Halimabai was the youngest student in the class of 2009. Halimabai was born in Tankanasar. She is the second of four children, three brothers and herself. Her father makes charcoal. Her mother embroiders for Kala Raksha. Halimabai’s grandmother’s dargah is in Jura village. She has traveled up to Haji Pir, but not outside Kutch. Halimabai studied to fourth grade, but had a bad experience. She recalls how the teacher hit the girls. A year ago, after leaving school, she learned embroidery from her mother. She has embroidered for Kala Raksha since, but has not yet done her own work because she doesn’t know all of the stitches yet. (She still has to learn the white outlining.)

Halimabai feels that traditional embroidery is good embroidery. Today, embroidery is also livelihood. “Making charcoal is hard work,” she says. If she has to do too much manual labour she gets a fever. “We can do embroidery when we are free and comfortable,” she says. About the future of embroidery, Halimabai believes that if artisans continue to embroider, it will increase. It is their decision. In the Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya course, she expects to learn design and Gujarati. Her dream is only to finish the course.