Kaberi Dutta ChatterjeeDirector, KAA Media · Narrative Architect | Director, KAA Media Inc.

শিমূল তুলোর পাশবালিশ তৈরী কেমন করে করে ৷ How to make the best cotton pillows in the world 🌎

13 Mar 2021 · 3 min

Watch on YouTube

3:06

In this vlog, the creator documents a visit to a traditional pillow‑making workshop in Kolkata, highlighting the endangered craft of hand‑sewing Bengali pashpalish (cotton pillows) using rare Shimul/Tulu cotton. She contrasts the meticulous hand process with the now‑defunct machines that once dominated production, lamenting the loss of cultural knowledge. Expressing a personal commitment to cultural preservation, she explains her plan to bring several handcrafted pillows back to Canada, framing the act as both a protest against modern synthetic alternatives and a tangible effort to safeguard a fading heritage. Throughout, she mixes Bengali, Hindi, and English, conveying enthusiasm, nostalgia, and a sense of urgency about protecting this unique artisanal practice.

Chapters

This is dying art and dying culture. So I'm making these pillows. I'm taking them back home. Yeah, you'll be surprised why I take back pillows. But I I just oh my god so much. मैं जा रही हूँ. बहुत जोर से धूप है, तुलू आ रहा है। So as you can see, these guys are doing this. So this is a very nice culture which is dying, and I'm kind of trying to restore it. This is how they do now these days. The tank tank machine is not वो मशीन चलता नहीं है। बंद हो गया। लेकिन वो मशीन से ज़्यादा अच्छा होता है ना? वो सब मशीन, वज़ाई का, वो जिल्लेब का गाय उड़ने वाला होता है ना? हाँ। वही लगता है, ये नहीं लगता। ये तो बहुत ज़्यादा हो गया, इतना तुलो हो गया। सब घुस जाएगा। My Hindi is deplorable, but yeah, you can you can understand what I mean. This is how they're going to do it. एक बार के दिखाइए हमको। Tulu is running away. This is Shimul Tulu, which is not available in any part of the world except for India, and this kind of pillow making is still in Kolkata exists in Kolkata. I think parts of India. Too. So this is a very, very dying culture. We grew up with this culture, but these days people use all kinds of artificial stuff to make their pillows. Yeah, and that's a pashpalish, quintessential Bengali pashpalish, which I'm going to take back home to Canada. You see, I'm— as you know, I am A little freaked out about Bengali culture, about a dying culture heritage. वो पूरा घुस गया। पूरा घुस गया। So yes, I'm taking my kulbaleesh with me and I'm very excited. I'm going to push it into the baggage and let the authorities find out why I'm taking it with me.