Meet Neihunuo Sorhie, Padma awardee weaver from Nagaland protecting indigenous craft

By Ujjwal Roy
Kohima (Nagaland) [India], February 23 : Padma Shri award winner weaver from Nagaland, Neihunuo Sorhie, known for her original artworks is on a mission to teach disappearing art to the next generation.
On January 25, the weaver (linen loom) from Nagaland, Neihunuo Sorhie was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award for her contribution to the field of arts.
Expressing gratitude for receiving the Padma Shri award Sorhie said, "I am grateful to the Government of India and I thank god."
She learned the art of weaving from her mother just at the age of four, and by the age of six, she could weave clothes which was a very significant achievement.
Talking to ANI Sorhie said, "I am grateful to the Government of India. I was four-year-old when I started weaving and till now I am doing this. It has been 60 years."

She also got the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice once in Meghalaya and the second time in Paris.
During a five-week demonstration of look skills at leBHV Marais, a leading luxury store in Paris, she met PM Modi, who also lauded her for taking local Indian handicrafts to the global stage.
"PM Modi appreciated my work. I gifted PM Modi a handmade scarf and he loved it," she added.
"During the interaction with PM Modi, I spoke with him in Hindi. I love to speak Hindi. I am very fond of the Hindi language. I visit different parts of India and attend exhibitions where I speak in Hindi."
Talking to ANI, she said that this art is slowly disappearing and today's generation is not keen to learn the art, and this prompted her to start teaching the next generation about the skills she learned as a young girl.
Neihunuo Sorhie is a renowned personality in the field of indigenous handicrafts for his original art motifs and meticulous details and patterns in traditional weaving.
Responding to reporters' questions on how you are taking this further and to many how many people you are teaching Sorhie said, "It's not only weaving that we teach there are other things like handlooms, knitting, and making dry flowers. We have mentored and trained over 300 young Naga women in the art form."

The 60-year-old weaver has several awards to her credit, including the National Handloom Award in 2007. She has participated in over 120 exhibitions, trade fairs, and melas across India and foreign countries as a representative of India.
"I participate in exhibitions in Myanmar, Yangon, Thailand, Frankfurt, Germany, and Paris," she said.
Sorhie also represented India at an exhibition on Naga Weaving Works in Paris where she demonstrated the art of loin-loom weaving.
Talking about her visit to Paris she said, "I did a live demonstration in Paris and the children there were very happy. Two-three people tried to do handloom and they loved it."
Speaking on PM Modi's campaign 'Local for Vocal' Sorhie said, "This is the most beautiful thing said by PM Modi. Every woman in the country whether they are IPS, IAS, or from any other field or stream loves hand-weaved sarees."
The handlooms items we make from hands are Naga Shawls, mufflers, shoulder bags, wall hanging decoration pieces, including other items, she said.

Taking about the time and cost it takes she said, "It all depends on the items and design we make. We have to work patiently. The finishing of the handloom things should be there as that is the most important thing whether it is shawls, bags or mufflers. Sometimes it takes two months to complete one shawl and 2-3 weeks to make shoulder bags."
Talking about the challenges Sorhie said, "There are not as such challenges we face. The students are increasing and young Naga women are coming to learn and we are happy to see that."
Speaking on the price of the handloom product she said, "It also depends upon designs, each and every tribe cost differently. We don't bargain but if I take one example, If I say the cost is Rs 200 for any product the customer says give it to us Rs 100 but it doesn't work like this. It is a handloom product not machine-made. It depends on cloth, if it's silk the price will be high."
Talking about the demands of products outside Nagaland she said, "There is a huge demand for the product. We make original shawls but the people of Assam and Manipur make duplicate shawls. Those shawls are very cheap and our handmade shawls cost more."

Born in 1963, Neihunuo Sorhie belongs to the Angami community and lives with her family in Kohima district.
She is a recipient of the National Handloom Awards twice in 2007 and 2022 for her artworks (handicrafts), the Sant Kabir Award in 2018; the Balipara Foundation Naturenomics Assam Award, 2014 and the State Awards to Mastercraftsmen from the Government of Nagaland in 2001.