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Rising to feet with thagchung in hand

10 November 2009

Tandin Wangchuk, a shopkeeper in Gyalpoizhing town, Mongar, is a popular figure in his neighbourhood not only because he weaves, but also because of his affable nature.
Originally from Wamrong, Trashigang, Tandin says weaving had come to him naturally. He had never taken any lesson on weaving. As a year-old toddler, he first rose to his feet with a thagchung (beater) in his hands. Among the Bhutanese, it is believed that the object in a child’s hands when he or she first rises to feet symbolises his or her future occupation. Deep in this belief, Tandin’s mother instantly surmised that her son would one day become a weaver, which she thought was ‘unmanly and shameful’. So she snatched the beater, saying that weaving is women’s job.
True to the belief and his mother’s apprehension, Tandin, as a little boy, developed an uncanny passion for weaving. He recollects sitting by his mother’s loom, admiring his mother weave. But she never treated him to the art that he intuitively loved.
Tandin was 10 when he first took up weaving on his own. With leftover yarns, he wove a kera (belt). Although his mother was still not supportive, he was naturally confident of himself.
“It came out well,” he said. Thereafter, he never looked back. Today, he weaves all kinds of patterns. His closet is full of ghos woven by himself.
Tandin says weaving a plain kira is easy but one with intricate patterns and designs takes time and demands more concentration. As natural as it may seem, weaving has taken a toll on his eyes. Doctors have advised him to use glasses but he says he is ‘too shy to use one’.
Tandin has never gone to school but he is satisfied with what his weaves and small shop earn him. He receives a lot of orders because cloths woven by men are considered sacred. He has got offers from weaving centres in the country to join them but he said he wanted to work on his own.
Tandin weighs 100 kg, and his loom is huge. Not surprisingly, most of Tandin’s close friends are women. “Women confide in me, and they share their secrets with me. Most of the time we discuses weaving and patterns,” he said. He added that men made fun of him at times but he was never bothered.
Tandin Wangchuk is single, and he wants to marry an educated girl because he has plans of opening a weaving business. “I must have an educated wife to support my business,” he said.
Currently, Tandin is weaving a gho for himself for this year’s Mongar Tshechu.

If art is universal, weaving is certainly not a feminine art. Considered something of a social oddity, Tandin Wangchuk, 27, is an avid weaver. Tandin Pem reports from Gyalpoizhing.

Tandin_male weaver in BhutanTandin Wangchuk, a shopkeeper in Gyalpoizhing town, Mongar, is a popular figure in his neighbourhood not only because he weaves, but also because of his affable nature.

Originally from Wamrong, Trashigang, Tandin says weaving had come to him naturally. He had never taken any lesson on weaving. As a year-old toddler, he first rose to his feet with a thagchung (beater) in his hands. Among the Bhutanese, it is believed that the object in a child’s hands when he or she first rises to feet symbolises his or her future occupation. Deep in this belief, Tandin’s mother instantly surmised that her son would one day become a weaver, which she thought was ‘unmanly and shameful’. So she snatched the beater, saying that weaving is women’s job.

True to the belief and his mother’s apprehension, Tandin, as a little boy, developed an uncanny passion for weaving. He recollects sitting by his mother’s loom, admiring his mother weave. But she never treated him to the art that he intuitively loved.

Tandin was 10 when he first took up weaving on his own. With leftover yarns, he wove a kera (belt). Although his mother was still not supportive, he was naturally confident of himself.

“It came out well,” he said. Thereafter, he never looked back. Today, he weaves all kinds of patterns. His closet is full of ghos woven by himself.

Tandin says weaving a plain kira is easy but one with intricate patterns and designs takes time and demands more concentration. As natural as it may seem, weaving has taken a toll on his eyes. Doctors have advised him to use glasses but he says he is ‘too shy to use one’.

Tandin has never gone to school but he is satisfied with what his weaves and small shop earn him. He receives a lot of orders because cloths woven by men are considered sacred. He has got offers from weaving centres in the country to join them but he said he wanted to work on his own.

Tandin weighs 100 kg, and his loom is huge. Not surprisingly, most of Tandin’s close friends are women. “Women confide in me, and they share their secrets with me. Most of the time we discuses weaving and patterns,” he said. He added that men made fun of him at times but he was never bothered.

Tandin Wangchuk is single, and he wants to marry an educated girl because he has plans of opening a weaving business. “I must have an educated wife to support my business,” he said.

Currently, Tandin is weaving a gho for himself for this year’s Mongar Tshechu.

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