Gamosa Mela gets overwhelming response from buyers

Our Correspondent

MANGALDAI, April 13:  The weavers of the district, in the Handloom and Textiles Department sponsored seven-day long Gamosa Mela, 2018 at Mangaldai Bor Pukhuri Par, on the eve of Rongali Bihu celebration, received tremendous response from the buyers here and till the closing day of the mela on Friday, the weavers were able to sell phulam gamosa or Bihuwan amounting to Rs 4 lakh in a week.

The overwhelming response from the buyers has once again reflected that the demand and love for hand-woven gamosa or other dress material can never be challenged or threatened by the powerloom-made gamosa or other dress materials imported from other States of the country or Bangladesh. The crowd of buyers who thronged the Gamosa Mela could be from 10 am to 10 pm every day during the mela, which has inspired and encouraged the weavers to get themselves more deeply involved in the traditional weaving.

At the initiative of Darrang Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Barman, Additional Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Chakraborty coordinated the matter with the Assistant Director of Handloom and Textiles department, Bipul Kalita and with the involvement of Ekata Bandhan, an NGO working on the handloom, the Gamosa Mela was organized with the unique idea to offer the relief to the promising local artisans of Darrang who have been in search of an organized market for handloom woven Bihuwan at the district headquarter town at Mangaldai ahead of Rongali Bihu festival.

Himadree Choudhury, a housewife interested in the weaving sector who is leading the Ekata Bandhan as the secretary, highly appreciated the spirit of the district administration and the Handloom and Textiles department here in organizing such a unique mela in an organized way to boost up the spirit of the often neglected weavers mostly living in the rural areas of the district.

“We have not compromised with quality of our products and today we are immensely happy to receive an overwhelming response from every section of the society in buying gamosa or other handloom products from our stall,” said Himadree Choudhury with a smile of satisfaction on her face. She also added that they were planning to unite all the interested weavers in one platform so that they could earn their livelihood with traditional handloom products of the State.

 “If the government allots us a plot of suitable land, we are going to form a cooperative society so that all the weavers of the district can ensure their earning by weaving the dream flowers in the handloom products,” said Himadree Choudhury with great confidence while talking to The Sentinel on Friday evening.