Dec 28, 1998
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AHMEDABAD The Zealous Headman A septugenarian ardently practices and perfects the dying art of turban-making. By Uday Mahurkar His house may be in one of Ahmedabad's most colourless areas but as one winds one's way through dusty and serpentine lanes towards the residence of Desalbhai Dabhi, 72, there are surprises galore. For, it is full of colour -- in the form of pagris (turbans) of varying shapes and from different regions. You have to admit it: the man has a head for turbans. Dabhi, however, must not be mistaken for an eccentric millionaire who collects exquisite turbans. What he does is make things simpler for the many who cover their heads with swathes of cloth. Keeping with the times, Dabhi over two decades has mastered the art of making pre-tied pagris, an "instant" turban, in an ad man's parlance. Show him a photograph of a turban, and the cloth in his hand magically takes on a similar shape. His zest is incredible, his explanation simple: "For me it's both a mission and a passion. I enjoy doing it."
Not everyone agrees with him though. Dabhi is a big draw with dressmakers, who have as their clients drama troupes performing historical and even contemporary plays. He sells his turbans at rates ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 400 per piece, depending on the cost of cloth and the intricacy of design. And they sell like hot cakes, so much so that they have even found buyers abroad via the Festivals of India organised there. For Dabhi, therefore, turban-making has become a hobby-cum-profession. But curiously enough, he got into this by a quirk of fate. As a ballet drama artiste-cum-make-up man in the mid-'60s, he observed that in the whole of Ahmedabad there was only one old man making turbans for drama troupes and that there was a short supply of proper headgears which actually affected the quality of plays. So he started out on his venture. "I knew that since it was his trade secret the old man wouldn't teach me if I requested him formally. So I would surreptitiously observe him making pagris," reveals Dabhi rather candidly. But it remained just a hobby till the early '70s when he started making turbans on a professional basis. He recalls : "For the first few years I found the task very difficult because of the many twists and turns in the pagris. The perfect shape would seldom come. But eventually I mastered the art with my determination." That certainly is evident when he gets down to work with his raw materials -- rolls of silk and cotton cloth in different colours, canvas boards, iron wires, cotton, needle and thread. But in these times, dedication like Dabhi's is rare. Something which he himself, is painfully aware of. As he ruefully points out, the pagri is only visible in rural pockets nowadays in sharp contrast to the times when both the privileged as well as the common man wore it. It was a symbol of pride and even attitudes; once people even considered the pagri as the symbol of their honour. No wonder he laments, "Turbans are fast becoming the pride of museums." Dabhi has not failed his clients and the many who revere him. Says Bhalabhai Patwa, a pagri seller of Ahmedabad for whom Dabhi has made some exquisite turbans in the past: "His fingers are wedded to the pagri." And one hopes the marriage lasts forever. |
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And there is no doubt about what he says. Dabhi has
a collection of over 30 turbans from states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and
Punjab. Among those that he specialises in are the Ahmedabadi round-shaped pagri, which
was worn by wealthy sheths or merchants; the royal Mughlai pagri worn by the Mughals and
the Maharashtrian Brahmin's round pagri in red silk and gold -- worn by leaders of the
freedom struggle like Gokhale and Tilak -- which Dabhi calls the "Joshi's
Pagri". Added to these are the Peshawari pagris of the Pathans and the conical
variety with a plume at the top, worn by Chhatrapati Shivaji and his descendants. But it
isn't just expensive or regal pagris that he makes, for, his collection also includes
those of the Ahirs (cowherds) of Kutch and the Charans or bards. Says Dabhi modestly:
"It is believed that every village on an average has five different pagris. My
efforts in that backdrop is a very small one." 
