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Meren Jamir selling his products at his woodland handicrafts unit during the recently concluded Hornbill festival at Kisama.[/caption]
Kohima, December 14 (EMN): Even as the dust of the recently concluded Hornbill festival settles and people get on with their daily lives, one stall from amongst the hundreds at the Heritage village Kisama may still ring a bell for many visitors not because of its loud advertisement or exhibiting intricate and complex crafts but for displaying mundane yet essential practical utility equipments. We are talking about one woodland handicrafts unit that had featured in all the 19 editions of the festival and had takers in every single one of them.
Meren Jamir, the proprietor of the woodland handicrafts unit, has seen it all being a regular at the Hornbill festival selling his products since the inception of the event in 2000. He told
Eastern Mirror that he makes a profit of more than INR one lakh every year by selling at Kisama during the 10-day long event, and this time he earned INR 1.5 lakh.
The 59-year-old craftsman, who originally hails from Changtongya village in Mokokchung district, also owns a shop at jail road, opposite state library hall in Kohima. He makes gardening tools and culinary equipments like axe, sickle, hoe, spade, rake, machetes, kitchen knives and wooden ladles to name a few with the help of two assistants in his house at forest colony, Kohima.
Talking about his foray into this profession, Meren said that he decided to start selling his products from door-to-door when he came to the state capital in 1985 and he received positive response from the people.
“After studying the market and feedback from the customers for a few years, I finally decided to open a shop to meet the needs and demands of the people,” he said.
Expressing his appreciation to the state government, he said initiating a mega event like the Hornbill festival is praise-worthy as it provides a platform for Naga craftsmen, Artists, entrepreneurs etc. to showcase their products, get exposure, share and learn new ideas, and meet new clients and customers. He also expressed hope that the state government will continue to provide this kind of platform in the future too.
Encouraging the younger generations on the prospects and business opportunities in cottage industry, Meren Jamir said, “Work hard and learn to dedicate and become a professional in your God-given ability and in what you love. Our land is rich in raw materials, enough for us to earn a stable livelihood. We only need to support and encourage one another.”
