Manipur woman seeks to employ more locals in her lotus silk venture

Imphal: Twenty-nine-year-old Tongbram Bijiyashanti, resident of a sleepy hamlet in Manipur, is looking to employ more women from her village as her business of weaving fabric from lotus stem yarns has been witnessing a steady growth.
The finished products made from the silk-like yarn, ranging from scarves, mufflers, and neckties, are sent to various metropolitan cities, including Mumbai and Kolkata, where they are in demand.
The young entrepreneur from Bishenpur district, who lives close to lotus-filled Loktak lake, has employed 30 women, who work from homes, and plans to engage more locals in her start-up in the days to come.
“Earlier, I simply enjoyed collecting different varieties of lotus that I could find to plant them in the lake. "The idea to extract fibres from lotus stems came to me in 2014, following which I researched and trained myself in the art by reading multiple journals and watching videos," Bijiyashanti, the eldest of three siblings, said. pti