Kohora (Assam), August 25: As many as 49 Karbi weavers from ten villages of Kohora and Diring area of Karbi Anglong with about 300 pieces of artistic handloom items participated in an exhibition of traditional handloom products at Chandrasing Rongpi Village, Kohora, Karbi Anglong on Wednesday.
Leading biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak, community-based enterprise Pirbi, Chandrasing Rongpi Memorial High School and local communities, in collaboration with Orient, Guwahati, organised the exhibition to facilitate showcasing of the colourful tradition handloom products of Kari tribe, one of the significant ethnic communities of Assam, with strong cultural tradition and cultural ethos towards nature stewardship.
“The purpose of the exhibition was to showcase traditional Karbi handloom products weaved by the women of the Kohora and Diring area, and to identify weavers and assess their product for quality improvement, product diversification and subsequently plan for capacity building and market linkage of suitable products,” said Dr M Firoz Ahmed, senior scientist in Aaranyak.
Aaranyak remains grateful to its donors IUCN-KfW and USFWS for its support to the ongoing Community-Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) Programme that facilitated the exhibition.
A group of three expert Karbi indigenous weavers from around Diphu also joined the event to demonstrate their special Eri silk (Hon-ki in Karbi) products as well as skills associated with it. Ms. Kave Engtipi, Ms Sang-et Killingpi and Ms Mirbon Teronpi demonstrated various traditional handloom products using Eri silk and also skills of Eri textile spinning using both traditional drop spindle method and modern tabletop spinning machine.
Sashikala Hansepi, an entrepreneur and a renowned Karbi singer, Diphu, inaugurated the exhibition in presence of other dignitaries and attendees, including members of the Karbi community of the host village and nearby villages as well as traditional attire connoisseurs from the area.
She talked about the intricate relationship of the Karbis and nature which are reflected upon the different motifs and design of the Karbi handloom and textiles. “The Karbi community has a rich handloom and textile tradition,” said Ms. Sashikala.
Dilip Kathar, Tribal Culture Research Officer of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, Diphu, spoke on the occasion about the cultural significance of various motifs used in Karbi handloom as well as taboos associated with it.
Mr. B Mili, Sr. Assistant Director (H), from the Office of The Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Northeastern Regional Office also graced the occasion as a special invitee and stressed that the local weavers avail the benefit of various schemes by the Government of India, first by registering themselves with the commission.
Two young Karbi Textile Engineers – Sarlongkiri Tisso and Ms. Sangita Teronpi from Diphu interacted with the weavers, shared their knowledge and also evaluated the products.
Dr. A. K. Das, Professor, Department of Design, IIT Guwahati also evaluated handloom products and spoke about improved loin looms the institute designed for women in other areas that make it convenient and increase their efficiency while weaving.
He also shared his observations on the importance of understanding the culture of a community, about their handloom and textile practices and appreciated Aaranyak and weavers for the exhibition.
The exhibits were also evaluated by two prominent designers of India, Ms. Maitryee Das and Ms. Mausami Sharma. They shared their observations related to Karbi Handloom and textile, and the waiting opportunities for the women in systematic diversification of the same to reach unexplored markets in regional, national and international arenas.
Pankaj Sarma, Marketing executive of Orient, Guwahati, briefed about Reshmi and Cotton yarns produced by the company. He also distributed Cotton and Reshmi yarn to all the exhibitors present in the programme. He also recommended the weavers to use better yarn in their products to increase comfort of wearing and market value.
Mrs. Robina Teronpi, one of the exhibitors from Diring Lekthe village, shared that they were very fortunate to attend this programme as they coullearn new things about handloom and their own motifs
Ms Moina Kramsapi, an eco-tourism entrepreneur and a member of PIRBI Biodiversity Business management, a community enterprise, coordinated the event.
The programme was made successful by the Aaranyak team comprising Joshna Terangpi, Deepika Chhetri, Jayanta Roy, Sarlongjon Teron, Bhaskor Barukial, Avinash Phangcho, Leenthoi Laishram, Rangsina Phangcho, Prokash Engti, Ratul Das, Rowel Engti, Purno Singnar. Dr. Jayanta Sarma and Dr. M Firoz Ahmed of Aaranyak guided the team in all steps to achieve its objectives.