Konsam Ibomcha Singh
A Manipur doll and toy maker, son of national award-winning craftspeople, who has trained others in the traditional craft, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2022.
Konsam Ibomcha Singh is a maker of traditional Manipuri dolls and toys. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2022 in the field of art, from Manipur [1].
A family of craftspeople
Ibomcha Singh was born on 15 March 1962 [2]. His father, Konsam Tona Singh, won a national award for doll and toy making, and his mother, Konsam Ongbi Gambhini Devi, won one for kawna mat making [2]. He graduated from Manipur University in 1985, then took a year’s apprenticeship in doll and toy making under a scheme of the textiles ministry’s handicrafts office, and in 1988 an advanced course in ceramics and glazed pottery in Bangalore [2].
Dolls of Manipur
His dolls include pairs depicting Khamba and Thoibi, the lovers of a Manipuri epic, and Radha and Krishna, along with dolls in dance costumes of many sizes [2]. He has shown them at the India International Trade Fair in New Delhi in 1983, at crafts bazaars in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Shillong and Gwalior, and at Manipur’s Sangai Festival [2].
He has trained others as an instructor at design and technical workshops on dolls and toys, including at Keibul Sagram in Bishnupur district and under the textiles ministry’s programmes for the Northeast [2]. The Manipur government gave him its state award for handicrafts in 2005–06 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2022: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2022: citation for Konsam Ibomcha Singh — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
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