#MaskIndia: PM Modi uses homemade mask during CMs' meeting

NEW DELHI: On Saturday, PM Narendra Modi brought the modest, multi-purpose gamchha into the spotlight. While video conferencing with chief ministers across India on Covid-19, the PM covered his face with the desi stole to highlight and underline its usage as an affordable and easily available protective gear for millions of ordinary people.The PM, in his recent conversations, has repeatedly spoken about using homemade options to cover faces as a replacement for masks.The gamchha – best described as a thin cotton towel -- is popular in various avatars in states such as Bihar, east Uttar Pradesh, Bengal and Assam , where it is also offered as a gift to honoured guests. Farmhands, landowners, contractors, daily wagers, rickshaw pullers and porters -- the accessory is used by both the well-heeled and the underclass as an improvised, makeshift defence against extreme heat and biting cold.In Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan used the gamchha with relish in Manmohan Desai ’s Coolie (1983). Director Anurag Kashyap turned it into an object of upwardly-mobile cool in The Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). He wore it to the Cannes Film Festival.The Times of India has been actively spearheading a campaign, #MaskIndia, to encourage people to use homemade face masks as a preventive measure against Covid-19.Soon after the PM’s interaction with state chief ministers, the Union government issued an advisory about use of homemade masks, emphasising on importance of its regular cleaning and clarifying that homemade masks were advisable for common people but not for those involved in healthcare.In a telephonic conversation with BJP ’s Varanasi district president Hansraj Vishwakarma on Thursday, Modi had suggested use of towel or scarf (gamchha) in place of masks as a precaution against the virus. Modi is the Lok Sabha MP from Varanasi.“Instead of masks, use of gamchha will be more effective. There is no point wasting time and money on masks, which are required for doctors and the medical staff,” Modi suggested and asked the BJP politician to inspire others do so.A day after Modi’s advice, the district administration allowed the use of gamchha in his constituency and now several states have allowed its use.Referring to the PM’s advice, district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma circulated a message in a WhatsApp group for officials and media that “no action would be taken against those using gamchha (at public places)”. “The PM has emphasised the use of scarf and encouraged people for maximum use of gamchha. It would be treated as mask,” the DM said.In the last few days, several state governments have made it mandatory for people to cover their faces while venturing out of their houses.