For Sanchal from Manipur, this is her first visit to the city. The young woman wreathed in smiles is encircled by the wispy creations she has fashioned out of dried flowers. While she attempts to get across to you despite the obvious language barrier, her nimble fingers create magic out of wood.
Sanchal is one among the 100 craftsmen and women participating in the North East Crafts Fair. Part of one of the seven groups of the North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation Limited that tours India, these artisans visit 15 towns in Tamil Nadu and Kerala annually. Though they call the North East their home, Chennai is where they are based.
The exhibitions sponsored by the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, besides facilitating the craftsmen to showcase their artistic creations to the rest of India, expose them directly to their market. “These exhibitions help them to understand changing customer demands. We also launch new products and designs periodically to gauge customer preference,” says D.Ravi, Exhibition-in-charge.
The North East handicraft industry is beset with problems primarily high cost of transportation, packaging problems, inadequacy and high price of cane, chiefly due to destruction of forest tracts, according to a release by the Managing Director of the Corporation.
“The roads are bad and transportation costs are high. So, we are forced to leave much of the goods back home,” reveals Sanchal who admits the journey back home during her annual two-month break is fraught with difficulties. “I am forced to take a flight from Assam to Manipur. Travelling by road is impossible due to widespread insurgency.”
Yet, the artist who creates flower vases from rotting trees on the banks of the Brahmaputra cannot give up her craft, being the breadwinner of her family.Though none of the craftsmen have an inkling of English let alone Tamil, the language barrier is not an insurmountable problem. “I manage very well,” says Swapnon Kumar Dev, an Assamese artisan. “If I cannot convince customers with my words, I do it through my workmanship.” Dev has been making Sitalpati mats from the time he was ten. “I learnt the art from my father. Earlier, he used to come to the exhibition, now I have taken his place.”
While young men like Dev strive to keep the family business alive others like Chopixi from Nagaland decided to learn the craft after visiting similar exhibitions. Although an increase in demand would add to their income, Chumani Saikia, skilled in gamari wood work, admits the fairs give him a good profit margin.
The challenge ahead lies in adapting traditional arts to contemporary tastes. They might miss their homes in the hills but family commitments keep the young brood of artisans at their craft. Apart from earning their daily bread, they also strive to keep their dying art alive.
