Two Meitei women from Manipur and Tripura gets National Handloom Award

Imphal: Two women from the Meitei community, one from Manipur and another from Tripura have achieved the National Handloom Award 2023 which the Ministry of Textile, Government of India has recently announced.

The awards were given in recognition of their exceptional craftsmanship and dedication to the traditional art of handloom weaving (Inaphi).

Wahengbam Shaya, a skilled artisan from Manipur, has been awarded the Sant Kabir Handloom Award for 2023, also known as the Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay Award.

In his social media platform, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh congratulated Wahengbam Shaya on receiving the award for 2023. The CM posted, “Her exceptional craftsmanship and dedication to the traditional art of handloom weaving (Inaphi) have brought immense pride to Manipur.  I wish her continued success in all her future endeavours.”

Another Meitei woman from Tripura, Nirmala Sinha (52), a resident of Barasurma village in Dhalai District, who has shown remarkable skill in weaving the traditional Manipuri attire, Inaphi, has also been announced as a recipient of the prestigious National Handloom Award 2023 by the Ministry of Textile, Government of India.

Despite facing numerous challenges, Nirmala has shown remarkable skill in weaving the traditional Manipuri attire, Inaphi, using natural dyes.