North Eastern States
The North Eastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura have a rich textile tradition. Until recently they grew their own cotton, reared eri, muga and pat (mulberry) cocoons, spun and dyed this using natural dyes and woven fabrics for their own needs. Each region had their own unique textile patterns, creating motifs using the extra weft technique.
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Insurgency and the infighting between the various tribes of this region has caused a lot of disruption forcing many to migrate. Those who could afford sending their children to study outside, sent them to Pune, Bangalore or Delhi. While there is food and shelter there is no source of earning cash income and people are compelled to leave the region to look for work. The people are gentle, well mannered, educated, and are conversant in English which works well for the hospitality industry. Recruitment agents have mushroomed around the North East, hiring people to work at malls, restaurants, security agencies, and retail jobs etc. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of malpractices, a high level of human trafficking and prostitution.
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Women are the custodians of preserving traditions of food, clothing, crafts and their indigenous culture. If their unique skills can be repurposed to create suitable products for markets outside their region, women would be secure, earn a decent livelihood and not be forced to migrate.
