A Lance Naik in the 13th IR NAP Headquarters stationed at Yajang village under Mokokchung district in Nagaland, Nungsashiba’s journey as uniformed personnel and as a craftsman or sculptor has been attention grabbing within his circle of well-wishers and superiors.
By Imna Longchar, TFM Nagaland Special Correspondent
The rich art and crafts of Nagaland since time immemorial have always shown immense artistic calibre and imaginative talents of the Nagas.
In recent decades, many had brought national and international laurels through their artistic craftsmanship. Among them is one gem, Nungsashiba Jamir, a 35 years old uniformed personnel who is one of the few craftsmen who had made a name for himself within his own sphere.
A Lance Naik in the 13th IR NAP Headquarters stationed at Yajang village under Mokokchung district in Nagaland, Nungsashiba’s journey as a uniformed personnel and as a craftsman or sculptor has been attention-grabbing within his circle of well-wishers and superiors.
Talking to this correspondent, Nungsashiba, who is married to Rongsennungla Sangtam, and a doting father to 5 years and a year old daughters shared that wood crafting and sculpting had always been his passion since childhood.
He said he got inspired by his father, Bendangsangba, who is also a state level award-winning craftsman in the late 90s, who chiselled simple wood into a “perfect art”.
Though without any first-hand training, Nungsashiba on following his passion at the same said that he is in fact grateful to his superiors for acknowledging his talent.
He added that it was through the support of his superior that he had been able to follow his time attending to his official duty as uniformed personnel passion where he also got recognition for his craftsmanship by bagging the 2nd prize on his craft titled “Optical illusion” in a competition held on March 31 this year at Mokokchung, Nagaland, under “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana”.
The prized craft is about when closely gazed is actually an old woman and a young girl.
When asked about looking beyond his talent and executing his duties as uniformed personnel, Nungsashiba candidly admitted that when it comes to crafts, he visualizes what has to be crafted even from a small piece of wood but attending to his duty calls is his priority while engaging himself to his passion during off duties.
In tryst with his passion, although without any up to date machinery or tools, Nungsashiba also has artistic skills in weaving baskets, making furniture, indigenous products, other accessories and also sculpting which already had garnered attention from all quarters alike.
On being asked whether he has plans to pass on his innate craftsmanship and other talents to the younger generations, the cop was of the view that though he wanted to, but confined to his duty calls, he has only one wish that the youngsters should take a keen interest in art and culture which has been bestowed upon by their forefathers.
With a hand that craft and weave “signature” further supplemented that if given a chance and with due permission from his superiors, he has plans to look beyond through his artistic skills.