Gamcha

Gamcha – The pride of Bengal

The pride of a quintessential bangali is a Gamcha.

Gamcha, a typical red colour, pure cotton, checkered cloth, which is generally handed over from one generation to another with elan. Every Bengali visiting Puri during the summer vacation comes back with a dozen gamchas as souvenirs to be gifted to family and friends with pride.

Every balcony or a terrace in north Kolkata in the afternoon is adorned with a lineup of gamchas of various hues and sizes. A little boy in kolkata is born with a gamcha wound delicately around him. On a hot and sunny Sunday, the men of the house laze around the home in their most comfortable attire, the gamcha and nothing else(what in case of a wardrobe malfunction??). The fabric provides unmatched natural air condition and with repeated use, gets much softer and cosier. The boy reaches puberty adorned in a gamcha and enters manhood with pride. This little piece of asset has borne the test of time.

Multiple uses of a gamcha

Any and every traditional occasion in a Bangali household demands a gamcha. A Bengali wedding, which is a much sought after wedding amongst the remaining mainly because of the several customs like Subho drishti, where the bride covers her eyes with two betel leaves while entering the chadnatala(arena where the marriage takes place). Post the exchange of garlands one end of the bride’s saree is tied to the groom’s dhoti with lo and behold, a gamcha!!

 A farmer or a fisherman’s friend, the gamcha accompanies him from morning to night. Right from the time he wakes up and has his cuppa the gamcha is snuggly held on his able shoulders. He starts his day with the gamcha tied as a turban and walks towards the field. He sweats and toils in his little patch of land which only the gamcha is a testimony. After a few morsels of rice, Raghu opts for a princely siesta under the peepal tree after spreading out his gamcha as a little pillow to ease his spraining neck.  

Iam sad to say that the gamcha is on it’s way to exit with an array of colourful towels as competition.

There should be an andolan to preserve and conserve the gamcha culture of Kolkata!!

Ekla cholo, ekla cholo…gamcha porey ekla cholo…….