Uprooted, homeless, and still rising: How a Manipur IDP found hope in bamboo and cane

In a remarkable testament to human resilience, an internally displaced person (IDP) from Manipur, Sorokhaibam Gandhi Meitei, has discovered an unexpected artistic talent while struggling to rebuild his life. 

Once a shopkeeper in Serou Awang Leikai under Kakching district, the 55-year-old has now emerged as a skilled handicraft artisan—a transition shaped entirely by circumstances and the desperate search for livelihood after the ethnic conflict uprooted thousands.

Gandhi’s newly acquired craftsmanship was on display at the Manipur International Textile Expo (MANITEX) 2025, where his bamboo and cane products drew considerable attention from visitors. For someone who had never imagined taking up handicrafts, the achievement marks a profound personal milestone.

The conflict that erupted on May 3, 2023 continues to cast a long shadow across Manipur, pushing many into prolonged displacement and life inside crowded relief camps. Despite government assistance through ration money, most displaced families say it barely meets their daily needs. Over time, many inmates have begun seeking ways to adapt to the abnormality, working to rebuild their lives from scratch.

Gandhi’s story mirrors this struggle. Displaced from his home, he initially took shelter with relatives before moving into relief camps, hoping the unrest would subside soon. But as the violence persisted, he and his family shifted from the relief camp at Manipur College—closed once the academic session resumed—to Kabo Leikai Relief Camp in Imphal East, where they currently live among more than sixty displaced individuals.

He recalls the early days of displacement as suffocating and hopeless. “I never expected life to become so difficult. But what can we do except accept this harsh reality?” he said, describing his determination to survive despite overwhelming odds. Responsible for his family, including his 14-year-old son who studies in Class 9, Gandhi began searching earnestly for any available job. He eventually found work as a housekeeping staff in a departmental store.

Although the government provided vocational training in food processing, Gandhi found the course unsuitable for him. The housekeeping job too was insufficient to support his family, pushing him to explore other possibilities. This search led him to the Directorate of Handloom and Handicrafts, where he was connected to national award-winning artisan Irom Krishnapriya and her son, Irom Kishan.

The meeting changed his life. Under their guidance, Gandhi discovered a hidden aptitude for crafting bamboo and cane products—skills he never knew he possessed. For a year, he balanced housekeeping duties with handicraft training, even though the daily commute to the training centre at Porompat and managing transportation costs were constant challenges.

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“With full interest to learn, I somehow managed everything,” he said. As his skills improved, he began crafting items from his relief camp room itself, relying on the equipment and raw materials provided by his mentors. His wife, 54-year-old Juteshwori Leima, supports him by completing unfinished pieces after her household chores.

Gandhi now produces an array of eco-friendly items such as baskets, flower vases, earrings, pens stands, lamps and trays—products that impressed visitors at MANITEX 2025. For him, the experience was profoundly uplifting. “I felt happy that internally displaced people like me could showcase and sell our products,” he said.

He strongly believes that handicrafts could be a sustainable livelihood option in Manipur, given the state’s rich abundance of bamboo and cane. “Our generation has neglected this field. I realised its value only after getting involved in it. I will never let this skill fade. Once I return home, I will spread this knowledge,” he affirmed with conviction.

Further he urged the state for support in order to revive the bamboo and cane industry.

Gandhi’s journey—from a displaced labourer and shopkeeper to an emerging artisan—stands as an inspiring reminder that even in the harshest of circumstances, survival can unearth new strengths, new talents, and new hope.