Monpa Tribals and monpa paper

Why in news?

• The 1000-year old heritage art – the Monpa Handmade Paper of Arunachal Pradesh – which was driven to the extinction, has come to life once again, with the  committed efforts of  Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

About Monpa Tribals:

• The Monpa is a major tribe of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India.
• The Monpa are believed to be the only nomadic tribe in Northeast India - they were totally dependent on animals like sheep, cow, yak, goats and horses.
• The Monpa share very close affinity with the Sharchops of Bhutan. Their languages are Tibeto-Burman languages written with the Tibetan alphabet.
• Most Monpas live in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, with a population of around 60,000, centered in the districts of Tawang and West Kameng, constituting about 97% of the Tawang district's population and 77% of the Kameng district's population.
• Around 25,000 Monpas live in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

About Monpa paper making:

• The fine-textured handmade paper, which is called Mon Shugu in the local dialect, is integral to the vibrant culture of the local tribes in Tawang.
• The paper has great historic and religious significance as it is the paper used for writing Buddhist scriptures and hymns in monasteries.
• The Monpa handmade paper is made from the bark of a local tree called Shugu Sheng, which has medicinal values too.
• The art of making Monpa handmade paper originated over 1000 years ago. Once produced in every household in Tawang, this handmade paper was a major source of livelihood for the locals.
• Back then, such was the scale of production that Monpas used to sell these papers to countries like Tibet, Bhutan ,Thailand and and Japan as no paper making industry existed in these countries at that time.
• However, the local industry gradually began declining and the indigenous handmade paper was taken over by inferior Chinese paper.
• An attempt for the revival of the this handmade paper industry was made in 1994 but failed as it was a mountainous task owing to various geographical challenges in Tawang. 

About KVIC:

• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament (Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956)
• It is an apex organization under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and village industries within India.

Objectives of KVIC:

• The social objective of providing employment.
• The economic objective of producing saleable articles.
• The wider objective of creating self-reliance amongst the poor and building up of a strong rural community spirit.

Prelims Question

Consider the following statements regarding Tawang:
1.It is home to the largest Buddhist monastery in India.
2.Sela pass connects the Tawang region to rest of India.
Which among the above statements is/are correct?
(a)1 only 
(b)2 only 
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to prelims question