stereotypes, building confidence, and reclaiming spaces often dominated by men.

We were invited to showcase our work at the AWID Forrum in Bangkok, Thailand where feminists from all over the world, each committed to the difficult but essential work of mending this broken world, gathered to connect, heal, resist and rise together. Seen here Moni and Gulafsha with the works from Rafooghar.

Queens- Moni and Gulafsha in Bangkok, Thailand for the AWID forum

Painting Party at Rafooghar’s new space. An evening of mural-making, networking, and chilling with delicious local food and tunes curated by the Rafoo Gang. We welcomed researcher, artist, and muralist Tallulah Lines, UK-based filmmaker and researcher Emilie Flower and Brazilian artist Lia Petrelli to India for an artist residency as part of the research project- Art Rights Truth. They were here to explore the female gaze, uncoded forms, prefiguring expression, and women artists’ takes on themes of social justice, human rights and women’s rights.

First we Rest, then We Roar! 

Mural by Tallulah Lines from UK created with many incredible people who came together to celebrate the power of stitching, storytelling and the fearless Rafoo gang that meets ‘har ravivaar’ to rest, rejuvenate and resist (softly) with their stories in stitches.

Rafooghar Workshops

We have been invited to conduct workshops in various communities, musuems and galleries in India as well as in other countries like Malaysia and Thailand. Through these workshops we attempt to share the Rafooghar methodology as well as the demonstrate the power of collective stitching as a tool for rest, rejuvenation and resistance. Rafooghar women assist us during these workshops so that they can be trained to become future facilitators  and community leaders.

Khayali Pulav -is a first draft gathering as a collaboration between Rafooghar x Artreach India x Yellow Streets x first draft to create an imaginative space for community-building practices. The phrase, Khayali Pulav, often used to put away wild dreams and fantasies, here served as a prompt, an offering, an invitation to bring forth the flavors that sustain our communities, and to collectively stir the pot of possibilities.