Susan Waten
Aolemba Longkumer’s commitment to bamboo art makes one sit up and wonder about many things. His pictographic book “Soul of a Bamboo” was released by Sri N. Rio, our honorable Chief Minister during the N.E International Bamboo Festival at Kisama on 16th Sept, 2010. The book is not only a creative journey, but also a spiritual and philosophical journey of a bamboo artist. It reveals the profound simplicity and heartfelt sincerity of the artist. It is a 5-year (2005 to 2010) journey of growth and inspiration.
Aolemba uses the word “soul” because he sees the bamboo, a living thing, as possessing a soul of its own. Thus according to him, “Like a living being, it can be shaped and molded into beautiful creations, and therefore I envision it as having a soul.” He says that as an artist, he concentrates his energy on the bamboo to understand it, and to bring out its essence in a form that is aesthetically agreeable to the human eye. His quest has been to relate to the bamboo as a friend, a brother (in China they call bamboo as “friend” and in Vietnam as “brother”), a kin very closely related to him. As such, one is amazed at the close affinity he has maintained with the bamboo, to work with it for hours in a day, for years together.
His bamboo creations all have a very qualitative and personal touch. They are not mass produced for pure commercialization purposes in a cut-throat competitive market. Rather, they are exclusive collector’s items, valued for its unique style and hours of hard labor put in by the individual hand of the designer and craftsman himself.
The book “Soul of a Bamboo” displays 78 designs produced and crafted out of a single bamboo. Aolemba maintains that he is happy to share with the world all his designs and creations. What took him years of dedicated effort to create is now available to bamboo artists and enthusiasts at a flip of a page or the click of a mouse. Aolemba is also an interior designer, having enrolled for a course in it at Vogue Institute, Guwahati. He is the person instrumental in waving the “wand of prosperity” at Naga Kitchen, Guwahati. When Naga Kitchen (a restaurant that specializes fully in Naga cuisine) started out, its clientele was very small. Only after it underwent a complete image make-over under the able hands of Aolemba did the sales shoot up to the skies!
He designed the interiors of the restaurant, custom made the chairs in teak and tables in walnut wood. He crafted the doors and ground dividers and gave the restaurant a very “country” look – a rugged, sturdy, saloon/cowboy look! Customers increased in doves, round the clock at the restaurant. Just within a year or two, Naga Kitchen spread its wings and opened a branch at Bangalore.
Aolemba may be a “lucky charm” for entrepreneurs (the Naga Kitchen mega-success story being a perfect example)…yet as I’ve noticed, he is the quintessential artist, ever dreamy, idealistic and totally non-materialistic. I asked him, “Don’t you want to become rich and earn lots of money by marketing your products in a big way?” He replied, “If I do marketing, I lose my concentration on designing and conceptualizing new ideas. When I work, I focus all my attention on work alone. In my leisure time I sketch. So I have to choose one, either I concentrate on the market or on my art.” His answer didn’t surprise me one bit.
Even then, orders for products keep pouring constantly into his home workshop called “Country Craft” in Chumukedima. He employs five full-time crafts men there. He once exported 1,500 trays to Morocco on order. He reveals, “I’m interested in quality control and I want to train good craftsmen in Nagaland.” True to his interest in passing on the craft to people, he has held various workshops and also participated in many crafts events, both as a teacher and a learner. Already at such a young age (early 30’s), Aolemba is on his way to becoming a master-crafts man. His experiences as a craft artist is worth observing
For a start, when he was awarded his first cash price of rupees 50,000/- (a national award for excellence in wood-work for creating neck-tie and belt, 2001), he utilized the cash for “workshop extension and purchase of machinery.” The very first tools he owned were a “plainer and a chisel.” They were presented to him by his parents at the age of sixteen. Over the years more awards came his way: Governor’s Award, 2004, for distinction and outstanding contribution in the filed of Art & Craft and Citigroup Micro Entrepreneur Award, 2006, for Social Responsibility.
He has been to China for a bamboo technology training trip, to Mauritius for a bamboo exhibition, to UK for an exhibition and workshop with London based designers, to Philippines for a bamboo exposure trip and interaction with local craftsmen, to Thailand for product survey, to IIT-Powai, Mumbai for a bamboo design and technology development workshop.
He asserts, “For an artist like me, bamboo is a source of immense creative inspiration. It is more than a woody grass or just another raw material. It is awe inspiring and life giving.” In his book “Soul of a Bamboo,” he has endeavored not only to relate with the soul of the bamboo but has in fact represented his own soul in the 78 artistic designs. The items have not only utilitarian and functional value, but also inventive and decorative value. They show a smooth continuity from traditional resourcefulness to contemporary adaptation in style and approach. Some of the items are exceptionally good, and even amusingly imaginative. Those that caught my attention are the pen drive, mouse, ticking wall clock, soap case, wall cabinet, CD/DVD holders, comb, various lamps and rice bowl. The artist as one can understand, is hard-working, soft spoken and mentally focused, with a clear vision for service to humanity. He is the son of Rev. S. Temjen (former Literature Secy., ABAM and present Principal of Working People’s Bible College, 7th Mile, Dimapur) and Mrs. Apokla, hailing from Longsa Ao community.
Aolemba expresses that in the coming days he would like to establish a model bamboo craft village with a museum, and to have craft artists and travelling enthusiasts come and visit or stay there. And of course, he aims to teach and pass on the craft arts to all willing learners from both far and near places around the world.
His book is available in Modern Book Depot, Café 77 and Christian Literature Centre in Dimapur; Bible House and Nagaland Emporium in Kohima; and Imprint in Mokokchung and they are priced at rupees three hundred and fifty only.
Written By: Susan Waten, HAWA (Holiday Abode for Writers & Artists), Dimapur
