The Gamusa Chronicles
If Assam had to nominate one piece of cloth as its unofficial cultural ambassador, the gamusa would probably win the election and, unlike many politicians, it would actually be useful afterwards. I grew up seeing this versatility without ever thinking much about it. A gamusa was simply there. Someone would wear it, someone would gift it, someone would wipe their face with it, and nobody seemed remotely bothered by the fact that the same piece of cloth had just moved between completely different departments of Assamese life. The Assamese gamusa is a rectangular piece of usually cotton, or sometimes silk, cloth. But calling it merely a “cloth” is like calling a smartphone “something for making calls.” The gamusa is towel, scarf, ceremonial offering, headgear, waistband, cultural badge and, in prayer halls, a respectful covering for sacred scriptures. In Assam, this modest rectangle seems to have a résumé longer than that of many senior bureaucrats! Its importance is deep...
