Reimagining The Majuli Mask-Making Culture Through Betel Nut Leaf COVID Masks

The Coronavirus pandemic has pushed people to their creative limits, not just in terms of art, but also to make the best of what is available to them. Inspired by the Majuli mask making (bamboo splits woven to make the mask skeleton) culture of Assam and the bountiful of betel nut trees available to her, Sangeeta Bharali, a second-year fashion design student at NIFT, Shillong, took it upon herself to make masks out of its leaves, purely to be able to recreate the design with new material.

“Betel Nut leaves are traditionally used to pack things or as a base to dry pickles and other sun-drying activities. I had been noticing it for a while, so I wanted to make use of the material and thought of creating a mask out of it,” says Sangeeta. While she remains unsure of its practicality, she maintains that with certain upgrades, these masks could be made fully functional for the purpose of protection against the novel Coronavirus.

Sangeeta reveals that much like everyone else, she is also stuck at home, quarantining in Dergaon, Assam. She says that being in the close vicinity of nature at home pushed her to try her hand at betel nut leaf mask-making.

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