Threading the Thangkul Way: Paringla Vashum and the Backstrap Loom
R Paringla Vashum
The question this story follows:
“Will machine-made textiles kill the 400-year-old Thangkul backstrap loom tradition, or can a new generation of buyers learn to value what their hands cannot make?”
For over 22 years, R Paringla Vashum has woven Thangkul Naga shawls on the backstrap loom — but the market does not understand why they cost what they do.
R Paringla Vashum learned to weave from her mother and elder sisters in Chinjaroi, Ukhrul — a Thangkul Naga village in the hills of Manipur. Since 2002, she has worked the backstrap loom to produce traditional shawls, sarongs, and handcrafted jewellery. A single shawl takes one and a half months to complete.
Her products are priced between Rs 1,500 and Rs 15,000. A table runner is Rs 2,500; a cushion cover Rs 1,500; a traditional sarong or shawl between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000. But the challenge she faces is one of perception: buyers do not understand why a handmade piece costs more than a machine-made one. Many crafters are forced to sell cheaper machine-made items alongside their handwork just to survive.
Paringla has trained students who now earn their own livelihoods through this craft — a quiet act of preservation. Her message to India is direct: please buy from us and promote our crafts. Handloom is difficult. That is why it costs more. Every purchase keeps a tradition alive.
Updates
Episode 1: R Paringla Vashum — The Thangkul Backstrap Loom
My name is R Paringla Vashum. I am from Ukhrul district, and I am a Thangkul Naga. I have been in this craft since 2002 — more than 22 years now.
I work the backstrap loom and make modern and traditional jewellery, and we weave our own traditional dresses — the sarongs and shawls. I learnt these skills from my mother and elder sisters, passed down through generations. It takes around one and a half months to fully weave a shawl or any major item.
Prices range from Rs 1,500 to Rs 15,000 depending on the piece — a table runner costs around Rs 2,500, a cushion cover Rs 1,500, and a traditional sarong or shawl between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000.
The biggest challenge we face is that people do not understand handcraft — why it takes time, and why it costs what it does. So we crafters often have no choice but to also sell cheaper machine-made items just to survive. My products are unique because they are handcrafted; you will not find anything like them anywhere.
My message to the people of India: please buy from us and promote our crafts. Handloom and handicraft are difficult — that is why they cost more. Every purchase you make keeps a tradition alive.
