In the midst of the pandemic in April 2021, when the world slowed down and many found themselves with unexpected free time, two brothers from Nagaland, Shirme and Themrin Shimray, turned their creative energies towards woodwork. Their first foray started with a simple wooden tray and coaster set as a gift for their mother, and the feedback and support encouraged them to continue making more. Today, what started as a small gesture has organically evolved into a promising venture.
When asked about the best advice they’ve ever received, the Shimray brothers shared this quote by Sudha Murthy: “Doing what you like is freedom, liking what you do is happiness.” This wisdom is reflected in their journey and the passion they bring to their work with Mawon Woodworks. They embody an unmistakable energy, truly relishing the growth that comes with the journey just as much as their craft.
In this interview, I sit down with the talented Shimray brothers to learn more about their journey, the challenges they’ve faced, and their latest projects.
Brothers Shirme (L) and Themrin (R) of ‘Mawon Woodworks’ Nagaland
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Menule: Welcome to R&L! Please tell us more about the team behind Mawon Woodworks.
Hello! We’re Shirme (28) and Themrin (26), the duo behind Mawon Woodworks. Born in Somdal, Manipur, we’ve called Dimapur, Nagaland home since 2005. Growing up, we were obsessed with art, spending hours exploring our creativity through drawing, painting, origami, crafting, and decorating.
When the pandemic hit, we found ourselves with a lot of unexpected free time. We started crafting small items for fun, sharing them with friends who encouraged us to showcase our work on social media (despite our initial creations being questionable). That was three years ago, and since then, we’ve been on a journey of constant learning growth, and improvement.
Brothers Shirme (L) and Themrin (R) of ‘Mawon Woodworks’ Nagaland
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Menule: Before we dive into your work, we’d love for our readers to get to know you better as individuals. How would your friends describe you? 😊
Shirme: They would probably describe me as artistic, determined, level-headed, and friendly.
Themrin: Sarcastic, hardworking, introverted, and easy-going would be some of the words my friends would use to describe me.
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Menule: Can you guys share where your passion for woodwork began and how that led to the creation of ‘Mawon Woodwork’?
Mawon Woodwork Nagaland came about as a result of our love for art and craft. It is a journal of our journey as we explore various ideas and designs with woodworking as its core. We incorporate a blend of art, tradition, and modern designs to make crafts and furniture.
End grain bowls and servers handcrafted in their natural shape – and finished using food-safe oil. By Mawon Woodworks
Handcrafted bowls and servers by Mawon Woodworks, Nagaland
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Menule: How do you come up with different designs and techniques, Do you guys have an inspirational source?
A lot of our designs are a mix of internet ideas, tradition, and a little bit of our own touch. But mostly a lot of our core concepts come from watching our father making all sorts of unique and weird wooden items. As our friends would say, he is the “Khuri laga Tony Stark” and we’re simply following his passion and love for art 🫡 He has always been the biggest inspiration.
Wooden cups and bowl by Mawon Woodworks, Nagaland
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Menule: What is the most exciting part of any project?
No matter how many items we’ve made..it is always always exciting to watch the color and grain pop when you apply the first coat of finish after a tedious process of crafting and polishing.
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Menule: and what’s the most challenging?
While we love crafting, the hardest part of woodworking for us is the finishing process. Sanding, in particular, takes a lot of time and requires multiple layers and grit changes, especially when working on large orders. Ironically, it’s also the most rewarding process – applying the first coat of oil and seeing the wood grain pop is always a joy.
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Menule: Beyond just a passion, it’s clear that you’ve turned your craft into a business. How many hours do you typically spend fulfilling orders?
Honestly, fulfilling orders takes up all our time! 😅 As the ones doing everything – crafting, managing the business, marketing, creating content etc. our days are always packed.
We usually spend our 9-to-5 making and finishing projects and then catch up with clients in the evenings. On Sundays, we spend our time making reels and creating content for our page (talk about being horrible at time management!) It’s a lot, and it’s not what we expected when we first started out. But despite everything, it’s rewarding, and we love every minute of it!
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Menule: Any mistakes that you’ve made along the way? What lessons would you share?
We love creating new designs and taking on fun custom orders. However, we’ve learned that our enthusiasm often leads to underestimating the time required for each piece.
Wooden soup bowl and scissor tongs by Mawon Woodworks, Nagaland
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Menule: Tell us about your latest project.
Lately, we’ve been obsessed with the chainsaw and have been experimenting with using whole logs to create our pieces. We love combining the natural shape of the wood with our own minimalist designs, resulting in a unique blend of organic and crafted elements. We are currently focused on developing new designs based on this approach.
“Some of our notable projects using this method include the live edge natural bowl and live edge servers.” – Mawon Woodworks
Live-edge Natural Bowls by Mawon Woodworks, Nagaland
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Menule: What would you guys say is/are your biggest accomplishment to date?
Our biggest achievement so far? Well, three years ago, we were just two brothers, hyping each other up, wondering if our craft items were good enough to be part of someone’s home. Taking the leap to start the business was itself huge for us. Talking to our first clients was nerve-wracking.. we’d never done it before – and there weren’t many people around to guide us. But we’ve been on a continuous journey of learning, experimenting, and redoing things ever since.
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Menule: That’s very inspiring—thanks for sharing! To wrap up this chat, let’s have some fun with a few light-hearted questions. First question: What’s your favorite leisure activity?
Shirme: I enjoy sketching and listening to music during my free time. I also personally love annoying my pets and sisters when I have nothing else to do.
Themrin: As the middle child, I take it upon myself to annoy my family with my superior bathroom singing skills. Some of the other things I enjoy would be reading manga or watching YouTube.
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Menule: A little-known fact about your local culture.. something that’s well-known among locals but might be unfamiliar to outsiders.
In our village Somdal (located in the Ukhrul district, Manipur) during festive times all the youths in the village gather in an open space to perform, what we call “Marching.” Everyone stands in rows of 3 or more and would start walking (kinda like the snake in old Nokia phones) making sure that the one who’s leading the row doesn’t collide with the others while they sing.
This also gives the chance for the men to check on the ladies and vice versa 
since everyone who usually stays outside the village is present during the season. It’s a fun tradition for young people to mingle during the holiday season.
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Menule: Best piece of advice you’ve ever received
“Doing what you like is freedom, liking what you do is happiness” – Sudha Murthy
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