Stitching the stories

Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a stack of paper sheets folded together. It can be mass-produced by high-speed machines in a factory. Or, it can be done by hand, one stitch at a time, by individual craftsmen.

As with anything made by hand, it becomes a work of individual art. Each item unique, no two ever identical.

With sincere gratitude, I want to acknowledge the care and attention of each person hand binding "30 Days - Stories of Gratitude, Traditions, and Wisdom". Their hopes and worries stitched through its pages.

Reza explained yesterday that Dhaka was going into lockdown. But the books were in the middle of being hand bound - a time intensive process that can't be rushed. He was nervous I wouldn't get any of the books in time for Ramadan once the lockdown was underway. Timing was tight; the books weren't dry; and the postcards at the back of the book couldn't be inserted without disturbing the book. They engineered a '"rehal" (like a Quran stand) to put the book in, open it just a tiny bit, and insert the postcards.

Ingenious.

The first few dozen are on their way, as the city goes into lockdown.

And the story continues ...