Punjab has a distinguished tradition that its people have maintained in spite the ravages of time. They are unique because they have been in use since ancient times and they still hold forth the beauty that brings sparkles to the eyes. They are simply the authentic and the pure form of Art and Craft.

Take a simple thing as mud for example. Plastering the "walls with mud and drawing ferns, plants and several other fascinating motifs has been a way of life, of the woman of Punjab. Paper utensils for storing house hold necessities in colourful designs for a long time, brought out of a paste made by mixing paper and soil.

A few decades ago, Sarcanda, a kind of tough thick elastic grass of alternate sizes (which provided air conditioning) were fashioned in circular shapes. After shaving, thin straws of this grass were woven into beautiful carpets and curtains. Another useful household artifice called Chhaj in Punjabi was manufactured out of sarcanda, which is used for separating edible stuff from the grain. Screens used as a parting between wheat and hay; for instance, were also woven from this stuff. Baskets used for keeping haber dashery (pins, cotton, buttons, needles, threads) in different shapes and colours and covers were contrived by young girls by using shaved sarcanda and coloured cotton thread which were taken by them as a part of dowry. In Punjabi these are called katnees.

The shavings of sarcanda chicks and coloured cotton threads were also used to weave chicks, Bohey, Pitarian (useful household articles) and kind of chairs called Moorras. Brushes for white washing were also made by hands out of munghs. Although these crafts of Punjab have not been completely forgotten, they are yet fading out rapidly.

Weaving of Duries (cotton bed or spreads) on myriad motives and designs especially by young girls in the villages has been a long tradition in Punjab. These are also woven in stripes, check boards, squares, motifs of birds, animals and even plants.

Needlework of Punjab is an aspect of life and the beautiful designs created by the beautiful Punjabi women have a wealth of forms and motifs. Some of these are called Baghs (garden), Phulkaris (flower work), rummals (handkerchief). The patterns of needle work carried out on the bedspreads, chunnis, dupattas (head covers), shirts and Salwars, are still different.

Needlework on phulkaris is done on a deep coloured cotton cloth with striking silk threads. The thread is pierced upwards from underneath the cloth into free-hand motifs, while in the Baghs and Rummals, cloth is worked on the top-side only. These are now being exported as wall hanging and sewn as jackets etc. Punjabi hand fans like the Japanese are almost typical and their leaves are made in much the same way as phulkaris etc. are made.

The shoes made in different parts of Punjab out of self-lured leather that are different. Punjabi Juttis were embroidered with gold and silver wires all over in different patterns covering every part of the pair so that it looked as if it is made of solid gold and silver. Even now golden and silver threads are used to embroider these shoes, with the quality of these world famous shoes still being maintained.