India is a country with diverse cultures, ethnicity, and religion. Different
people, different dialects, different attires. That is why we say there is no place like India. The Northeast part of India comprising of the seven sisters as called geographically is more diverse than the rest of India. One of the states Assam has a long cultural and traditional lineage dating back to over many decades. Assam has contributed hugely to what diversity in India really means.
The state has many varieties of costumes as with the number of festivals. One such famous festival is BIHU which sees women donning ethnic attires. Dating back to the 16th century a fiber called Atasi was used, was used to make a luxurious clothing ‘Duluka’. Men sport a ‘Gamcha’ turban or headgear is worn by the men with dhoti for different occasions. The ‘Gamosa’ is basically used to wipe one’s body, but that has been converted into a fashion accessory. The same is tied around the waist as well. Fabrics used widely comprises of Eri and Muga silk. Women in Assam wear a saree like attire called ‘Mekhla Chador’ It is a traditional dress for the women in Assam. The bottom part is called the ‘Mekhla’ and is wrapped around the waist with pleats and the ‘Chador’ is worn like a shawl on the upper part of the body and one corner is tucked into the ‘Mekhla’.
The run for traditional dresses in Assam does not end here. Assam has many tribes and each tribe has a specific attire. One of them is a ‘Phagri‘ or turban in yellow or green in colour, which is worn on special occasions by the Dimasa tribe. There is a ‘Rigdo’ which is a small muffler that the Dimasa tribals wear. These are paired with two different varieties of dhotis – ‘Risha‘ and ‘Gainthao‘. Women of the tribe wear dresses similar to the ‘Mekhla Chador’ called Rigu and Bathormai. Likewise, the Bodo tribe men wear ‘Gamosas’ to cover their body waist down and the upper part is left bare. They pair it up with wooden shoes called ‘Kharam’. Different tribes have different names for similar dresses as well with a slight twist in style.
With new innovations, new varieties of the national dresses are thronging the Assamese markets. The silk fabrics used in the construction of most of the dresses are eco-friendly and guard against the harmful rays of the sun. The Muga silk is widely used fabric in Assam and outside as well, being very expensive, worn as a sign of aristocracy. The weaves have traditional motifs, animals and birds and nature is depicted wholesomely. The ‘Mekhla Chador’ is been worn not only by the Assamese but the entire world who know about this fashion garment. The same style is been westernized to a certain extent for the Global market and is hugely popular.
Assam is a beautiful state with beautiful people and much more beautiful traditional attires to represent the Country to the world. Still, many are left to be explored in the interiors to give a revamp to the fashion scene in the country as a whole.
