SIGNIFICANCE OF JAAPI, XORAI, GAMOSA IN ASSAM POLL BATTLE

Primarily used to felicitate important people and guests, these important symbols of Assamese identity and culture are abundantly seen in political campaigns across the state

2. Jaapi

• The jaapi is a conical hat made of bamboo and covered with dried tokou (a palm tree found in rainforests of Upper Assam) leaves
• While it is most often used in official functions to felicitate guests, the landscape of rural Assam features a more utilitarian version, which farmers wear to protect themselves from the harsh weather, both sun and rain, while working in the fields
• The first possible recorded use of jaapi dates back to the Ahom-era buranjis, or chronicles
•  Later, the jaapi was also seen and popularised in the first Assamese film, Joymati (1935) made by cultural icon Jyotiprasad Agarwala
• Today, the bulk of Assam’s jaapis are made by artisans based in a cluster of villages in Nalbari district

Source: Wiki media commons

3. Gamosa

• The Gamosa, which literally translates to a cloth to wipe one’s body, is omnipresent in Assam, with wide-ranging uses
• It can be used at home as a towel (uka gamosa) or in public functions (phulam/floral gamosa) to felicitate dignitaries or celebrities
• According to Baruah, the gamosa is a “symbol of the Assamese nation” and its use in that context can be traced back to 1916 and 1917, when the Asom Chatra Sanmillan (first student organisation) and Asom Sahitya Sabha (premier literary organisation) were founded
• However, it was only during the anti-foreigner Assam Agitation of the early 1980s, when Assamese nationalism reached its crescendo, that the gamosa assumed a new role
• Today, no public function can commence without the guest first being felicitated with the gamosa

4. Xorai

• Made of bell-metal, the xorai  essentially a tray with a stand at the bottom, with or without a cover  can be found in every Assamese household
•  While it is primarily used as an offering tray during prayers, or to serve tamale-paan (betel-nut) to guests, a xorai is also presented along with the jaapi and gamosa while felicitating someone
• The bulk of xorais in Assam are made in the state’s bell metal hub Sarthebari in Bajali district

Source: indianexpress