Designer Joymati Devi - Success painted to perfection

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Joymati works on a design at her home in Imphal West.
Telegraph picture

Manipuri women had always been known for their courage and ability to sustain the families' economy with whatever talents and little resource available to them. One such lady is L. Joymati Devi.

From a very tender age, Laiphrakpam Joymati Devi, 47 had an instinct to do with colors and paintings which could one day make her one of the most sought after designers of patterns for knitted handloom products in Manipur.

As the article in The Telegraph by Khelen Thokchom titled "Success painted to perfection" carries, "The world of colors used to fascinate little Joymati. By the time she was 10, she was extracting dyes from flowers to paint her drawings. As a teenager, Joymati could paint photographs of Hindi film actresses like Hema Malini by looking at Filmfare magazines bought by one of her uncle".

Handloom industry, the largest cottage industry in Manipur, provides employment to a large number of women. It offers a wide scope to display talent — from the traditional but expensive mapan naiba phanek, a woman's long skirt knitted by hand or machine, to the trousseau.

The article writes, as Joymati is a talented artist, this industry gives her a chance and opportunity to demonstrate her skills.

As written by Khelen, "..a recent national handloom census report, Manipur has 2.71 lakh looms and 2.8 lakh weavers, mostly women. So huge is the industry that the state does not need to buy products like bedsheets, bedspreads, pillow covers, mosquito nets, curtains, salwar kameez and kurtas from elsewhere".

Joymati had a humble background and she has painstakingly designed her success, knitting a pattern with diligence and painting it with a passion for excellence. It was not an easy task but hard work and dedication with the talent that made her excel in this field and life.

Joymati is married to a pastor, Khundongbam Ibochouba, and even though she has a very busy schedule, she finds time to accompany her husband to church at Heinoubok in Imphal West, where she teaches the Bible to children in a Sunday school.

The article says, "She also She has more than 300 designs in an album and plans to draw another 700".

Khelen wrires, "Joymati maintains a very busy schedule. Besides taking orders at home, she goes to Panthoibi Embroidery, knitting and tailoring centre in Imphal West, twice a week to draw patterns for knitting. Joymati says she has nothing to worry about now except that some designers started pilfering her designs".

No matter where we are born, we should be able to utilize our talents and try to excel in wherever we stand.

Read the entire article by Khelen Thokchom here