A very dear friend was having her baby shower and she asked us all the invitees to bring along something that represented their childhood instead of the usual baby gifts. It really made us all think deep and hard about our childhood and what really stood out in the memories. It was a happy jog down memory lane. The long afternoons spent making things and drawing or painting was the most prominent of them all. One of the things that really delighted me was the Manipuri doll. Every child in Manipur had one and most of the time, it was hand made by their mothers, sisters, etc. My older sister is tremendously gifted in the arts and crafts and I recollected how she used to make the dolls. Part memory and part online images of the dolls, I decided to go ahead and make this little doll that represented my best childhood memories. 

It wasn’t easy but as I moved along many little ideas and tips came back to me and it was really fun to bring this together. The materials for the dress was a bit hard to find so I had to improvise on the Potloi or skirt & the Innaphi or stole. 

Here’s my version of the Laidhi or doll.

Here it is! The Manipuri Laidhi…specially for my dear friend.

I do hope to make more soon.

With Love.