At first glance Ningwon Zingkhai’s delicately carved dinning table out of a block of tree trunk fashioned with a panoramic village landscape with huts, bridge, waterfall, and stream flowing into a lake looked nothing like a dinning table the world has ever seen.
While talking to Ukhrul Times team, Ningwon Zingkhai from Kuirei village of Ukhrul district, Manipur was quick to narrate what went behind the creation of a Rs 1.7 Lakhs master piece.
Ningwon Zingkhai has lived in Dimapur for over four years and has been an independent wooden art work sculpture for a long time dating back to 2009 when he left Gurgaon for home in Kuirei village after working as a saleman in one private company for some years. Exploring his innate gifts he left for Dimapur in 2011 and stayed briefly for 2 years but got back to Ukhrul in 2014 where he briefly set his base in Viewland block II, a stone throw away from Tangkhul Naga Long ground.
Finding his niche as he would call it, was a long drawn process for him, he said. He left Ukhrul in 2015 for Dimapur yet again and ever since established his work in the Nagaland plains.
The glass top dinning table which has been well received by the public for its unique indigenous and tribal motives was his second production of such kind, Ningwon said.
“After the news about the dinning table was published in local and regional media outlets, I have received four orders already. One is from California by an American and the the other from Delhi” Ningwon said with some pride as if his sculpture venture has hit a watershed moment.
While speaking to him over the phone, Ningwon said that he has long term plans in Dimapur to expand his unique craft. Saying “Dimapur will be conducive for such niche business as I can have my products send anywhere in India with Dimpur as the central commercial hub in Nagaland.
Ningwon is married to Solem. They have one child and is already expecting the second child this coming week.
