From repairing to manufacturing shoes, how this Manipur woman is knitting success story

Guwahati, Oct 31: Three decades back Mukutmoni Moirangthem of Kakching in Manipur was unable to afford a pair of shoes for her daughter. She rather used her in-built skills and knitted the torn shoes from the left over wools which she collected after knitting mufflers and socks.

She used the repair the torn shoes by using the sole and would weave the shoe upper with wool.

Soon after, her daughter wore them to school it managed to attract eyeballs and request started pouring in from several quarters. Eventually, her hand knitted shoes made their way outside Manipur after a group of army men purchased a few pairs, they later came back for more.

Meanwhile, the response boosted her confidence and Moirangthem took her skill to next level. In 1990, she came up with her own company- Mukta Shoes Industry. Gradually she also started participating in several fairs, which gave her the opportunity to showcase her shoes to a diverse section of audience.

Moirangthem's hand woven shoes became a hit not only in Manipur but all over the country. She even started receiving orders from countries like Japan, Russia, Singapore and Dubai through middlemen based in Delhi.

After weaving a success story, 64-year-old Moirangthem has also empowered the local women of her village by incorporating them in the shoe industry. She also imparted training to many men and women under Entrepreneurship Development Programme. Her efforts were recognised and she started receiving laurels. Of late, she was honoured with Padmashree in recognition of her work for woolen knitted shoes this year.

Amidst the silver lining, Moirangthem fear that lack of resources and financial constraint would outline her creation in the long run.