Octogenarian Tshering Dorjee Bhutia has been hand-crafting bows for five decades. A carpenter by profession, Dorjee earned his living by repairing furniture, but his inspiration comes from archery – deeply embedded in the culture of his native Sikkim.
Locals say Karthok village in Sikkim’s Pakyong district had more bowmakers once, but Tshering is now the only one left. He makes his bows with bamboo and they sell during the Buddhist festival of Losoong.
You can read more about him in: Tshering: straight-arrow bow maker of Pakyong