Making decorative items by binding wire
A way to success and freedom in economy
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, February 03, 2012:
It is a well known fact how women of Manipur help their husband and family in building a sound family economy by hard work and other means.
For those who spend their daily life like a vagabond just doing some household chores, this is a perfect example for hard work and perseverance which pays in life in the long run.
This is a story of a group of women who helped their husbands in supporting their families and building a sound family economy by making decorative items with binding wire.
"We must not always depend on our husbands and others to live our lives.
Instead of depending on them, we should do whatever we can and helped them in building a sound family economy and raising ur family" said 49 years old Awang Keishang wife from Nambasi village in Ukhrul district who is presently staying at New Chekkon.
She began her career in making the decorative items out of binding wires in 2006 by creating a Self Help Group (SHG) called Punsi Mangal whose members are women from Meetei, Tangkhul and Maring communities.
In the initial stage, they faced many inconveniences in the working capital, family maintenance and marketing of the products since their products were new to the market.
In such a juncture, Manager of One Vision Babita came like a saviour and provided Rs 50,000 as loan to the Self Help Group which boosted the production of the decorative items.
Now, people of the state are fondly using their decorative items for various household purposes.
By entering in this field, each member of the SHG can now earn Rs 300 to 400 in a day regularly.
It is the high profit that enable them to earn a daily income of Rs 300 to 400 by making at least 30 products in a day which cost from Rs 50 to Rs 2000 depending on the products and sizes.
They can make four to five cages out of 1 kg of binding wire.
Recalling how her family toiled hard to make both ends meet in the past, Awang Keishang said that her family faced many difficulties in maintainence and raising their kids when her husband D Loren Keishang was the only bread earner in the past.
However, they now can maintain a good enough family economy for average families after she got involved with the SHG and started making decorative and household items, said the Chairman of Punsi Mangal SHG.
Secretary of the SHG Leini Maring (42) is also a housewife from Lamlong Khullen in Chandel district who is residing at New Chekkon at present with her husband Khundun Maring and their family.
She had attended training programmes in making decorative and household items in Shillong, Arunachal Pradesh and Guwahati.
Products like baskets and cages made out of binding wire and MORA are sold in Singjamei, Khwairamban and other major market places in and around the Imphal city.
Besides, many comes to their workshed and paid in advanced and placed orders to make their products.
Not only the income they got from the work help in building a sound economy but also enable them to send their childrens outside the state for further studies, she said.