Widow finds sustenance in handloom
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 30 2025:
Undeterred by loss and grief, Kshetrimayum ongbi Roma, a widow who started a handloom business with her late husband producing the traditional Rani Phee, has become an inspiring force who transforms sorrow into strength.
Today, Roma (45), a resident of Tellou Mamang Leikai in Lamlai Constituency, is not only keeping alive the cherished dream of her late husband Ksh Rojen to provide a sustainable livelihood to underprivileged women but is also doing remarkable work in preserving Manipur's rich weaving heritage for generations to come.
Through her handloom centre, she imparts training in weaving Rani Phee to women who want to master this exquisite art, offering them both skill and a path to self-reliance.
Rome has two children.
"I will carry forward the dream we wove together," Roma said with quiet determination to The Sangai Express.
Roma has constructed a dedicated workshed and hostel facility for girls who come from distant areas to learn the art of weaving, along with several handlooms to support their training and production.
Roma, who studied only up to Class V and got married in 2001, has since trained over 400 women including many internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the intricate art of weaving the traditional Rani Phee.
Roma recalled that after her marriage, she and her husband struggled to make ends meet.
She recounted how the then Lamlai AC MLA late Pheiroijam Parijat, once extended crucial help by giving them Rs 10,000 as financial assistance.
With that money, she said they bought poultry to start a small venture.
In those early days as a newly married couple, her husband's primary source of income was selling tree roots, which he transported and sold by cart, she said.
Roma said she began weaving Rani Phee in 2004 and found it easy to master the craft, as she already possessed a foundation in traditional weaving from before her marriage.
With pride and passion, Roma carefully brought out the very first Rani Phee she had ever woven and showed it to us.
"I have treasured this piece all these years," she said holding the fabric that marked the beginning of her remarkable journey.
Saying that her late husband helped her in dyeing and spinning yarn, she recalled how her husband would repeatedly reassure her one day they too will live a comfortable life through the Rani Phee they weave together.
He was always by my side, she said.
Saying that some young girls approached her, eager to learn the art of weaving Rani Phee in 2007, she said that that moment marked the beginning of her journey as a trainer.
Over the years, young girls from places like Serou, Sugnu, Kakching, Yairipok, Heirok, Moirangpurel, Leitanpokpi, and Wangjing have come to stay at her home for training, she said and added that they have woven countless exquisite Rani Phee together.
Roma said that most of her trainees come from impoverished families, many of them are orphans or single-parent children.
She said that she and her late husband often used their own earnings to help their students buy handlooms and yarn to start their own weaving businesses.
She explained that she lets her students keep the majority of the earnings from the Rani Phee they sell, deducting only a small amount to cover the cost of the handloom and yarn.
Roma said that her husband passed away from a heart attack in 2020, leaving her devastated.
"Some people doubted whether I could carry on alone after my husband died", she said and added that she, however, refused to let their words destroy her dream.
Through sheer resilience and hard work, Roma constructed a workshed and hostel at her home, creating a safe space where girls and women can live and receive training in weaving Rani Phee.
A single Rani Phee sells for between Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000, she explained, adding that a skilled weaver can earn up to Rs 30,000 a month.
The demand for Rani Phee remains very high, she said.
Comment
