New Eri silk brand launched in Meghalaya

A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Blending art and style, the brand 'Eri Weave - Hand Woven Silk by Women of Meghalaya - offering hand-woven Eri silk product was launched recently by GB Lyngdoh, MLA, at the Prime Start-up Hub, JN Stadium.

Founded by Iaishah Rymbai, one of the top 50 entrepreneurs of PRIME Cohort 2.0, Eri Weave is all about putting forward the hand spun Eri silk yarn and hand-woven fabric.

Speaking on the occasion, Lyngdoh, while celebrating the tenacious spirit of Rymbai in ensuring that her dreams became a reality, said that "Eri Weave speaks about our women, our culture, identity, our land and our dreams."

Citing the example of Rymbai, who started her cooperative movement with five members and also the success story of Milk Farmers of Umroi, Lyngdoh laid stress on how supporting entrepreneurs and identifying right leadership can have a positive impact on livelihoods, engage youth and channelize their entrepreneurial abilities.

Addressing the gathering, Frederick Roy Kharkongor, Commissioner and Secretary, Department of Textiles, spoke about the Government's initiative in reviving the brand 'Ryndia' and informed that with the inclusion of weaving in addition to sericulture and rearing under Silk Samagra 2 Scheme, more weaving clusters will be developed in the State.

He also informed that the Design Innovation Resource Centre in Diwon, which aims to give visitors the complete 'farm to fibre and fibre to fabric' experience, will soon be inaugurated.

Kharkongor further urged all weavers to leverage on the organic process involved in producing Eri, which not only helps in preserving the environment but also in preserving an inherent part of our heritage.

KN Kumar, Chairman, Farmer's Welfare Commission, in his address, lamented the fact out of 2,000-plus cooperative societies existing in the State, only 1,740 are functional, most of which fall under the C-Grade category.

While most cooperative societies are desperately in need of support, Kumar citing the example of Gujarat and Maharashtra where cooperatives have proven to be the engines of growth, and stressed on the need for a more proactive role in the part of the Government to strengthen the cooperative sector.

Iaishah Rymbai, sharing the story of her journey, informed that she started her cooperative movement 'Kamai haba Shongkai' with the help of five women who travelled from village to village to spread awareness about Eri silk spinning and handloom weaving. Today, the cooperative society has 100 members, with a monthly turnover of Rs 2 lakh.

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