Khurda Gamchha – Numero Uno in Towel Industry

By Srikanta Mohanty: It was the year: 1993. The busy railway station at Bhubaneswar had one unusual sight. The curious onlookers spotted a westerner in unusual attire.  The lanky American had one towel wrapped below his waist. Familiarity with the fabric and color of the cloth sent peals of laughter among the youngsters standing in the platform.  The foreigner had wrapped a “Khurda Gamchha” around his waist -the towel that is cheap but still enjoys highest demand from the people of Odisha.

“This towel has greater utility. Take the instance of scorching heat of summer that simply burns your skin. You are travelling or riding your two- wheeler with highest risk of a fatal sun stroke. Just wet this gamchha (towel) and wrap it over your head. Rest assured you would never suffer from a stroke”-says Jatin Dash- a frequent traveler in the trains of Indian Railway, who at least keeps a pair of such towel in his luggage. Being light weight, the towel does not take much time to get dry as water gets easily evaporated when exposed to air.

Milkmen find unique utility, when they send cheese from one place to other. It keeps the commuters amused as they watch cheese packed and tied in this towel in the posteriors of the buses. The bulge of wet cheese stays fresh while getting transported from one place to another as it gets exposure to air.

“Admittedly, the orange towels are not parts of fashion. But it is among the top possessions of middle-class families. Apart from being travel friendly, you do not feel the weight of water as you bathe and rinse it with water. Just squeeze the water off towel and hang it near the window for a few minutes. Then you wrap it and keep in your bag. As a commuter, I always prefer to keep a piece in my bag”-says Bibhuti Swain- a clerk in State secretariat, who has to commute a distance of 40 kilometers to and from his home daily.

Besides towel, Khurda Lungi is the unique feature of Odisha. It is available in many colours including blue, red and green. The towels enjoy lofty status in religiosity as Brahmins get gifts from people during rituals. Besides that the sacred cloth is also part of most of rituals in the households of Odisha.