Four handloom weavers from Assam were honoured by the Ministry of Textiles with the National Award for 2013 and the National Merit Certificate for the same year. Three of them received the National Award. The recipients For 2013 are: Lasti Mithi (Tiwa garment), Binapani Koch (Kanbang) and Chenimai Doley (Mising Muga silk sari) for the National Award; Lakhi Prava Bordoloi (wall handing) for the National Merit Certificate.

At a function held at the Madras University Auditorium, Chennai recently the awards and the certificates were presented to the four weavers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At the ceremony, around 100 weavers including those from Assam were honoured for outstanding creative skills. Meanwhile August 7 was observed as the National Handloom Day.

Lasti Mithi, a resident of the Amkhalam village of Umsai area under Baithalangso Police Station of Karbi Anglong district of Assam, is also a recipient of the 2011 National Merit Certificate of the Textile Ministry. She said that her product Re-Chokodo (traditional Tiwa male wrapper), prepared with a traditional geometrical design and floral patterns, won her the award. She added that she was now keen to teach young girls the skill of weaving cloths with beautiful designs and for this she was now trying to set up an institution.

Binapani Koch’s husband, Jibeswar Koch, who is Head of the Department of Bodo of the Dudhnoi College Jibeswar said his wife took around one month to weave the Kanbang (a kind of a Rabha shawl) in a loin loom. She used cotton yarn and natural dye to colour the yarn black, red and green.