Phurden at his shop making a reeson. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, May 11: Ever heard of a shoe which can be worn on either leg? This is , however, only one of the attributes of the unique Tibetan shoe made in Kalimpong.

Used by Tibetans for their mask dances, the shoes are currently being made by seven families settled in Kalimpong. Of these, four make the sombalam (shoes for women) while the rest are engaged in making the pumelam (shoes for men) and the reeson (shoes worn by the monks).

The shoe, which comes up to the knees, is made, for the most part, with makmal (velvet cloth). Only the sole which is stitched on by hand, is made of rubber and leather. The reeson shoes made for the monks are made of more fashionable cloth which is brought from Banaras.

Since the Tibetans use these shoes for cultural and religious festivals, there is a healthy demand for these shoes in places with Tibetan population like Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Ladakh and Bhutan. Moreover, the shoes fetch a good price. While the pumelam costs more than Rs 850, sombalam costs between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. The reeson costs Rs 1,000. However, the art is under threat from a possible lack of makers who are gradually deserting the profession, as the work is delicate and backbreaking. In fact, some of the shops get as many as 50 orders every month, but manage to supply only 30 pairs, due to lack of skilled workmen.

Seventy-six-year-old Phurden Tobgyal, one of the oldest persons still making the shoes here, said: ?This art is slowly dying as most of the people who made them are already dead. The future generations are not interested in making them any longer, although there is still a lot of demand for these shoes.?

Phurden and his 42-year-old son, Sonam, are part of one of the families here making pumelam and reeson. ?The youth are not interested because it is a tough job with most of the shoe being made by hand. It usually takes two days to make a pair of shoes,? said Phurden, who learnt this art in Tibet. Phurden, like many other Tibetans, had come to India and settled here in the 1940s.

Echoing his father, Sonam said: ?I have been making these shoes for the past 25 years and will go on doing so, as I wish to preserve the dying art which is part of our culture.?