Every Bihu season, markets across Assam fill up with gamosas — but a growing number of them are not what they appear to be. Cheaper, machine-made versions imported from textile hubs like Surat, Ahmedabad, and Ludhiana are being sold alongside, and sometimes in place of, the authentic hand-woven product, and currently there is no laboratory in the state that can tell the difference.
That gap is now at the centre of a push by Assam's legislative assembly to set up a dedicated textile testing facility within the state.
The Committee on Welfare of Women and Children of the Assam Legislative Assembly has formally recommended the establishment of a dedicated laboratory under the state's Handloom and Textile Department — one specifically equipped to distinguish genuine handloom products from powerloom imitations.
The Handloom and Textile Department has, in turn, urged the state government to take the proposal to the Centre and seek approval for setting up such a facility in Assam.
Also Read: Drive against powerloom gamosas continues in Guwahati city
India currently has nine approved textile testing laboratories across the country. For the Northeast, the nearest authorised facility is operated by the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms in Kolkata.
But officials say the Kolkata lab has not consistently delivered satisfactory results when it comes to identifying suspected powerloom products seized in Assam — making a strong case for a dedicated facility closer to home.
The demand now is for the state government to urgently submit a proposal to the Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Government of India, to get an approved lab set up within Assam itself.
The traditional Assamese phulam gamosa holds a Geographical Indication (GI) tag — a recognition of its authenticity and cultural heritage. But that protection has done little to stop the influx of machine-made alternatives in practice.
During Bohag or Rongali Bihu, markets in key commercial areas including Fancy Bazaar, Ganeshguri, Khanapara, Chandmari, Noonmati, and Beltola see a sharp rise in powerloom gamosas sold at significantly lower prices.
These products directly undercut the cost of genuine hand-woven gamosas produced by artisans in weaving centres such as Sualkuchi, Ramdia, Nagaon, Rangia, and Baihata.
Allegations have surfaced against traders who are reportedly selling powerloom gamosas as handloom products — deceiving consumers and directly eating into the earnings of local weavers.
A section of observers has also criticised the state's Handloom and Textile Department for not doing enough to regulate the inflow of such products into Assam's markets.
The state's Directorate of Handloom and Textiles does operate a Textile Testing Laboratory at the Handloom Research and Design Centre in Guwahati — but officials note that this facility is equipped only to assess the quality of yarn and fabric.
It cannot determine whether a gamosa or mekhela sador was woven by hand or produced on a machine, which is precisely the test that is needed.
Until a properly equipped and approved lab is established in the state, the distinction between the real and the fake will remain difficult to prove — and easier to exploit.