Assam Handicrafts - Rhino and much more!
– December 08-14 :: All-India Handicrafts Week -

S Balakrishnan *

Assam Handicrafts

Rhino! Rhino! Rhino! This was my mantra during my second trip to Assam a few months back; this time I was determined to bring at least one Rhino to Chennai. During our earlier trip to Assam in 2016, the first thing I did on landing at the airport was to enquire the price of a small wooden rhino figure at the souvenir shop; the sales girl charmingly said “Only 1700 rupees, sir!”

I said I would rather kidnap a baby rhino for this price, come what may. It was a very short trip, so I could not find another within my budget. I was saddened to leave Assam, the Land of Rhinos, without even a single rhino. So, during my second visit to Assam which was for a longer period of 45 days, I had enough time to scout for a rhino within my budget.

For a mere 260 rupees I could buy a medium sized wooden rhino. Where is 1700 and where is 260, I wondered! But that was a real beauty with craftsmanship. Well, something is better than nothing; I comforted myself and bought two more for two kids back in Chennai.

My wife also approved of my decision without any comments which is a rare thing. With this auspicious beginning of buying an Assam handicraft item, I was tempted to acquire a few more also, adding to our collection already acquired during the first trip.

Xorai /Horai is one of Assam’s traditional and auspicious cultural symbols that is used in both religious and social functions as an offering tray to the deities and as tamul-paan (betel leaves & nut) holder to honour the visitors. It has two parts – the bottom tray called ‘bota’ and the conical top cover. The brass horai cost 350₹ .

Another big Horai, made of bamboo, had been discarded by an earlier occupant of the house now occupied by our daughter. Their waste is now our wealth! The elderly house owner, Shri Kishore Chandra Dekha, was magnanimous to see me off with a bigger ‘bota’ (the tray) and a beautifully designed ‘gamocha/ gamosa/ gamcha’, the traditional hand-woven Assamese scarf.

So, now I have three Xorai! Assam is also known for brass items. Hence I could not help buying the traditional slender Assamese brass lamp besides a tumbler and two spoons. A brass dinner plate was so costly I had to drop it (not the plate but my idea of buying one such).

The Ahom coat & topi

Shri KC Dekha also gifted me three clay images of Goddess Saraswathi that were worshipped during Saraswathi Puja in the past few years. Of these three, two were kept in the garden, weathering the rain & shine, and one was kept in his study room. Initially I was scheming to quietly lift those two idols but then thought it was not gentleman-like.

So I asked him if I could carry them back to Chennai and, to my surprise, he gave me the third image also. The Lakshmi image (worshipped during Lakshmi puja) was the only clay image I could buy from a potter’s shop.

Left behind, I was perhaps destined to bring Her to my Chennai home. But my financial position has not improved much except that as a pensioner I got the DA arrears! Hope She brings luck with the 8th pay commission.

Actually we were hunting for earthen cooking pots and to store drinking water because of the scorching heat; I even felt Guwahati was hotter than Chennai. It was then that I found this Lakshmi and kulhad (earthen tea tumblers). It struck me that at 3₹ each, kulhad would be a hit gift from Assam along with Assam tea packets.

The clay pipe (10 ₹ each) is used for smoking tobacco and what else, I don’t know. I must try it when my sweetheart is not at home. Our daughter converted one such pipe into a miniature Qutub Minar by painting it colourfully. I was surprised to learn that earthen cooking pots are not made in Assam but imported from neighbouring States. Only small clay items like lamps, images are made in Assam.

The ostrich that is poking its nose (or its long neck with the nose at its end) is a simple but striking art work of students of Govt. College of Arts & Crafts, Guwahati. The ostrich was love at first sight for my wife who had warned me not to acquire any curios. We bought this for ₹ 300 at a Mela.

An ordinary pine seed cone artistically converted into an ostrich! There was a solid image of Buddha in metal crafted by the students and also priced very reasonably; but as we already have quite a few Buddha images I placed back the heavy Buddha with a heavy heart. Two clay artifacts – a flower vase and a pen holder – created by threads of clay were also picked up by us.

The colourful bottle-like wooden object, I was told, is used in the wedding ceremony. My sharp eyes (of course with spectacles on) caught sight of this ceremonial object in a shop selling puja items in Uzan Bazaar market complex in Guwahati. We also bought a few bamboo trays and baskets of various shapes & sizes; after all, is not North-East India well known for bamboo handicrafts.

My wife was generous in buying two key chains with rhino and the traditional ‘dhol’ because they cost only ₹ 50 each. A pair of ear studs shaped like the traditional Assamese hat ‘jappi’ is a tiny beauty. Of wood, the spotted deer is another cute curio.

Assam Handicrafts

Whereas I went to buy vegetables at the Narengi Haat (Sunday Weekly Market), what I bought was a votive snake (of iron) that you find placed at Shiv Mandirs. But I had to bargain a lot to bring down its price from 150₹ to 50₹ .

I patted my back for improvement in my bargaining capacity as certified by my wife. The miniature set of Khasi tribe tools is a genuine piece from the Purbashree Emporium for 520₹ , though Khasi people live in majority in Meghalaya and in small numbers in Assam and Bangladesh.

Nature also gifted me two of her handicrafts – a bunch of dry flowers and a butterfly that had attained moksha. Packing all these things – some were delicate, like the ostrich - and bringing them safely by flight was another big task. The clay images posed a security threat at Guwahati airport and at Chennai airport metro rail station. Thankfully they were cleared after due explanation.

Besides the gamchha, we also have two more handloom items of Assam. The waistcoat and topi of the Ahom Tribe is a gift by our family friend the Borgohains. Made out of moga silk, the waistcoat was retained by our daughter who gave the topi to me to cover my receding hairline.

I can’t blame my wife for buying a cotton sari with Rhino images in body and pallu. Whereas she was grudging my spending on other curios, she simply swiped her credit card to buy this sari for a whooping ₹ 1850.

I suppose it is women’s birthright to purchase and hoard as many saris as possible on some pretext or other. Well, why should I complain? After all I got my Rhino and she got a sari full of Rhinos!