Manipur's fashion designer grandmother, grandmother Hanjabam Radhe Devi, who gave new life to traditional Manipuri wedding dress, was honored by the government with 'Padma Shri'.

There is no age to show your talent. A person can make a unique identity at any time, at any age, through his art, his skills. A direct example of this is the 88-year-old Hanjabam Radhe Devi from Manipur.

Who is working to give new life to the traditional Manipuri wedding dress even at the age of 88. She is famous as the fashion designer Dadi Maa. The 88-year-old Hanzbam designs traditional bridal wear, which is known as 'potlois'.

She has designed more than a thousand traditional bridal wears till now. In view of his art and ability, the Government of India has honored him with the 'Padma Shri', one of the highest honors of the country.

It was not easy for Hanjabum Radhe Devi to move from a small village in Manipur to make her mark across the country and to get the Padma Shri award. Let us know the inspirational journey of Hanjabum Radhe Devi.

I was fond of preparing a new dress since childhood. Born in 1933 in a simple family of a small village in Manipur, Radhe Devi was everyone's favorite at home.

She used to play a lot with her friends at a young age. Sometimes hiding and sometimes something. In one such game, she told friends, “I will prepare you all.

I will be a fashion designer. As a child, she started working as a hobby in preparing clothes for children. Gradually, this hobby of his became his skill. She always loved to change something and when it came to clothes, Radhe Devi always had something ready.

The fabric, its designs, and textures always fascinated him. Radhe Devi was married to Hanjabum Mani Sharma at the age of 15. After marriage, she engaged in household chores and her dream of doing fashion designing got lost somewhere.

To fix the economic condition of the house, the work of designing clothes started

Radhe Devi's husband was an astrologer. But he did not get many benefits in this work. There was a shortage of money in the house.

Radhe Devi had to set up a pakode shop on the side of the road to help the house. But even this did not make much difference in the condition of the house. After which his elder sister advised him to try his hand at polloi.

Poloi is the traditional dress of Manipur worn by the bride for the wedding. It is worn by the gopis in the classical dance 'Rasleela' there. It consists of Ghagra, belt, dupatta, and blouse. Radhe Devi convinced her husband to learn Poloi. and started learning it.

She learned very quickly. Then, she learned the other nuances of the costume from Khurailakapam Ibotan Sharma, a dancer, and polloi maker. Radhe Devi herself got into this business at the age of 30.

Doing the work of making Poloi for 60 years

Radhe Devi has been making Poloi for the last 60 years. Ghagra is the main thing in Poloi and it takes the most effort to make it.

It is cylinder-shaped. In the olden times, nine layers of cloth were made for the ghagra, then it was placed in a rice pad and kept to dry in the harsh sun. After that it was given the shape of a ghagra.

There were two problems in this whole process. Firstly, due to lack of strong sunlight many times it used to get spoiled by road. Second, after drying, the 9 layer of the cloth became so tight that even the needle could not penetrate it.

Even if I entered, it would break a lot. To avoid them, Radhe Devi found a new way. She added a new tadka to this traditional dress. She makes Ghaghra from fiber.

She rents out polloi. In the early days, a Poloi used to get Rs 500. Now she earns from 10 to 50 thousand from a polloi.

Along with designing traditional clothes, she also does social service

Hanjabum Radhe Devi not only designs wedding clothes but also designs clothes for gods and goddesses and clothes for dolls and dolls. In this he is helped by his eldest daughter.

Radhe Devi also prepares costumes for Khamba- Thobe dance. Skirts are made from printed fabric and handloom. A velvet choli and a thin muslin cloth are tied around the waist.

A peacock feather is also applied on the head. Radhe Devi's social activism is also very high. She is continuously working for women’s empowerment and is also associated with many local organizations.

She has spread awareness on issues related to drug addiction and women's employment. People affectionately call Radhe Devi as the designer grandmother.

Government honored with Padma Shri award

88-year-old Radhe Devi, who has given new life to the traditional dress of Poloi to the bride in Manipur, needs no introduction today.

Till now she has designed wedding dresses for more than 1000 brides. This is the reason that the government has honored him with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest honor of the country.

Even at the age of 88, Hanjabum Radhe Devi, who has made a different identity for herself, is truly an inspiration for millions of people today. He has written his success story on the basis