Sir,
Reference ‘Doona-Pattals on the verge of extinction’ Daily Excelsior April 13, 2014.
May I very humbly add to the knowledge of respected scholars that doona-pattals still much in use throughout our villages is not made from the leaves of Palah but from the leaves of Maloonghad (or Baloonghad) commonly found in the lower hill forests.
Of course doonas or even pattals made from the leaves of Palah are available in the market as an alternative not manually stitched but pressed mechanically, hence little cheaper. This variety is being used particularly by the street vendors and Bhandaras as well. Comparatively they are not much durable and hence cannot be stored for a long time as in the case of Maloonghad leaves. Not only marketing, tremendous use of plastic wares and above all the deforestation are the main threats to this village industry and the artisans. No leaves, no product, why to blame the customer or users.
Yours etc…
Narsingh Dev Jamwal
Bhalwal, Jammu
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