Government official’s initiative encourages Nicobari women to ‘knit dreams’

As they passed by, a swaying ‘to-kavo-ka’ (jackfruit tree in Nicobari language) seemed to play ‘hy-spy’ with a nearby hut as its leaves rustled due to the west wind at a breathtaking beach in Campbell Bay.

The women, from ordinary backgrounds, take out 1-2 hours of time from their busy schedules to participate in ‘Knitting Dreams’ workshop organised by Campbell Bay Assistant Commissioner Dr Nitin Shakya in his personal capacity.

Campbell Bay is a remote settlement located in the eastern part of Great Nicobar, an island in Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. Indira Point, the country’s southernmost territory is situated on Great Nicobar Island.

Shakya has roped in fashion designer Manish Tripathi to train the women knit all kinds of dresses, including Indian and western, and Tripathi is likely to bring on board two more designers.

It is a small step to bring tribal women in one of the remotest parts of the country into the world of fashion, Shakya told PTI, adding the workshop is underway since mid-December.

“The initiative will take exquisite hand-woven projects of ‘Mini India’ SHG to the rest of India and the world. The women are very excited and I am sure it will give them wings to fly high,” he said.

When asked about the challenges, he said, “Implementing such projects on this remote island is a very difficult task but we made it possible through proper planning. I am sure people across India will soon be able to buy their products through online and offline platforms.” Tripathi said the training is initially for 25 tribal women.

“I am very excited about this project. I believe tribal women will play a pivotal role in the transformation of India,” he said.

Tripathi’s wife Tanmaya is working on issues pertaining to raw materials and supply chain.

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