Gamosa

IN NEWS:

• The COVID-19 pandemic has made ‘Gamosa’, a decorative cotton towel, evolve from memento to mask.

GAMOSA:

• The Gamosa is an article of significance for the indigenous people of Assam. It is generally a white rectangular piece of cloth with primarily a red border on three sides and red woven motifs on the fourth.
• Assam has traditionally had two types of gamosas:
  • Uka or plain kind used to wipe sweat or dry the body after a bath
  • Phulam, which is decorated with floral motifs to be gifted as a memento or during festivals such as Bihu.
• Although cotton yarn is the most common material for making/weaving gamosas, there are special occasion ones made from Pat silk.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Wearing the phulam gamosa around the neck became a standard for cultural identity.
• Gamosa came to symbolise Assamese nationalism in 1916 when the Asom Chatra Sanmilan, a students’ organisation was formed.
• It was used during the anti-foreigners Assam Agitation from 1979 to 1985.
• It staged a comeback as a political statement with the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in 2019.

PRELIMS QUESTION:

Q. Which of the following States is known for Gamosa, a decorative cotton towel:

1. Tamil nadu
2. Assam
3. Himachal Pradesh
4. Gujarat

Answer to Prelims question