<p>Embedded in a history of conflict and deprivation, the intricate weaves from North-East India’s Manipur have managed to survive through ages.<br /><br />Intricately woven in vibrant colours, the craft is not just a profession for the people of the region but a traditional occupation.<br /><br />Every household in Manipur has a loom. While males take over the loom all across rest of India, here weaving is mainly done by females from the household. Two women take the charge of one handloom and then with their synchronisation begins the production of yarn that is peculiar to this land.<br /><br />“It is amazing to see how two women sit on a loom and weave together with coordination to bring out beautiful patterns on the yarn,” shares fashion designer Krishna Mehta who has researched on the Manipuri weaving craft and is all set to showcase her work on the ramp at the upcoming Lakme Fashion Week.<br /><br />“The whole process is so unique,” shares Krishna awed by the craft of, “the women weavers who wear a belt on the back and work on the loom hooked on to the wall.” This practice is usually followed by the hill tribes whereas those from the plains use frame loom. The primary eligibility for a girl of marriageable age was earlier determined by her weaving skills. “Traditionally, a loom was part of every girl’s dowry,” informs Krishna.<br /><br />Weaving in this state is a time honoured occupation, fine tuned into an artform by introducing intricate designs. The embroidery is created during the weaving. The designs are drawn by the weavers or at times copied from printed textiles. The designs are drawn on tracing or regular paper by applying kerosene oil on it, which is then inserted between the warp yarns.<br /><br />To colour these, dyes extracted from various leaves, roots and bark of trees were used traditionally but now vat and napthol dyes are used to dye expensive cotton yarn. “Usually, they use what is naturally grown in the area such as natural dyes and eerie silk. Coarser silk is mixed to make shawls. Different yarns are prepared from different reeds that grow in the waterbodies around. These are used to make blankets and daris,” says Krishna who has experimented with both couture and pret for her <br />collection.<br /><br />On these handwoven textiles, the most commonly used is the Temple design. In red, green, black and blue colours, this design is woven on the borders of chaddars and sarees. It is believed that this design was invented by the princess of Thoibi of Moirang. <br /><br />Apart from the Temple design, there is Likhi design – a bottle design used on shoulder bags and bed covers; Shamilami design – embroidered with motifs of horses, elephants and butterflies; Leirum – used by the Meities clan in ceremonial occasions; Chum design – exclusively meant for a presentation to be made by the king to the people of high proficiency in dance and song; Leirong design – traditional floral design of Manipur used for bed covers and tablecloths with several variations.<br /><br />There is also Bakey Design and Kudam Manbi. While the former is a tribal design woven originally for skirts, the latter is more popular as button design or broad-eye design. There are also a number of designs drawn by tribals.<br />So rich is this craft that one feels compelled to work towards preserving it! <br /></p>
<p>Embedded in a history of conflict and deprivation, the intricate weaves from North-East India’s Manipur have managed to survive through ages.<br /><br />Intricately woven in vibrant colours, the craft is not just a profession for the people of the region but a traditional occupation.<br /><br />Every household in Manipur has a loom. While males take over the loom all across rest of India, here weaving is mainly done by females from the household. Two women take the charge of one handloom and then with their synchronisation begins the production of yarn that is peculiar to this land.<br /><br />“It is amazing to see how two women sit on a loom and weave together with coordination to bring out beautiful patterns on the yarn,” shares fashion designer Krishna Mehta who has researched on the Manipuri weaving craft and is all set to showcase her work on the ramp at the upcoming Lakme Fashion Week.<br /><br />“The whole process is so unique,” shares Krishna awed by the craft of, “the women weavers who wear a belt on the back and work on the loom hooked on to the wall.” This practice is usually followed by the hill tribes whereas those from the plains use frame loom. The primary eligibility for a girl of marriageable age was earlier determined by her weaving skills. “Traditionally, a loom was part of every girl’s dowry,” informs Krishna.<br /><br />Weaving in this state is a time honoured occupation, fine tuned into an artform by introducing intricate designs. The embroidery is created during the weaving. The designs are drawn by the weavers or at times copied from printed textiles. The designs are drawn on tracing or regular paper by applying kerosene oil on it, which is then inserted between the warp yarns.<br /><br />To colour these, dyes extracted from various leaves, roots and bark of trees were used traditionally but now vat and napthol dyes are used to dye expensive cotton yarn. “Usually, they use what is naturally grown in the area such as natural dyes and eerie silk. Coarser silk is mixed to make shawls. Different yarns are prepared from different reeds that grow in the waterbodies around. These are used to make blankets and daris,” says Krishna who has experimented with both couture and pret for her <br />collection.<br /><br />On these handwoven textiles, the most commonly used is the Temple design. In red, green, black and blue colours, this design is woven on the borders of chaddars and sarees. It is believed that this design was invented by the princess of Thoibi of Moirang. <br /><br />Apart from the Temple design, there is Likhi design – a bottle design used on shoulder bags and bed covers; Shamilami design – embroidered with motifs of horses, elephants and butterflies; Leirum – used by the Meities clan in ceremonial occasions; Chum design – exclusively meant for a presentation to be made by the king to the people of high proficiency in dance and song; Leirong design – traditional floral design of Manipur used for bed covers and tablecloths with several variations.<br /><br />There is also Bakey Design and Kudam Manbi. While the former is a tribal design woven originally for skirts, the latter is more popular as button design or broad-eye design. There are also a number of designs drawn by tribals.<br />So rich is this craft that one feels compelled to work towards preserving it! <br /></p>
