Legacy woven in Silk: The Vrindavani Vastra
Through your esteemed daily, I want people to know about the Vrindavani Vastra, which is a legacy for Assam. The Vrindavani Vastra is a revered 16th-century woven silk textile that is a masterpiece of Assamese handloom tradition and a significant piece of its spiritual heritage. The textile was created in Assam under the direct guidance of the great Vaishnavite saint and social reformer Srimanta Sankardeva, commissioned by the Koch king Nara Narayana. It was woven by a team of 13 weavers using the intricate lampas technique, which is now largely extinct in India. The Vastra literally means "Cloth of Vrindavan" and depicts scenes from the life of Lord Krishna, including his childhood activities, divine pastimes with the gopis, the slaying of the serpent Kaliya, and his birth. It also includes text from Sankardeva's devotional plays. The Vastra originally consisted of multiple panels that were later stitched together into a large piece, approximately 9.37 metres long.
The exact circumstances of how the Vastra left Assam are unclear, but historical records suggest pieces that it travelled to Tibet, likely through ancient trade routes or potentially through conflict or trade. In Tibet, the large silk panels were stitched together and repurposed as a hanging in a Buddhist monastery in the town of Gobshi. Landon presented the large, stitched textile to the British Museum in 1905. It was initially misidentified and catalogued as a "Tibetan silk lampas" because Tibet was its last known location. The Vrindavani Vastra will be back in Assam for a temporary exhibition after approximately 123 years. It is absolutely a moment of immense joy, anticipation, and cultural pride for the people of Assam. After more than a century of the Vastra residing in the British Museum, its return is seen as a major cultural reclamation and a reconnection with a foundational piece of Assamese history and identity.
The government of Assam is working with the British Museum to finalize an agreement that would bring the historic 16th-century silk textile back to its place of origin for the first time in over a century. On November 17, 2025, the Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, signed a formal Letter of Intent (LoI) with the British Museum in London. This formalizes the loan arrangement and outlines mutual commitments for transport, security, and conservation. The most critical step is the construction of a new, state-of-the-art museum in the Khanapara area of Guwahati. This facility is specifically designed to provide the necessary climate-controlled environment (stable humidity, temperature, and lighting) required for the delicate 16th-century silk textile. The JSW Group (Jindal Group), under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, is funding and building the new museum. This partnership is vital to ensuring the facility meets world-class standards. The government is working closely with the British Museum authorities to finalize all handling, preservation, and display guidelines. They are also collaborating with the Indian High Commissioner to the UK and engaging the local diaspora to facilitate a smooth process.
These steps are intended to ensure that all conditions set by the British Museum are met well in advance of the planned 2027 exhibition. The Vrindavani Vastra is scheduled to be exhibited there in 2027 for a period of 18 months. It is a very wonderful and joyous moment for the people of Assam.
Violina Garg
Pragjyotish College
Greening Guwahati
After the construction of flyovers and completion of the related widening of the roads, the authorities neglect the follow-up action in the replantation works in the place of the uprooted plants or trees that have sacrificed their places for the better comfort of mankind. We have nothing to say against these development works but painfully observed that a massive green coverage was thus uprooted, left unattended and neglected, and no such care has been taken to restabilise nature, which is required urgently. In this connection, we would like to propose that the State Govt should hand over to the Horticulture Dept the entire commissioning and aftercare management process of the plantation networks with the suitable trees which are best suited for this city. It is also very sad to observe how the Electricity Dept mercilessly cut the roadside plantations to keep the trees downsized, against nature. These could have been avoided if the overhead high-voltage transmission lines were converted to rubber-insulated wires. There are no plantation works on the highways also. The National Highways Authority of India should be compelled to keep funds for plantation works for green coverage of this state. We must keep nature stabilized and normal for our future generation.
Prasanta Baruah
Ashroy Path, Dispur
Jaguars deserve attention
The third biggest cat after the lion and tiger, the jaguar can easily be seen during dry seasons when its prey frequently comes to waterholes. The United Nations (UN) has included the marvellous beauty in its global appendices governing "Conservation of migratory species of wild animals" (Bonn Convention). The jaguar also finds a place in the "Red List" of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Nearly 1,60,000 Jaguars are found in nineteen countries spread through North and South America, though its population has seen a steep fall over the years. Loss of habitat and degradation have haunted the big cat. The animal is known to cross many international borders of "the Americas" in its quest for supremacy and breeding. Transboundary conservation, therefore, holds great significance. Maintenance and restoration of migratory corridors are long-term goals for the IUCN. Plenty of "Jaguar Conservation Units" have sprung up across North America and South America. State-of-the-art techniques like wildlife tracking telemetry are in use to spot and save the adorable big cat. November 29 is "International Jaguar Conservation Day".
Dr Ganapathi Bhat
(gbhat13@gmail.com)
Ignored patients
Government hospitals nowadays often fail to give proper attention to patients. Many people depend on these hospitals because treatment is affordable, yet they face long waiting lines, a shortage of doctors, and a lack of essential medicines. Patients sometimes feel ignored due to overcrowding and poor management. Emergency cases also get delayed, which puts lives at risk. The infrastructure in many government hospitals is outdated, and cleanliness is not maintained properly. To improve the situation, the government must increase staff, provide better facilities, and ensure strict monitoring. Quality healthcare is a basic right, and every patient deserves timely and respectful treatment.
Sofikul Islam
Goalpara, Assam