Pottery to the rescue of Sarungbam Barmomla
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Mutum Rameshchandra Mangangcha

Imphal, November 27 2011: "If you have the courage and will-power, you can easily take care of your family without the support of any man just from making earthen pots" .

These are the words of 70-year old Sarungbam Barmomla of Andro Khunou Leikai, who has taken to making earthen pots to take care of her family and bring up her six kids single handedly after her husband passed away around a decade back.

Barmomla has opened a stall in the ongoing Manipur Sangai Festival at Hafta Kangjeibung selling earthen pottery items like piggy-banks, Ishaiphu, Mera Chaphu, etc.

Talking to Hueiyen Lanpao, Barmomla informed that despite the custom of not allowing women to make earthen pots until attainment of 20 years of age in her native Andro village, she learnt the arts of pottery from her mother from an early age.

But it was only after her husband passed away that she thought of taking it up as a profession seriously.

Sarungbam Barmomla engrossed in her pottery

"After I got married, I used to weave cloths to supplement the income of the family.

But that was not enough to meet the growing requirement of the family.

My husband was drunk most of the time and I was afraid that I would not be able to look after my six kids.

So, I thought of making use the art of pottery that I had learnt from my mother after my husband passed away", she recalled.

Barmomla informed that she could easily earn Rs 10,000 per month from making and selling earthen pots and looked after all the needs of family without the support of anyone.

Of her six children, one son and five daughters, Barmomla said her son has now become a Sepoy after matriculation and all the five daughters, some of whom have studied upto BA and some upto class X, have been married off and settled in life.

When asked whether she has received any financial assistance from the side of the government, Barmomla disclosed that apart from a monthly pension amount of Rs 1000 granted following winning of awards five times at the state level pottery competition, she has not received any other financial assistance in furtherance of her profession.

"I have the conviction that I can increase and improve my products if the government gives some loan or financial grant", she added.

She also expressed apprehension over the possibility of losing the relevance of her art with many pots and utensils made of steel and silver flooding the market.

"But as long as I live, I would try to promote the art and hand over the legacy to my children and grand-children", Barmomla said with conviction.

At present, Barmomla is imparting training to around 200 people from her makeshift workshop at her native Andro.

"Tetap, stone, knife and Urikang are the simple equipments we use in making different types of pots including Maring Kharung, Mera Chanu, Isha-phu, Walong, Ngankha, Kanglan-Pun and Phudoi-Chaphu", she explained.

It is for the second that Barmomla has set up stall in the Manipur Sangai Festival.

"Compare to last year, sale proceed this time is low", she added.