Manipuri woman selected for Sant Kabir Award for traditional silk weaving

Imphal, Jul 29: A woman from Manipur, Wahengbam Shaya, has been selected for the prestigious Sant Kabir National Award for weaving.

She is the only woman from the Northeast region to be selected for the prestigious awards. She is from Wangkei Lourembam Leikai in Imphal East district.

While talking to The Assam Tribune, Shaya said she has been engaged in the weaving profession for more than forty years. She has an outlet shop in her locality named “Leimarel Handloom.“ She said she felt elated to get this award, saying this is the fourth time she has gotten such an award.

As per sources, Shaya will receive this award for three types of traditional silk weaving styles, namely “Khoi Charong," “Sarong Fee,” and “Nga Thokpa Mayek,” all of which are traditional weaving styles requiring meticulous craftsmanship. She said all these weaving styles are highly time-consuming, as a single piece of item could take from two months to almost a year, according to the design. She, however, felt that financial constraints were limiting her ambitions to produce more products and expand her traditional business.

It may be mentioned that the Sant Kabir Award is an Indian government award conferred to outstanding weavers who have made valuable contributions to keeping the handloom heritage alive. It was established for dedication in building up linkages between the past, present, and future through the dissemination of knowledge on traditional skills and designs by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. The award was christened in memory of Sant Kabir, a 15th-century mystic poet and saint of India.