Gamosa
2020 APR 10
Preliminary >
Art and Culture > Painting > Tribal paintings
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:
- Tamil nadu
- Assam
- Himachal Pradesh
- Gujarat
Answer to Prelims question