Description
Context: Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has of late made it his style statement to sport the Risa, a customary handwoven cloth used by Tripura’s indigenous tribal communities.
- The trend has picked up on social media with people posting their photos with the Risa.
What is a Risa, and why is it important?
- Risa is one of the three parts of a customary Tripuri female attire, the other two being the Rignai and Rikutu.
- The Risa, which is essentially a customary handwoven cloth, is used as a head gear, stole, female upper cloth or presented to honour a distinguished recipient.
- The Rignai is primarily used to cover lower part of the body and literally translates into ‘to wear’.
- The Rituku covers the upper half of the body, wrapping it all around.
- However, it is also used like a ‘chunri’ or a ‘pallu’ of the Indian saree.
- It is also used to cover the head of newly married Tripuri women.
Importance:
- Apart from its beautiful designs, the Risa plays a host of crucial social utilities.
- Adolescent Tripuri girls are first given risa to wear when she reaches 12-14 years in an event called Risa Sormani.
- The event involves prayers to a Lampra god, where her elder women pray for her wellbeing throughout her life.
- Risa is primarily used as a breastcloth and is wove in different colourful designs.
- However, it is also used in religious festivals like the Garia Puja, a customary festival of the tribal communities, or as a head turban by male folks during weddings and festivals, as a cummerbund over dhoti, head scarf by young girls and boys, muffler during winters.
- The cloth is even used as a makeshift baby carrier on the mother’s back.
History
- The complete Tripuri attire is claimed to have originated even before the Manikya kings’ rule.
- In the ancient days, they used to judge a woman’s intelligence in these communities by her woven Rignai and Risa designs.
- Though the history is contested, Maharaj Trilochana, aka Subhrai Raja — one of the early Manikya kings — is said to have invented nearly 250 designs of Rignai during his time for his 250 wives.
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/tripura-culture-risa-trend-explained-7155359/