Manipur woman makes clothes with lotus stem fibre

Bijiyashanti Tongbram resides near Loktak, the Northeast’s largest freshwater lake. Using lotus stems, she crafts elegant mufflers and stoles. Amid Loktak’s tranquillity, Bijiyashanti poses, then begins her daily routine of gathering lotus stems, weaving stories of tradition and skill into her creations with each delicate thread.

In a recent edition of his ‘Mann Ki Baat‘ radio program, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Bijiyashanti for her trailblazing initiatives. With a meticulous touch, Bijiyashanti delicately extends her reach into the water, adeptly harvesting lotus stems with precision, showcasing her commitment to eco-friendly practices and traditional craftsmanship.

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Bijiyashanti, a botany graduate, creatively uses lotus stems to reduce waste and utilise a natural resource. By avoiding synthetic materials, she helps the environment. She employs over 40 local women in her eco-friendly enterprise. They delicately handle lotus stems to prepare soft threads.

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In her business, ‘Sanajing Sana Thambal,’ women break lotus stems to thumb-length, then stretch the fibres. Using their hands and a wooden plank, they roll the fibres to their desired thickness, showcasing traditional techniques in a modern enterprise.

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The community is receiving orders from around the world, sharing their story globally. Bijiyashanti’s vision is to dress people in beautiful clothes and also empower the women of Loktak, creating a brighter future for them.

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After gathering stems from the lake, Bijiyashanti carefully stretches them to reveal the thin threads that will become beautiful fabric. She poses with the lotus flowers, each one telling a story of her hard work at Loktak Lake.

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Women delicately break lotus stems to thumb-length, stretching fibres using their hands and a wooden plank. They gather the soft threads onto a plate after intricate stretching. On an age-old wooden loom, the arrangement of lotus threads permits weavers to tailor the material’s length, moulding the end product to their imagination.

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At the Crafted of India exhibition in Manipur, Bijiyashanti happily showed her lotus fabric items like shawls, scarves, and cushion covers. She used this chance to showcase her special craft, letting others see the beauty of what she makes.

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