Wedding Kurta and Khara (Material Memory)

Year: 1975

Origin: Rampur, Pakistan

Donated By: Rosina Raised

My father came to the UK from Domal, Azad Kashmir, at 16 years old to find work and began his employment in the Lancashire cotton mills.

At 28, in 1975 he returned to Pakistan to be married and was introduced to my mother. Arranged marriages were a traditional part of Pakistani culture so my mother didn’t really see my father until the wedding day. On the special day my father’s car broke down, and with no phones to communicate, everyone thought my father changed his mind. 

Instead, he had had to get the local bus to his wedding. Soon after, my mother moved to England with her husband, leaving her family behind. My mother has always cherished her wedding dress and although nowadays her dress would be seen as an ordinary Kurta it connects her to a part of her past and the journey she made into her future. My mother and father lived a very challenging life and worked hard to provide so much for their children, and so this piece holds a lot of sentimental value. Along with her dress, my mother brought a wedding Khara on her trip from Pakistan to the UK. These are used to fill up with water or can be used as decoration.

• Exhibition: Material Memory