WAR SYNTEIN (Mawsynram): beyond future of self employed (the best craft inter-sellers) by Shemphang Rapthap

An approach road to Syntein

      War Syntein area lies in far deepest valley of Mawsynram village toward south west direction. War syntein consist of five small village ,viz. Mawkaphan, Domskong, Jympiat, Kenbah and Ken Mynsaw village.  the villages of Syntein, surrounded by treacherous and difficult terrain. No roads survive the onslaught of water, agriculture is difficult, and the non-stop rains encourage a multitude of insect life and disease. Life is pretty dismal. 

Footpath under MGNREGA Scheme

Hangover bridge to Syntein

The people of the village were forest gatherers, they work on pineapple, jack fruit, papaya and orange plantations. they also collect broomsticks, herbs and spices from the surrounding forests. During the monsoons, they cooped up inside their homes with the tin roofs resounding to the incessant beat of the falling rain, women and young girls spend their time weaving baskets with locally available bamboo. Known for its brilliant green colour, the bamboo is finely split and woven into rain shields (ka Knup), large conical baskets (ka khoh), winnowing trays (u prah, ka trap) and small storage baskets (Ka shang). These products are made for self-use and the surplus sold off in the nearby weekly market for nominal profit or occasionally, through government emporia or private traders.

Bridge To Kenbah & Kenmynsaw 

       

Domskong Presbyterian Church

The United Nations Development Programme’s Cane and Bamboo Technological Upgradation and Networking Programme supported a trainning program from 2001 for the Kenbah village among women basket weavers and now they are able to stand for themselves and to show the world for what they are capable of. They started with the natural prioducts available in the area that geared towards the wider markets with the help of the Project Co-ordinator, Shahriyar Choudhury. The type of basket weaving practised by the women here could be transformed into functional items such as trivets and coasters for the table, waste-paper baskets, lamps, boxes, spice baskets, pencil cases, bags and fruit trays. It was clear to him that the demand for the traditional products, both in the local and wider market, would be limited as compared to the larger national and international market for the new products, which were both unique and utilitarian.
 The new products were designed in such a way that they would be easy and cost-effective to transport. The women were extremely receptive to the new designs, keen to understand what the different products were going to be used for and eager to produce the best samples.

A view of Kenmynsaw from Domskong

 
Today, the village women of  Kenbah Syntein supply to stores across India and their products, especially the lamps, trivets, coasters and baskets, fly off the shelves, a far cry from the days when they sat with their products in the bazaars or waited for government sources to order. The response from overseas buyers has been positive but there are many roadblocks to exporting their products, such as the poor infrastructure system in the northeast and the lack of a large enough workforce to ensure high-volume production. Fortunately, the women are highly motivated to weave a brighter future for themselves and many younger women are joining the core group. Their craft, which was once a seasonal part-time activity, is today the key to a more stable future.

My  Blog:

• WAR SYNTEIN (Mawsynram): beyond future of self employed (the best craft inter-sellers) by Shemphang Rapthap
• In the Land of U Hynniewtrep (The Promising of Rivival)
• Mawphlang Village facebook page / Mawphlang Bloger page

You can mail at:  chems84@gmail.com.