via ANI News on November 18, 2014
Tripura: The north east region is home to a large number of tribes, each with their distinct dressing style. A group of women from Chakma tribe are working in Tripura to preserve their traditional weaving practice using loin looms.
The Chakma tribe is one of the nineteen tribes of Tripura that can be identified by their unique dress patterns.
Traditionally, women folk used to make their own clothes at home using loin loom.
However, weaving on loin loom and the traditional art is gradually losing ground.
Smriti Rekha Chakma, a resident of 79 Tilla in West Tripura, is running a training centre in her backyard to teach the indigenous methods of making clothes using loin loom.
"Last year, I had gone to Yangoon (Myanmar), where my designs were very much appreciated. People were very happy and really astonished to see that I have such a variety of designs," said Smriti.
Smriti was awarded with the National Award for Excellence in the shawl weaving category in 2000. Four of her students have also received similar awards.
Her products have been getting a good response, especially outside the state, due to the unique patterns and designs.
People of different age groups come to Smriti to learn the art.
Decency Chakma, a student of textile designing at Hyderabad's National Institute of Designing, is one of the few trainees learning the intrinsic Chakma designs.
She hopes to open her own outlet in the future and incorporate the traditional designs in her work.
"After learning this art I plan to open my own studio where I can use these designs by modifying them and then bring it into the market so that more people can know about this," she said.
Pramita Chakma, a weaver, said that nowadays not many people are interested in learning this art.
"But we are trying hard to encourage people to learn this. We bring people who have been doing this weaving and train them. We are also teaching a small girl," she said.
The north-east region has a rich heritage of handloom work that needs to be preserved. (ANI)
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