Meghalaya-based Art & Craft Startup Aims To Preserve Local Garo Traditions

Baishali ThapaFebruary 9, 2022

Started in 2020 by Ensila D Shira, Ensila Traditional Houses is an art and craft start-up that aims to create an awareness of the Garo traditions through their handmade products and reach out not only to the regional market but also pan India.

Hailing from Upper Rongreng Chidekgre William Nagar, East Garo Hills Meghalaya, Ensila started her startup to keep her Garo tradition alive. Lately, Ensila was observing that A.chik culture, one of the Garo traditions was dying due to the adaptation of modern culture. So, she decided to use her artistic skills to preserve and save the age-long culture and tradition of her region.

The Start

Ensila Traditional Houses was started in April 2020 and it deals with making creative handmade products like Top Treehouses (Borang), Garo culture main houses called Noka.chik, Bachelors’ dormitory/Nokpante and Granary. The products are made using bamboo on a tree stump, which can be used as home décor, gifting, souvenir, etc. or can be customized as per the client’s budget.  

Ensila Traditional houses depict the living style of our ancestors which has different usage: Top Tree Houses/Bo.rang which is built mostly to save themselves from wild animals as well as their enemies, Nokachik is a house which has a living room with a fireplace, while Bachelor’s Dormitory/Nokpante is where unmarried young men live. Ensila D shira

The Journey

Passion is what makes us work for the things we love. It gives us a sense of purpose and keeps the fire burning within us. Similarly, Ensila’s dedication and passion for doing something have always been her driving force. On being asked about her source of inspiration to start a startup, she said,

Following my passion, I started handcrafting bamboo products, especially traditional houses. This has also motivated me to uplift my fellow women or school dropouts or anyone unemployed. With such passion I started making 2 to 3 traditional houses which were admired by the people from the locality and gradually when I started selling, people loved my products and that’s when I gained the confidence to take forward my skill and passion into a business.

Coming from a rural area, with little or no knowledge about business, it was difficult for her to start her entrepreneurial journey. She was also skeptical about selling her products as people preferred other products from the market. However, when people realized the idea behind selling her handcrafted products, they started seeing value in her products.

We asked her to share some memorable memories from her journey till date to which Ensila replied,

I would like to share the 2 happiest moments in my journey with Ensila Traditional Houses. One is getting selected as Prime Incubatee in Cohort 2.0 through CMs E-Championship Challenge 2021. And, the second happiest moment is when I made my highest sale during Tysam Festival 2021 South Garo Hills.

Going forward with her startup journey, Ensila wants to collaborate with the stores in the town to scale up and better reach out to the customers. She also wants to set up her own studio and a retail store to cater to all the needs of her clients.

Message for the readers

After 9th standard, I had to stop my studies due to financial issues but this does not mean learning has stopped. We learn every day, learning never stops. There are opportunities we just have to think beyond and not limit our thinking ability.