Tamulpur Anchalik Gramdan Sangh
Tamulpur Anchalik Gramdan Sangh is the oldest khadi institution in Assam located in Kumarikata village in the Tamulpur district of Assam. Originally from Arunachal Pradesh, it was relocated to Assam in 1962 by Shri Rabindranath Upadhyay and was later revived by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) in 2021. It is located in the Indo-Bhutan border zone.
Currently, Tamulpur Anchalik Gramdan Sangh is the main training centre for hand-spinning and handloom weaving in the entire north-eastern region of India, with a huge campus spanning across 11 acres of land. The institution is currently managed by Shri Anant Kumar.
The main products made by the KI use Eri silk yarns and a small production using cotton yarns and mixed yarns.
Products of Tamulpur Anchalik Gramdan Sangh
Eri Silk Products
The Eri silk products are made using mainly “Amber” charkha spun yarns in this Khadi Institution. They use extra-weft techniques for making stoles and shawls. The silk yardages are mostly in plain weave.
Cotton Mekhala Sadors
Mekhela Sador is one of the traditional clothing for women in Assam. It is a 2-piece ensemble containing a cylindrical skirt called “Mekhela” and a dupatta-like wrap for the upper body called “Sador”. Tamulpur Anchalik Gramdan Sangh make mainly cotton Mekhela Sadors in simple extra-weft designs.
Cotton Gamosa
Gamosa/Gamusa is the traditional Assamese hand towel/stole and also used as a gift or as an “Angvastra” to honour guests during special occasions. It is generally white in colour with red borders and red extra-weft designs. Tamulpur Anchalik Gramdan Sangh produces mostly Gamosas in cotton.
Spinning / Reeling
Spinning and reeling are mostly done using the “Amber” charkha by women spinners. All the spinning and reeling are done on the Tamulpur Anchalik Gramdan Sangh campus itself.
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Dyeing
Dyeing and washing facilities are also available at the centre. They use only natural dyes for dyeing their yarns. Sometimes, due to increased demands and inability to produce certain colours, they outsource their dyeing from other places.
Warping
Weavers use the sectional warping machine available at the centre for warping. In the villages, they use the traditional method of warp pegs mounted on the wall or the ground.
Weaving Preparation
The weavers themselves prepare bobbins for the weaving process using the bobbin-winding charkha. There are also women villagers hired only to do this job to ease the weavers’ workload.
The weavers also help each other in setting up the loom by doing the drafting and denting process together.
Weaving
All the weavers associated with the Khadi Institution are women, as weaving has always been one of the traditional activities performed by women in Assam as a hobby and to fulfil basic clothing needs for the household for ages.
Apart from the plain weave, the extra-weft designs are done using both the hand-insertion technique and the jacquard-weaving technique.
From the looms of Tamulpur, Assam.
Handmade at the Khadi Institutions across India
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