Hardships drive this talented mother to make the most fashionable 'puans

On a gloomy Wednesday morning in Aizawl, Mizoram, I headed out towards Zuangtui at 10 a.m. Zuangtui is located on the outskirts of Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram. Many mizo and burmese weavers live and work there. Visiting Zuangtui is always exciting as you get to see such vibrant and intricately woven variety of "puan" (traditional wrap around skirt). I finally reach Zuangtui at 11.30 a.m, after taking the local bus as well as a taxi to get there. I was lucky to have one of our borrowers, Saihlupuii, who lives at Zuangtui itself, help me find Lalramngaii's house. She lives at the bottom of a hill and the only way to get there was by climbing down these steep, narrow flight of stairs roughly made out of stones. At the bottom of the stairs, there was no railing even though there was a cliff beyond. That was one rare occasion where I thanked God for making me short with small feet. I was amazed to find out that no accidents had ever taken place there. Lalramngaii's house was right at the end of the stairway. When I reached her house, her daughter was helping her weave a beautiful sunset orange colour 'puan' with intricate zig-zag designs. They had a huge loom placed at the corner of their tin house. On the other side of the house, her son and husband were watching t.v. I told Lalramngaii to continue with her work while I asked her a few questions. I learnt that she has four children. Her three daughters are still in school and her eldest son is now helping at home. Her husband does not have a regular job and she is the main bread-winner of the family. With the Milaap loan she bought a loom which costs about Rs.15,000 and the remaining was used to buy raw materials. She weaves about 3 'puans' a week and now earns about Rs. 15,000 during good months. She says,"Having a loom of my very own has been a real blessing for me and my family." After repaying the present loan, Lalramngaii would like to take another loan so that she can purchase another loom for her daughter to expand their business and also start saving for security.