Representational image
Miao, May 8: Sonam Tsomo, a 50-year-old Tibetan weaver, has made a comeback in her life at the Tibetan settlement in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, after she joined the carpet centre three decades ago.
Today, Tsomo and many of her peers have made the settlement their home, where they weave dreams in their looms.
The carpet centre at Choephelling Tibetan refugee camp is the backbone of the 500-odd Tibetan refugee families whose ancestors had fled Tibet along with the 14th Dalai Lama after the Chinese invasion in 1959.
For a first-time visitor to the carpet centre, the ambience of the unit with music wafting in the air, often in sync with the movement of the weavers’ hands and fingers, is a scene to witness.
Floor and wall carpets have been the unique selling point for the Choephelling Cooperative Society since it was established in 1975 by Tibetan refugees on the outskirts of Miao, the sub-divisional headquarters of Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
The settlers here are known for producing excellent quality woollen carpets that are also exported. The centre boasts of having 30 skilled women weavers along with three embossers.
“I have been working in this craft centre since 1990 and it has been a wonderful experience for me. The centre has provided employment to more than a hundred Tibetans,” said Tsomo.