With one eye slightly closed and the other utterly focused on the cane he is weaving, Chowkim Singpho sits cross-legged, deeply engrossed in his work. A large tool kit and paraphernalia surround him. He is almost in a meditative state, and I already feel apologetic about disturbing him. It’s 9 a.m., and we are in Wagun village near Namsai.
We are here to take a sneak peek at the region’s rich craftsmanship. Chowkim is 71 and a little hard of hearing. Only after our third attempt at greeting him does he raise his head to welcome us, only to return to his work immediately. Sitting in the kitchen in front of a wood fire, his mother is intrigued to see that they have visitors from Delhi. I can see a childlike excitement in her sullen eyes. At 94, she is still proud of her son, whose skill as a craftsman draws many craft enthusiasts like us to their modest house.
Chowkim tells us that he is also the Goan Bura, or village headman of Wagun. While his expertise lies in bamboo and cane crafts, he also loves sewing Buddhist prayer flags for several monasteries in and around Namsai. “Mai dharam kapda bhi banate hain,” (I also make religious flags), he says. “I am also invited to different festivals throughout the year for making prayer flags,” he adds. Right now, he is making a Golam, used in every rural household to blow wind into steamed rice during its preparation. So, we limit our conversation to bamboo and cane. The people of Namsai, both Khamptis and Singphos, are brilliant at making lovely handicrafts from bamboo, cane and wood.
The pièce de résistance of bamboo crafts in Namsai is the phone, a traditional bamboo and cane container used to store food. You could say it’s their version of the modern casserole or hot case. Chowkim tells us that it takes him ten to fifteen days to make a single phone, which is sold for as much as Rs 5,000 in the market.
Chowkim has been pursuing his craft since the age of 20. He was inspired by his maternal uncle, who would weave floor mats from bamboo. Chowkim feels proud that he is self-taught. He wishes to pass on the legacy to the youngsters of his village, but not many people are interested in taking up the craft. “Youngsters today lack the patience and dedication for it, and they have a very small attention span,” the craftsman laments.
Chowkim was involved in cultivating timber until it was allowed. He then took the onus of becoming the village headman, but nothing has ever come in the way of his first love—making interesting things from cane and bamboo. To this day, he starts his day by practicing his craft. It is only after he has done it for one to two hours that he leaves home for the office or for running errands. (Aspiring artists and craftsmen, I hope you are taking notes!)
Chowkim proudly tells us that his handicrafts are also sold in Assam, and several crafts fairs are held there. But now, since he has aged, he only makes bamboo handicrafts on special order. In his heydays, he would make two to three phons in a week. Just when he is telling us about the three phases of learning the craft, sloping being the most difficult of them all, he is interrupted by a neighbour who has come to take him to redress a long pending matter in the neighbourhood. He bids us goodbye but is kind enough to pose for Sandipan, our photographer.
From Chowkim’s house, we go to another rural household in Wagun. Duong Ingkhang looks happily lost in his thoughts as he approaches us. He is holding a knife in one hand and a bamboo tube in the other, beating the latter with the former to create music. He welcomes us to his home and introduces us to his lovely kids, who are fascinated by our presence and can’t stop giggling. Kids being kids, you see.
Duoung and his family live in a little bamboo hut, and they also have a hand pump in their courtyard. Their house is surrounded by sprawling tea plantations, and there is absolute tranquility in every corner. Desi chickens are running around in the courtyard and look slightly upset by our presence.
Doung is a full-time craftsman who makes the beautifully crafted sword pha-nap, which is carried by almost every Khampti man at all times of the day. He takes us to his little workspace and starts sharpening his tools against a block of wood. He tells us that he has been involved in the craft for the last 15 years. Like Chowkim, Doung is also a self-taught craftsman who has honed his craft over the years with regular practice.
Doung uses wood from Champa trees, which he collects from the forests of the Manabum hill range. He tells us he gets around Rs 3,000 to make a single pha-nap. The 36-year-old takes two days to make one pha-nap. First, he makes the sword, then gives shape to its case. An interesting photo session follows, where Sandipan, our guide Sukiyo, and I take turns striking a warrior-like pose with the pha-nap. Sandipan is impressed with Doung’s simplicity and does not miss a photo-op with him.
By now, I have fallen for the place. I daydream about living here and writing under the shade of a thatched bamboo hut, soaking in the serenity of the tea plantations that encompass Doung’s house. I am sure this piece would have been much more poignant had it been penned there. But then, not everyone is as fortunate as Doung, right?
Later in the day, we are lucky enough to glimpse the weaving traditions of the Khamptis and Singphos as we visit two households in Empong and Piyong villages. Khampti women are great at weaving and make beautiful lungis, or pha-noi as they call them, which are worn by the Khampti men. For themselves, the Khampti women make gorgeous wrap-around skirts called sui. They also make cotton and silk scarves. Similarly, the Singpho women are also self-reliant when making traditional attire for themselves.
Meeting all these lovely craftspeople has been an enriching experience. In a post-pandemic world, when travellers choose experiences over sightseeing, embarking on a day trip to explore the rich cultural traditions and crafts of the tribal communities of Namsai could be one of the best travel experiences of your life. You have to do it to believe it.
To reach Namsai, you can take a flight to Dibrugarh Airport or Jorhat Airport. From these airports, you can hire a taxi or take a bus to Namsai. Alternatively, you can take a train to Tinsukia railway station and then proceed to Namsai by road.