Crochet is a unique art form. Not only it creates beautiful pieces of garments, toys and accessories but is a great therapy for treating many ailments.
This intricate works with a needle and a hook used to pull the yarn and make patterns. The stitches that make up a pattern in crochets require a lot of patience.
The Sultanate has seen diaspora ladies in plenty engaged in crocheting and using their spare time profitably.
Kiranpreet Sahni Nair, is one such who got into this art by accident. As leader of the Goodwill Ambassador of Mother India Crochet Queen (MICQ) Oman chapter since 2015, it is time for her to bid adieu to Oman after over 8 years.
As she recollects her achievements, it was without doubt the Guinness World Records (GWR) which she notched up for 4 consecutive years creating a record in crochet history and the only group to do so.
Other than her achievements which received wide acclaim, she took initiative towards initiating young boys and girls to join this art. Karthik Harish Nair, her 14-year-old son, won 3 Guinness which in itself is an achievement and collectively both mom and son bagged about 7 GWRs between them.
It was solely due to Kiranpreet’s efforts that MICQ now has 27 kids from various Indian schools of Oman joining the art.
She initiated this beautiful art with no gender specifics. “Boys and girls both started learning stitch by stitch, chain by chain and each one was taught to make scarves, sculptures and Christmas decorations for all the four GRWs,” explains Kiranpreet.
On September 15, 2019 MICQ bagged the 4th Guinness World Record for its largest display of crocheted Christmas decorations. 36 Indian women and kids from the Sultanate were among the proud winners.
The record attempt was held at SRM University in Chennai, India, for the largest display of crocheted Christmas decorations in which MICQ made a record of 66,158 decorations.
Previous MICQ Guinness World Record Awards were for world’s largest crocheted blanket in 2016 and longest crocheted scarf in 2017 and for the largest display of crochet sculptures in 2018.
Recollects Kiranpreet about the Guinness Record for the fourth time. “There was an ocean of Christmas decorations spread out at the SRM University hall. The participants were allotted items with specific instructions, taking help from YouTube and crochet books.”
The proceeds from their works have been donated to cancer survivors and needy namely around 300 lapghans to the blind and handicapped children in Delhi, 3,600 sets of caps and cowls at Ahmedabad and thanks giving to the Indian Army’s Brave Brothers in Arms.
They also initiated projects like Crochet A Long (CAL) wherein one can learn online step-by-step processes and crochet a variety of works. Their future plans include projects for the soldiers and scarves for brothers in Ladakh and Leh, Kashmir.
Kiranpreet’s biggest moment came when she displayed her 4th GWR certificate along with Karthik who won the 3rd Guinness World Record Certificate.
“The greatest moment was holding the certificates along with my son who made me feel happy and on top of the world. It is always a great feeling when you share your success with family,” she recollects. “The victories gave birth to a whole new concept and went for a cause. This made life more meaningful which will leave a legacy for generations to come,” adds Kiranpreet.
She also thanks MICQ founder Subashri Natarajan, called the ‘Crochet Queen’ for providing her the opportunity to showcase her talents.
Says a delighted Karthik, a class 8th student of Indian School Al Wadi Kabir (ISWK), who expresses his thanks to parents Kiranpreet and Harish Nair for continuously inspiring him to learn an art which was more popular with women.
“My parents encouraged me to break the gender specific thought and helped me learn the art from my mom so I could perform a hatrick.”
Subaira Parvin, senior area coordinator, MICQ Oman, says crochet gifts are made with love, creativity and dedication. They help relieve depression, build self-esteem and community. MICQ has provided an excellent opportunity to exhibit our crochet talents.”
Her daughter, S Sumaiya Fathima, is also active in knitting and is delighted to be part of MICQ. She says, “Kiranpreet was an inspiration who motivated me to take part in GWR that enabled me to make crochet dolls and creative works of art.”
Christina Aldrene Pereira, a finance expert and senior member, says the best outcome of crocheting is it reduces stress levels providing her with positive energy. “Colourful threads really add beauty and meaning to our lives. My happiness was through hand work I could reach out to many people from every walks of life which enabled me to win 3 Guinness with MICQ.
Another senior member, Nirupa D’Cruz, who works as Assistant Manager, says crochets helped her to learn new craft and believes that the art brings out the creativity in an individual.
“The things that you can create with just a needle and yarn is just amazing and endless. The art is a perfect stress buster in my busy schedule. Both my two daughters have also been participating in the competitions so far,” she adds.
The works done by MICQ members have been donated to charity organisations for cancer and the blind in the Sultanate.
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