Master craftsman makes a Statement

‘Government job not the only way’ 

Longrangty Longchar
Mokokchung | November 23

Creativity has no limit, and so is a person’s determination to excel. For thirteen years, Yanger Pongen, a self-taught master craftsman now, from Mokokchung district, has made a mark in the field of handicraft and has won acclaim in the state. Starting off with a Naga dao and a saw (belonging to his grandfather), 36 years old Yanger Pongen began with making candle-stands and trays way back in 1995. His humble beginning has now grown into a Rs 3 Lakh small-scale industry employing seven young locals who help him and at the same time learn the fine arts of carpentry and sculpture. 

An imaginative portrayal of Naga traditional handicraft expertise in woodcraft is his trademark; and he uses just a hammer and some chisels and patience to put his imagination to life like the Naga warriors and the Last Supper in wood. Smoothness and subtlety mixed with the some amount of imagination is what one customer described his work. Yanger Pongen is selling his products under the name ‘Acme Crafts’ and it has become more or less a brand name for him. 

He has some certificates of excellence from the government and has been short-listed for a ‘state award’ from the state government. Yanger’s sitting room is now adorned with intricate imaginative creations of woodcraft which would fetch him some profit ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 25,000. The most expensive creation being the ‘Last Supper’, (Leonardo’s creation of Jesus and his twelve disciples finely sculpted in wood and the intricate use of shading giving life to the piece of wood). Finely sculpted pieces are presented in black marble background along with other creations like wooden vintage cars, flower stands and wooden stools. They will find exposure in the popular Hornbill Festival this December. 

“It (the Last Supper) took me six months to create it,” said Yanger Pongen, a man of very few words. Yanger said he has created four pieces of it and has already sold three for Rs 25,000 apiece. However, the most fascinating thing about this man is his sheer determination to make life out of his talent. 

A former drug addict, Yanger Pongen says that he took to drugs for about three years, until he realized that he has to change his habits.  He met his wife, Akala and has nothing but good things to say about her.

“I would have died if I did not meet her,’ says Pongen modestly. His wife helps out in his work, spraying of paints and smoothing the finished woodcrafts. Interestingly, Yanger Pongen has been offered a government job as a carpentry instructor by a department, however he refused it and instead pursued his hobby, and he has no regrets about declining the offer. “Government job is not the only way to earn a living,” he says. 

Now, blessed with a son and a daughter, Yanger Pongen continues with his work in his residence which has been turned into a cottage industry and installed with carpentry machineries like a mini sawmill and drilling machines worth lakhs of rupees. Yanger did express regret that he had to leave school at an early age. “Had I been more educated then I would be more efficient in talking and dealing with people,” he says. However, with his profession to keep his imagination at work, Yanger Pongen finds solace in his wife and his family. “She has helped me a lot in changing my behaviour and my lifestyle.” 

Now, thirteen years on since he took to carpentry, Yanger Pongen admits to wanting a showroom in the towns of Mokokchung, Kohima and Dimapur (that is, if God willing’, he admits modestly). “Young people, if are they are sincere and honest and use their talents to the best of their abilities then they can also earn their own living without any problem and surely God would also help them” he commented. Besides, his expertise in woodcrafts, Yanger Pongen is also a master carpenter who creates sofa-seats, cupboards and dressing tables.

To place orders, once can contact Yanger Pongen at Acme Crafts Kumlong Ward, Mokokchung. Phone No (0369) 2226465 or 9436217550.