Assam's Gamusa — A Tool Now To 'Wipe' Out Political Opponents

The humble Assamese man's gamusa has seen many changes in its uses over the years. But it has never been the powerful political tool it has become at present.

"He insulted gamusa! He is against the Assamese!" This was a central theme during the 2021 assembly elections in Assam. And now, amid the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Assamese gamusa is again at the forefront. The "insult" allegation was levelled against Badruddin Ajmal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the AIUDF chief was caught on video flinging the piece of clothing on stage. Today, every political leader who visits Assam takes care not to miss out on a photo op donning the gamusa.

Gamusa — a sacred traditional piece of cloth for the Assamese — is now a powerful political tool. The myriad sentiments associated with it make it an ideal weapon to be used by politicians to invoke the sentiments of nativity. Assam, where regional sentiments of 'indigenousness' are far more prevalent than any other state, is the strongest of the northeastern states in terms of Lok Sabha representation. Thus, honouring the red & white cloth becomes mandatory, especially if you are a politician.

What Is A Gamusa?

Literally translated, Gamusa is 'ga' + 'musa' which means a cloth to wipe the body. Gamusa is essentially a towel, like the red-checked 'gamchha' of Bengal, but though one of its uses is indeed wiping the body, its utility extends far beyond that. It is an indispensable part of Bihu. The gamusa is used to wrap dhols; it is used as a wraparound for the head by both men and women performing the Bihu dance. It is also used as a wrap or waistcloth by farmers and fishermen.

The exact origin of the word is obscured. According to some, it originated from the Kamrupi word gamsaw, which denoted a cloth used to cover the Bhaagavad.

It is, above all, a mark of honour, respect, and reverance. In Assam, the gamusa is presented to honour guests or include a member to the family by wedding, and even used to wrap religious texts like the Bhaagwad (Bhagawad Geeta), making it an integral part of Assamese culture.

Two years ago, the humble gamusa even received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Government of India.

Culture And Politics Of Gamusa

The significance of gamusa in the political arena can be understood from the protests over a 'hybrid gamusa' being presented at a Bangla Sahitya Sabha event last year. The 'hybrid gamusa' was two cloths sewn together. while half of it was the Phulam gamusa — a cultural symbol of the Assamese, the other half was a Bengali 'gamchha' — which doesn't really have any cultural or religious significance to the 'Bangali' community, though it is extensively used in occasions like wedding ceremonies and pujas.
The Bangla Sahitya Sabha had hoped that this would bring in a feeling of brotherhood between the two communities. But it backfired as Assamese organisations across the state launched protests, alleging that it was an insult to the Assamese gamusa and the BSS had to issue an apology for "hurting sentiments".

This came at a time when protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) were still going on.

The politics of gamusa had reached its height when the piece of cloth became the symbol of Assamese nationalism during the 'anti-foreigner' movement between the 1960s and 1980s. It became a 'jatiyo potaka', or the national flag, and was used to invoke a sense of Assamese nationalism in people.

But that was politics of a different kind.

The present-day politics over gamusa began around the time of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. It reached a crescendo before the 2021 Assam assembly polls when Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a screenshot of the purchase order of a gamusa he bought online for Rs 1,950.

Just a week prior to that, Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was the state's health minister back then, highlighted how PM Modi had "blessed and honoured" the state by wearing the gamusa (as a scarf) while taking the Covid vaccine jab.

During the 2021 assembly polls, the BJP also accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of insulting the Assamese people by "throwing away" a gamusa. He was also attacked for allegedly sporting an 'anti-CAA' gamusa in 2021 during the protests. He was accused by the right-wing of defaming and distorting the cultural symbol of the Assamese.

Later in 2021, Priyanka Gandhi was seen wearing the gamusa as a scarf ahead of the UP elections during an interview to ABP. This move of the Congress leader earned her much praise.

Before the 2016 state elections in Assam, the BJP accused Rahul Gandhi and erstwhile CM Tarun Gogoi of ditching Assamese culture and "embracing Bangladeshi culture" when a photo of the two wearing green chequered towels went viral.

Earlier this month, before the Lok Sabha polls began, Chief Minister Himanta tried to invoke Assamese nationalistic sentiments using the gamusa. Speaking at a public meeting in Assam's Dibrugarh, he said previous Prime Ministers like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, or Rajiv Gandhi had never honoured the gamusa as PM Modi has done. "He wore the gamusa as an armour during Covid," he said.

 

Recently, when Rahul Gandhi passed through Assam during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, he seemed to have improved his image. He was seen carrying the gamusa with reverence. When he mispronounced the word as 'gamcha', a term more prevalent in the Hindi belt for towel, he acknowledged the mistake and corrected himself at the next public meeting he attended.

Modi bought the gamusa for Rs 2,000. But Edward Albert Gait, who was a Lieutenant Governor of the Bengal and Bihar Province (which included undivided Assam) from 1915-20, wrote in his book 'A History of Assam' that the gamusa cost around 6 paise in 1739. That was a time the humble gamusa was used only in the day-to-day lives of the Assamese and had no place in politics.

The history of the exact origins of the gamusa is lost now. It could have come from Thailand several centuries ago or could have been developed in the hills of the Northeast. The methods of production have changed now, and so have the sentiments and narratives around the revered gamusa.

Rajib Handique, the Head of Department for History at Gauhati University, told ABP Live that the beauty of the gamusa is in its fluidity. "It is still used as a jatiyo potaka in some places of the Brahmaputra Valley."

Speaking about the 2023 BSS incident, Handique said: "The gamusa has myriad uses, including dusting at home. However, one can't tamper with its public image. In the BSS incident, the gamusa was dismantled. The usage of the cultural symbol is very different at home and in the public sphere. Perhaps the message was noble, but the organisers could have presented the two cloths separately instead of cutting and sewing them together."

He said one of the reasons why gamusa can be politicised is because people have also become sensitive to their cultural identity. "I think even during the Assam agitation things were written on the gamusa. But now, when Rahul Gandhi is seen wearing an 'anti-CAA gamusa', there is a lot of hue and cry. It is because the trend of cultural symbols being used in politics is in vogue now. Gamusa is a part of it," he said, adding: "People like Badruddin Ajmal and Rahul Gandhi have simply handed their opponents the tools to criticise them."