The state of Manipur is located geographically, closely nested in the Himalayan extension of Purvanchal and strategically considered a gateway to South East Asia. The state has been endowed with pristine Scene beauty and rich traditional and cultural heritage. The state boast of its prosperous handloom and handicrafts sector which has found closely interwoven with the Socio-Cultural set-up for ages.

Blossoming of the Handloom and Handicraft sector is also witnessed in a small town- “Samurou” of Imphal West District. Decades ago, stepping on the ladder of inherited Skills and knowledge of handicrafts, a few visionary artisans came together and sowed the seeds of streamlining the unorganized skill possessed by many into an organized one. Finally, the endeavour and efforts of many bore fruit with the inception of Ideal Handloom and Handicrafts in 1994 (29th June) with its foundation laid deeply in the Samurou cluster.

Since then, in pursuit of producing the finest Handicraft products, the organization has been working continuously and vigorously to impart and upgrade the inherited skills pertaining to Handloom and Handicrafts to the artisans of the Samurou Cluster.

The journey of the organization reached its Zenith in 2011 with the implementation of AHVY (Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hastslip Vikas Yojana). Through this Yojana, the artisans are grouped via Self Help Groups with a focus on upgrading their skills based on technology. Presently, 48 SHGs have been formed and are operating under AHVY.

Since the establishment of the Society, it worked in tandem to disseminate knowledge pertaining to Handloom and Handicrafts and to upgrade the inherited skills of the rural artisans. The society seeks to improve the production and productivity of various Handloom and Handicraft products in the area. The proper arrangement has also been made to establish Raw material depots for the convenience and benefit of the artisans.

Various training programmes have also been conducted at different locations of the cluster and so far above 1200 artisans have been trained. Lastly, the finished products are then marketed in local markets, displayed and sold in exhibitions, IITF, Craft Bazar, Delhi Haat etc.