A cluster is defined as a geographic concentration(a city/town/few adjacent villages and their adjoining areas)of units producing near similar products and facing common opportunities and threats.An artisan cluster is defined as geographically concentrated (mostly in villages/townships)household units producing handicraft/handloom products.In a typical cluster, such producers often belong to a traditional community, producing the long-established products for generations. Indeed, many artisan clusters are centuries old Artisan.

About Nengsangre Cluster:-

Nengsangre Cluster falls under Meghalaya State in Shilong district.

The Nengsangre cluster is able to form 98 plus Artisans & 7 SHGs supporting the strong work force.The mobilisation gains momentum day by day.

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Cane and Bamboo:-

Cane and bamboo is available in plenty in the hilly state of Meghalaya.The fibre grows very fast and some variety can even grow by a meter per day. Many varieties are available here. Bamboo is used for making houses in plenty. Mats of bamboo are made from thin strips which makes the walls of te houses.The mats are fixed to wooden strips of bamboos.

Different varieties of baskets are made in Meghalaya.The artistic baskets are known as meghum khoks locally. Khoks or thugis and other baskets are used to store different day to day items. The tribes of Meghalay have been manufacturing these bamboo items for ages and even use the baskets for storing valuable items and clothes.

The khasi tribals are masters in weaving cane into mats, stools and even umbrellas. The umbrellas are known as Kurup in the local language.

Cane and bamboo are the two most commonly-used materials in daily life in Meghalaya.Products ranging from household implements to construction of dwelling houses to weaving accessories to musical instruments are made in bamboo.No mechanical devices are used in the craft, which is mainly a household industry.Besides basket-weaving, bamboo is used chiefly in the construction of houses and fencing.The craft traditionally provides part-time employment to cultivators in the lean season, although, increasingly, full-time artisans engaged in commercial activity can be found now.

Bamboo products are in evidence everywhere in Meghalaya.There are innumerable types and shapes of the bamboo basket, varying with the use to which they are put.The men of the household usually weave the bamboo baskets.Each district has its own distinctive style.In general, conical baskets are used as carrying baskets and square or round bottomed ones are used for storage.An example is the Meghalaya bamboo basket from Silchar.This has a square base that is capped inwards so that the corners of the square act as a support and it has a wide mouth.It is used for storing betel nuts.The Bodo bamboo basket is made with the help of a mould, which is used to get the shape of the neck and the mouth.From the neck to the bottom, brown paper is made into a cone and put into the basket so that its tip touches the bottom.Sand is filled inside to retain the shape of the cone and the weaving follows the shape of the cone.


Dolls and toys are also made with cane and bamboo.Apart from human and animal figures, toy shotguns and musical instruments are crafted.Umbrella handles made of bamboo are a speciality and have designs of leaves, creepers, plants, rings, and crosses etched on them.A special variety of bamboo known as the muli is used for the handles.

Raw materials:-

Meghalaya being rich in raw materials has a large variety of beautiful products.The hill and the plain people, each have their own styles & designs.Apart from making baskets, cane & bamboo are also turned into furniture items, comparatively more modern innovation.Materials made of Cane and Bamboo are one of the very oldest of men creations, done by joining grass with grass and interlacing leaves with the minimum tools.It was considered clean for religious purposes.One of the finest examples of craft skills in Meghalaya is its cane work.The raw material, profusely available in its lush forests, provides the industry with its strength and sustenance.

Process:-

The whole stem of cane and bamboo is cut with a hacksaw and split longitudinally into various sizes by a billhook.The cane is heated on a slow fire, generally with a kerosene lamp for flexibility.The objects can be made in two different forms: coiling for baskets; and weaving for mats.In coiled basketry, foundation of the basket is built first by coiling a cane round a central core.It is built up spirally and gradually the width is increased until desired height is attained.The coils are joined together by sewing strips which can be attached in two ways: each stitch passed over the new portion of the foundation coil.Figure of eight is made i.e., the stitch passes behind up, over and under the preceding coil and right over the new coil.Thus coil material is sewn with the strips and a basket is made.The ornamentation of the baskets can be done with attaining lace, paper and shells.

The craftsmen cut the bamboo into sizes of desired length with the help of cutting tools called Dao.Bamboo length cut as per thickness with the help of different kinds of knives.The material thus ready is used for making frame of an article or furniture where as pencil cane is used for designing and binding purpose.The thick cane is used for making frame of an article or furniture where as pencil cane is used for designing and binding purpose.The cane is bend in the desired shape for a furniture or article by process of heating with blow lamp.The ends are joined with adhesive and nail and the joints are binded with strips of pencil cane. The items produced in cane & bamboo are cleaned with sand-paper and polished with varnish.

The production of cane and bamboo articles involves the cutting of whole stems with a hack saw and slicing them into splits of various sizes using a bill hook or dao.Slicing is done longitudinally along the length of the densely packed fibres and a fairly smooth operation, requiring only the requisite amount of moisture in the culm.A kerosene lamp is used to heat the cane before it can be bent into shape.

Techniques:-

There are various stages that go in the production of cane products, beginning with the collection of raw material from the forests.To obtain a smooth surface, the upper layer of raw cane is scraped off.The long cane sticks are cut into smaller pieces that are followed by splitting the cane to obtain thin strips.Cane can be further split, making it as thin as required.The split cane is now bent using a blowlamp that may cause some burns on the surface; these are removed by rubbing with sandpaper.Following this, the cane can be woven based on the design of the articles being fashioned from it. After the finishing touches have been provided, the products may be dabbed with a coat of varnish before being dispatched to the market.

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How to reach:-

Umroi airport is the nearest airport at a distance of 40 kms away from Shillong. Flights are operated by Alliance Air on certain days of the week. Gopinath Bordoloi Airport in Guwahati (120 km) from Shillong is also another airport serving the capital city is well connected to rest of India.The nearest railway station is Guwahati (120 kms) and is well connected to all major cities of India by rail and road.Buses are run by Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) and Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) at a regular interval of half hour to Shillong from Guwahati