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DIMAPUR — Handloom industry remains the largest cottage industry in the country and also the second-largest employment provider in the rural region.
In Nagaland too, the traditional weaving sector continues to be a significant source of livelihood and income generation for women.
The National Handloom Day is observed annually on August 7 to honour the handloom weavers in the country and also highlight India’s handloom industry.
For local weaver Ngonle Konyak, handloom is a symbol of the identity and proud cultural heritage of every tribe and still has not lost its real meaning.
Seated at her shuttle loom in her house in Dimapur on a hot sunny day, Ngonle, who is oblivious to the observation of National Handloom Day, told Eastern Mirror that weaving has become a part and parcel of her life and that of her family.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]For a family with an insufficient source of income, this mother of three (two daughters and a son who passed away) weaves all year round to supplement her husband’s meagre salary.
The hot and humid weather does not deter her from weaving on her shuttle loom: her only target is to finish the orders that she receives from her customers.
Displaying her finished products, she pointed out a particular ‘mekhala’ suit ordered by a customer to be gifted to a guest from Israel.
Ngonle recounted that her interest in handloom weaving grew way back when she would help her grandmother who was the only person weaving at that time in their village.
"I was around seven years old when I helped my grandmother. In the early 90s, I started to learn for myself and by 1994 I was confident enough to take orders. From then onwards, weaving has become a part of me and a source of income," she said.
"Leaning the skills of handloom weaving has been a blessing," she added.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]Although she does not have a business set-up or helpers to assist her, she makes a minimum of INR 10, 000 in a month.
For a state like Nagaland, rich in culture with each tribe having its own unique identity as manifested through traditional attires, she has visitors from other countries who come to her home in Dimapur to learn how women work on the shuttle loom.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]Ngonle lamented that the enthusiasm of the youngsters to learn the art of traditional weaving is slowly fading which, she felt, will impact the current weavers’ willingness to impart the art to the next generation.
“If the youngsters do not take pride in their traditional attires and are more interested in the company-made products, then it will pose a threat to our culture and the craft will cease to exist,” she maintained.
The current generation, she said, does not want to sweat and earn. She confided that she insists her children learn and embrace the craft so that it does not cease to exist.
She also pointed out that, although the Nagaland Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited provides support to artisans by organising handloom expos, the general public does not show interest in buying the products.
"I participated once in an expo organised by the government, but I experienced that our own people are not interested in handloom products. After this experience, I do not want to waste my time participating in expos," she said.
Expressing apprehension that her generation might be the last lot to practice handloom weaving, Ngonle underscored the need for elder weavers to pass on their skills to the youngsters, as well as for schools to include handloom weaving in their curriculum.
“During our school days, handloom weaving activity was encouraged and because of this many women in the rural areas are still practising this craft and earning their livelihood,” she shared.
In recent years, replications of traditional attires which are factory-made in other Asian countries have seen an increased presence in the market.
However, the weaver opined that handloom weaving too has evolved to accommodate contemporary tastes.
Ngonle expressed hope that those who practise and support handloom should continue to do so, ensuring that the craft does not cease to exist and becomes a thing of the past. "While embracing the globalised world, we should not forget our past but embrace both the past and the future," she noted.