The Kauna Weaver Who Grows His Own Reed
Salem Pelendra Singh
The question this story follows:
“Can the full cycle of kauna farming and weaving survive as a family livelihood, or will urbanisation break the chain between the field and the loom?”
Salem Pelendra Singh farms the rarest water reed in the world and weaves it into heirlooms — but will the next generation tend the fields?
In a small farm in Manipur, Salem Pelendra Singh grows kauna — a water reed found in only two places on earth: Manipur and Thailand. From this rare grass, his family weaves bags, yoga mats, cushion covers, baskets, and lunch box covers, carrying forward a tradition passed down through generations.
Salem runs a kauna craft unit where products are priced from Rs 250 to Rs 1,000. What makes his enterprise rare is the full cycle: growing the raw material, weaving the product, and selling it. His lunch box covers and yoga mats travel to different parts of the country — yet most buyers have no idea they hold something grown in a Manipuri field.
The challenge Salem faces is not demand but continuity: will the young generation tend the kauna fields and sit at the loom, or will the water reed be left unharvested?
Updates
Episode 1: Salem Pelendra Singh — Farming Kauna in Manipur
My name is Salem Pelendra Singh, and I run a kauna craft unit in Manipur. We make heirlooms — bags, cushions, mats, lunch box covers, yoga mats, cushion covers, and baskets. The material we work with, we grow ourselves on our own farms. I learnt this craft from my family, and it has been in our hands for generations.
Our prices start at Rs 250 and go up to Rs 1,000, depending on the item. The things that sell best are lunch box covers, yoga mats, cushion covers, and baskets — products we supply to different parts of the country.
What makes kauna craft special is the material itself: kauna is a water reed found only in Manipur and Thailand. Every item we weave carries something of our land in it. This is not just a product. It is a piece of Manipur.