Artisans from Manipur's Ima Market display design prototypes

Having lost her husband to underground outfits in Manipur at a very young age, 36-year-old Domneilhing, a mother of five has been the sole bread earner of her house for six years now.
A traditional weaver based out of Churachandpur district of the north-eastern state, she specialises in what is called the Kuki motifs and with the support from city-based organisation Control Arms Foundation of India (CAFI), she is currently exploring multiple markets for her products.
Offering a platform to women artisans like Domneilhing from the conflict ridden region, to showcase their skill and facilitate their survival, a new exhibition "Ima Keithel: Northeast India's Mothers Weave Peace in Delhi" showcases design prototypes in weaving and bamboo produced by them.

The show that began here last evening is scheduled to go on till September 25.
"The event is a humble initiative to provide livelihood and acts as a healing touch to the fractured lives of women and children so that their lives can go on with a new found courage," organisers said.
"The focus of the programme is the economic empowerment of underprivileged and violence affected women through skill development."

The show is based on the popular concept of all women's markets prevalent in Manipur. Locally known as "Ima Keithel" or "Mother's Market," it is a space where women gather at different locations across the state to sell their products. The number of participants in the markets often swell over 4000.

Organised by CAFI and Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network, the exhibition which is underway at the India International Centre here also has a collection of exhibits produced by women of other north-eastern states like Assam, Nagaland, and Meghalaya besides Chittagong hill tracts in Bangladesh.
"We are first trained after which we make the prototype. We are given the layout for the motifs seeing which we reproduce the design," says 38-year-old Arambam Bijaya, who has been a single parent to her 10 year-old-son after her husband abandoned her.
Bijaya along with 100 other vulnerable women weavers have developed designs for a range of apparels in collaboration with the label 'Rangsutra' catering to the theme "The Bold and the Beautiful.