Craft of peddling shame : Panthoibi Emporium at Delhi
Source: The Sangai Express / Chaoba Devi

Delhi, February 13: There are many ways to sell and promote the rich and variegated traditional handloom and handicraft of Manipur outside the State.

One not so profitable or enriching way is how the Manipur Emporium Panthoibi at C-7, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, New Delhi has flopped at showcasing the cultural products from Manipur.

Any visitor to this site would immediately notice that the emporium is losing the Manipuri character in all sense.

One does not have to compare it with other State emporia in the vicinity, twenty one in all from almost all States in India.

Handicraft and handloom products displayed at this place from each and every State have managed to draw tourists and craft aficionados from within and outside India.

Products which are unique and peculiar to each State are sold and exhibited here.

It is a great way to get a whiff of the art and culture.

Panthoibi Manipur Emporium at Delhi displaying goods from other States in place of the indigenous products of the State

However, what is true for other State emporia is not so in the case of the Manipur Panthoibi Emporium and to some extent it has become an insult to our sensibilities by naming the shop after the deity Panthoibi.

Any visitor to the place would first encounter a spacious floor where delicately crafted works are displayed.

On closer scrutiny, one will obviously be surprised at finding these craft products are from Rajasthan, Kashmir and other places which have nothing in common with craft products from Manipur.

Moreover one will find beautiful handloom tasar silk and cotton saris, carpets, rugs and durries, beautiful Kashmiri shawls, scarves, stoles, again, not made by our own industrious craftsperson from Manipur.

The first attraction for a Manipuri visitor to the emporium is a small space where Manipuri silk, cotton saris, dress materials, reed mats, bamboo and cane products are kept.

It attracts our attention not because the space has been made to attract customers but because of its pathetic and pitiable condition.

And it will be all the more disheartening to think why the Manipur Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation or MHHDC has not taken any concrete steps to attract customers and correct the atmosphere where the feel and ambience of Manipur is missing.

It does not end here.

One keeps wondering why Panthoibi Emporium is not like the rest of the other emporia from Assam (Mekhla chadars, wicker furniture), Orissa or Utkalika (for the Ikats), Rajasthan (for the handicrafts, mirror work, camel leather goods), Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab (for phulkari), Manipuri, Haryana, Kashmir (woolens), Maharastra, Delhi, Gujarat (crafts and cloths), Bihar and West Bengal (saris).

All of them are promoting their own unique art and craft created by traditional and skilled artisans.

Block A encompasses West Bengal, Delhi, Bihar, Maharastra, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir.

Block B includes Assam, Rajasthan, Tripura, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

Block C is made up of seven States including Manipur.

Other states in block C are Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.

States which do not have space here are Mizoram, Sikkim, Chattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Meghalaya.

Manipur is fortunate to find a place here.

However, the site is a complete picture of insensitivity and the mess created by the less imaginative lot at the helm of things.

It was even more shocking when one of the salespersons who refused to disclose his name revealed that one of the floors there is no longer run by MHHDC and it had been used for selling silk products from Uttarakhand since the last few years.

The person added that the floor has been taken on rent by a north Indian group.

Without going into the nitty-gritty of whether the floors have been rented, mortgaged or sold in real estate terms, one came back wondering what is the use of having a corporation that is ineffective in promoting our rich tradition.

There are a couple of things one should keep in mind while talking of 'promotion' and 'development'.

The State emporium is a platform specially provided to showcase our products and unique skills representing the cultural and civilization aspects of our State.

The purpose and commitment to this end, one feels, has been grossly violated by the act of renting out the floor within the emporia site for selling products from other states.

One is not against the selling of these products for profit.

While making profits out of our own indigenous handlooms and handicrafts, we are helping those self-help groups of craftsmen in Manipur.

The inability to effectively apply modern management techniques of sales and promotion lies with the authorities themselves.

Why turn the space provided for sales and promotion of our own handloom and handicraft another space for promoting other states' products.

The authorities might offer the logic that the MHHDC brings in much more revenue by renting out the space to other people with business interests.

But we should ponder and think, this was not the primary purpose for establishing a state emporium in the heart of the capital city New Delhi.

Looking at the current state of Panthoibi emporium, it seems like weavers and craftspersons from Manipur have already exhausted all their potential for creative innovations and hence selling the products of other states.

The current state of affairs is an outcome of government apathy and negligence and lack of awareness and in the process lowers our dignity and cultural integrity.

Whosoever has been responsible for the current situation should at least come clean on what actually is happening at the Panthoibi emporium in Delhi.

Every concerned citizen should pose this question to our government.

As mentioned before, the existence of other state emporia in the same area points to the fact that in the age of globalization there definitely is stiff competition in the sales, marketing and management of handloom and handicraft products.

There will be attempts to dislodge one state's effort by others in the face of these competitions.

It is the authorities who have to be prepared on how to deal with changing realities.

In a politically and socially fragmented state like Manipur this effort will handsomely bring dividend.

We should learn lessons from people from Kashmir.

Instead of being one of the most politically disturbed states, they have managed to earn effectively from their rich handloom and handicraft tradition.

If the Kashmiris can hold a year long promotion fair for their products in roadsides of Delhi, why can we not at least make our beginning? Our state products like wangkhei phee/ silk sarees, rani phee, stone and crockery items, shawls and jewellery used by hill communities have a huge market in domestic as well as in international market.

We should be well equipped with all the contours of modern day management without forgetting the primary objective of promoting our handloom and handicrafts.

It is high time to correct the strategy and offer new resistance.

The responsible authority should wake up from the long siesta.

The state government should identify people who are capable of building a strong platform in promoting the skilled craftpersons and artisans in the state.

The emporium in Delhi should be integrated to the process of small scale handloom and handicraft industries back home which also need a good market outlet.

A fully rejuvenated practical plan should be put in place that will definitely enhance the productivity of the people whose livelihood exclusively depends on handloom and handicraft industries.