Skip to main content

EXPERIMENTAL - Project Gamcha - The humble towel comes into its own


 PROJECT GAMCHA – Rangila Dhaga -

Gamcha – what? Just a towel, did you say that…well Project Gamcha by Dastkaari Haat Samiti made it that and beyond. Taking the humble gamcha or towel, they have created a collage, design scape of what can be done with these wondrous weaves. The handloom gamcha has found its place in the sun…actually – the sun, the moon and the stars.

The ordinary gamcha gets its moment under the sun. Taken out from the unsung ordinary to the extraordinary. It has been able to achieve two folds, one to document the various traditional handwoven towels made in the country and two provide a method using the same fabric for apparel, sarees and more.

Gamcha for the uninitiated is the towel that is commonly used everywhere. It is used at home by the family to dry oneself as a towel. However, it comes out on its own when it is used by men. Most men in villages have a towel or an anghavastra on them. It has a host of versatile uses..yes it is ideal to spread on the ground under the shade of the tree for a quick nap, it can be rolled into a bun and kept under the head as a pillow, it can be used to cover the face so that flies do not disturb a midsummer day nap, it is used to wipe the sweat, used as a bun to carry load, worn around the body…well the list can go on…The names commonly used for these are Gamchha, Gamucha, Gamla, The traditional length of the gamcha is 70 inch by 30 inch or so. The cotton is coarse but the fabric goes soft with repeated use. So commonplace that the gamcha is never considered a part of fabric or material.

Gamcha though is the name used in Bengal / Assam / Odisha. It is known by several names like Thundu in Tamil,   Thortu in Malayalam. The North East has its own repertoire of names. The motifs and colours can be used to identify the tribe the person belongs to. The North also uses this extensively.    

Under project Gamcha, many weavers have worked along with Dastkari Haat Samiti to incorporate the weaving into their apparel and fabric. So there are some gorgeous gamcha sarees with jamdani work on them, gamcha material, place mats, runners.. Gunjan has incorporated gamcha weaving with her trademark ikkat and more.  


Catch the exhibition till the 10th March 2025 at National Crafts Museum and Hastkala Academy. And for those keen to know about the fabric, weaves etc..Dastkaari Haat Samiti is the contact point.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BOOK REVIEW - Divyambara (Masterpieces of costume from the Collection of the National Museum) by Dr. Lotika Vardarajan

We do a book review this time,  this book Divyambara (Masterpieces of costume from the Collection of the National Museum) by Dr. Lotika Vardarajan with contribution from Sushmit Sharma brought out by the National Museum, New Delhi. Dr. Lotika Vardarajan, a Tagore Fellow passed away suddenly before the book could be released. It is an ideal tribute to her vast knowledge, enthusiasm and spirit in the world of revival and documentation of traditional crafts, arts and preservation of heritage of the country. The book can be called a catalogue, anthology, brief history of sorts of the textile collection at the National Museum. It traces the origins of the textile department which falls under the section of Decorative Arts and then the building of the collection. There are interesting insights which one does not get to hear. The introduction by Dr. Mani clearly states that unlike other Museums which had a repertoire of collected textiles presented to them or gifted to them to begin wit...
Post a Comment
Read more

BOOK REVIEW - Textiles: Binding threads between Cultures from National Museum Collections

The season of books and what they reveal continue. This is from the National Museum and titled  Textiles: Binding threads between Cultures from National Museum Collections.    What is good is that several books documenting collections in various museums and private collections is coming out. This makes available a vast variety of heritage textiles available in the public domain. Since most of them are not on display and need special permission to be viewed, these publications are useful for those who want to know more about the collection present. It is in this genre that the recent book brought out by the National Museum serves its purpose. This book aptly covers that. The book which has been in the making for some time now provides an interesting insight into the history of textiles and its historical significance. Dr. Anamika Pathak, Curator, Decorative Arts, National Museum, New Delhi tells me is that a two day symposium was held on the Embroidered Art of South of I...
Post a Comment
Read more

INSPIRATIONALLY YOURS - MUDMEE SILK

Textile exhibitions in Delhi are few and far between, therefore this organised by The Royal Thai Embassy , New Delhi, Republic of India, in collaboration with The National Museum, New Delhi and The Thai Khadi Research Institute, Thammasat University was a stunner and eye opener to say the least. It had on display some fabulous selection of Thai Mudmee – weft ikat fom Thailand.  This was seeing a lot of it for the first time and what a sight to behold it was. The exhibition had on display fabulous Thai silk threads, there was a short film of the rearing of the cocoons to the reeling and weaving of the silk. What was a stunner was the brilliant single ikat on display. Single ikat unlike what we have seen from Gujarat,  Andhra Pradesh or Orissa. The depth of the motifs, colours all fit in beautiful. What added the extra dimension to the exhibition was the display of textiles both antique, vintage and of course contemporary. It not only helped understand the textile and its innova...
Post a Comment
Read more