Most of us ( specially Koches from Assam & WB) have known the “ AUICHOI “ ( Halodhiy /Yellow

Gamusa )as the traditional gamusa of the KOCH.

BUT DID YOU KNOW IT ONLY CAME TO USE IN THE 90’S .

ASSAM KOCH RAJBONSHI SANMILLANI ADOPTED THE YELLOW GAMUSA IN THE YEAR 1990 . THERE ARE
MANY ASPECTS TO WHY THE SANMILLANI INTRODUCED IT BUT ALSO VARIOUS REASONS WHY IT
BECAME SO POPULAR IN SUCH SHORT SPAN OF TIME ..

WHY WAS THE AUCHOI INTRODUCED ?

THE KOCH MASSES EAGERLY NEEDED A GAMUSA THAT COULD REPRESENT THEIR ASSPIRATIONS ,
MOST OF THE KOCHES FROM ASSAM AND WEST BENGAL WERE ACTIVE IN THE POLITICS OF THEIR
RESPECTIVE STATES AND HAD UNDERGONE A MASSIVE CHANGE BOTH IN POLITICAL AND CULTURAL
GROUND , THEY WERE COMPLETELY UNAWAREW THAT THEIR TRIBE HAD THEIR OWN TRADITIONAL
AND CULTURAL GAMUSA ALREADY SINCE AGES , ;’ “ THE SOKATHARAI “ .

THE AUCHOI HAS THE DESIGN OF A TYPICAL ASSAMESE GAMUSA ( WHITE FULAM GAMUSA )BUT
WAS YELLOW IN COLOUR INSTEAD OF WHITE . NOW THERE ARE TWO THEORY BEHIND SELECTING
THE YELLOW COLOUR . FIRSTLY IT REPRESENT THE LOHITIC MONGOLOID CLASS ( KOCH –BODO ). A
ANOTHER THEORY SUGGEST THE TRADITION A HALDHI BATH OF THE KOINA ( BRIDE ), A CEREMONY
THAT SYMBOLISES CLEANSING AND PURIFYING COUPLE’S BODY BEFORE THEY ENTER INTO HOLY
MATRIMONY . SYMBOLIC TO A HAPPY START OF A NEW LIFE .

FACTORS THAT AFFECTED THE GROWTH OF AUCHOI.

AS MENTIONED EARLIER , THE KOCH MASSES NEEDED SOMETHING THAT COULD REPRESENT THEM (PS-
IT ONLY EFFECTED THE MASSES OF ASSAM AND WEST BENGAL AND NOT MEGHALAYA AS THE KOCHES
OF MEGHALAYA REMAINED IN AN ISOLATED REGION AND WERE CONNECTED TO ONLY KOCH SOCIETIES
WHEREAS IN ASSAM , KOCHES INDULGED INTO THE STATE BUILDING AND ASSEMESE REGIONALISM
AND POLITICS ; WHILE IN WEST BENGAL WE SAW A GRADUAL CULTURAL EXPLOITATION BY THE
BENGALI GOVT OF CULCATTA ). HENCE APART FROM A NEED TO REPRESENT THE THE CULTURAL
ASPECT OF THE COMMUNITY , THE YELLOW GAMUSA ACTED MORE OF A POLITICAL REPRESENTATION
OF THE MASSIVE TRIBE .

THE REAL STORY HOWEVER BEGINS WITH NOT SO HAPPY START . IN THE 2nd HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY
A MASSIVE UPRISING STARTED IN ASSAM ; AN UPRISING AGAINST THE ILLEGAL BENGALI IMMEGRANTS
– ‘’ THE ASSAM MOVEMENT ‘’. THE KOCH YOUTH OF ASSAM HAVE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATED IN THE
UPRISING AND AND WERE EFFECTED BY IT . WHEN ASSAM MOVEMENT ENDED WITH THE SIGNING OF
THE ASSAM ACCORD BETWEEN THE INDIAN GOVT & AASU & AGP AND PEACE WAS FINALLY
RETURNING , ANOTHER UPRISING BEGAN IN THE DOARS OF ASSAM . THE BODO MOVEMENT . A TRIBAL
MOVEMENT BY THE MECH( BORO) POPULACE FOR SEPARATE STATEHOOD . IN THIS MOVEMENT THE
LIVES OF PEACEFULL KOCH POPULACE WERE SEVERLY AFFECTED . THUS THE KOCH MASSES FELT THE
NECESSITY TO UNITE AGAIN , AND HENCE THE AUCHOI ( YELLOW GAMUSA ) CAME INTO EFFECT .
STUDENT ORGANISATIONS SUCH AS AAKRSU PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN UNITING THE KOCH MASSES OF
ASSAM UNDER THE BANNER OF THE NEWLY ADOPTED “ AUCHOI ‘’.

TIME PASSED BY & THE AUCHOI WHICH WAS INITIALLY ADOPTED AS A PARTIAL CULTURAL CUM
POLITICAL SYMBOL OF THE KOCHES BECAME A SYMBOL OF PRIDE . HOWEVER BECAUSE OF IT , THE
ACTUAL ORIGINAL TRADITIONAL GAMUSA OF THE KOCH TRIBE GOT NEGLECTED . THE SOKATHARAI ,
WHICH HAS BEEN THE PRIDE OF THE TRIBE SINCES ANCIENT AGES HAS BEEN NEGLECTED BY OUR OWN
PEOPLE .

THE YELLOW AUCHOI HAS REPRESENTED US FOR 3 LONG DECADE NOW ‘; IT IS OUR DUTY TO HONOUR
AND RESPECT THE AUCHOI , BUT WE HAVE OUR OWN TRADITIONAL CULTURAL ATTIRE , INCLUDING
OUR OWN GAMUSA , WHICH ARE UNIQUE AND A REMINDER OF THE GLOURIOUS PAST , REMINDER OF
THE MASSIVE EMPIRE OUR LINEAGE BUILT, REMAINDER OF OUR LONG GONE GOOD DAYS , REMAINDER
OF OUR ANCESTORS WARRIORS BLESSED BY KAMAKHYA . A UNIQUE PIECE OF HANDLOOM , MASTERY
OF HAND WOVEN FABRIC AND A MATTER OF PRIDE FOR THE KOCH LADIES WHO MAKES IT WITH THEIR
OWN HAND .

OUR SOCIETY ( KOCH SOCIETY ) NEED TO LOOK FORWARD WITH A CONSTRUCTIVE APPROCH , TO BUILT
A BETTER FUTURE FOR OUR TRIBE : OUR TRUE IDENTITY .TO MAINTAIN THE VITALITY OF THE (KOCH )
IDENTITY , WE NEED TO BE ORIGINAL . WE NEED TO BE KOCH AGAIN.

WE NEED TO REVIVE – REGAIN-RE-ESTABLISH .

KOCH JATI HENG TONG