34 Years at the Heart of Shillong's Handloom Market: The Story of Megha Emporium

My name is Ujjwal Agarwal, and I run Megha Emporium — a handloom and handicraft stall in Shillong that has become something of a landmark here. I have been in this business for 34 years, but the story starts before me.

My father introduced handicraft to Shillong over 40 years ago. He became the second most-selling vendor in the city — not by accident, but by turning something unusual into something essential. He had a philosophy: take materials that people thought were unusable, and transform them into something sustainable and beautiful. I saw that idea as a child, and I was drawn to it completely.

Everything we make at Megha Emporium is handloom or handicraft. We source all our materials from within Meghalaya — that is a commitment, not just a selling point. The price of a product depends on the craftsman's skill, the size, and the intricacy of the design. A simple item might be ₹50. Our most elaborate pieces can go up to ₹50,000, and some commissions have reached ₹5 lakh.

My wife and my father support the business, and we have three or four people managing inventory. Labour is our most constant challenge. Not everyone understands that this work demands real dedication — the skill is slow to learn, and the pride in a finished piece is not something you can rush. But the customers who truly understand handicraft — who see the sustainability in it — they come back. People are more conscious of sustainable products today than they were even ten years ago, and that gives me hope.

My daughters are more aware of sustainability than I am. They teach me things about it, honestly. If this craft continues into the next generation, it will be through them — and I have no doubt they will take it further than either of us imagines.