Communities come together to celebrate women empowerment

The Antaran weaving workshop in progress at Seluophe weaving unit on March 2. (Morung Photo)

Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 2 

On Monday morning, women from Seluophe, Singrijan and Khopanala areas in Dimapur gathered at Seluophe Village weaving unit for a workshop under Antaran, the Tata Trusts’ craft-based livelihood programme, implemented by North East Initiative Development Agency (NEIDA). The Antaran weaving workshop is part of the 'Charkha to Market' programme in Assam, Odisha and Nagaland, aimed at nurturing artisans on various aspects of handloom textiles.

 The workshop at Seluophe weaving unit marks the beginning of a weeklong ‘celebration of empowerment’, organized by the Miqlat Ministry under the aegis of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council, in collaboration with the Seluophe, Singrijan and Khopanala Village councils, youth and students’ bodies. It will culminate with the celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 7.

Speaking to The Morung Express, Asha Sanchu, Miqlat Ministry Director said, “Rather than make it a routine one-day annual event, we planned to make this year’s celebration something that the women in these villages can benefit from.” With this in mind, this programme was initiated for the women in these villages. This is also the first time the villages have joined forces for a ‘community celebration’, the Director added.

Around 30 participants have signed up for the Antaran weaving workshop which will be conducted throughout the week for the women from Seluophe, Singrijan and Khopanala. The participants will be trained on backstrap weaving by trainers from NEIDA.

As the training progressed on the first day, Khesheli from Khopanala diligently took notes from the trainers. “I have been weaving for many years now, but when I heard about this programme, I wanted to sign up because all my weaving so far has been self-taught and I want to learn the proper techniques from the experts,” she said. 

For Asha Sanchu, this is also an important step towards reviving the dying art of traditional weaving, while providing a means of income generation and empowerment for the women.

Engrossed in the practical sessions, Rina and Durga meticulously wound their yarn on the charkha (spinning wheel). For the two women, the training will not only enhance their skills but also enable them to teach others in their community in Singrijan. 

According to Ninoto Zhimo, Senior Project Associate, NEIDA, more than 200 women in Nagaland have been trained since September 2018. The local weavers are trained and their finished products are then marketed under the label ‘Anataran’ in exhibitions in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai etc.

Meanwhile, Asha informed that along with the training, several need-based workshops catering to different sections of the community will be conducted each day. This year, the IWD falls on a Sunday, so we decided to hold the celebration on Saturday in order to avoid a timing clash with the church service, she added.

Day two has been scheduled for village council leaders with ‘Good Governance of a Village’ as the topic. Resource persons from Indisen Village Council will be conducting the workshop at Seluophe Amphitheatre.

K Ela, Director of Prodigals Home, Rev Dr C Cho-o, Professor of Applied Theology, OTS and Nuneseno Chase, Director-Programs, YouthNet are the other resource persons for the workshops to be held from March 4 to 6.  On March 7, the IWD celebration and Spring Fest will be held at the Seluophe Amphitheatre.