One of the symbols of the Bengali New Year, the kheror khata has been a part of the celebretory rituals for traders for at least as far back as the 18th century. As demand for hard-bound books grew, the kheror khata took a hit. “Next year onwards we will not make kheror khata as the material is hard to source (their current shipment comes from Jhansi) with so little demand. A resident of Joynagar, he has been involved in making kheror khata for almost 40 years now; he started at 13. Finally, the khero khata is stitched together with a thread that is also used to tie and close it.

Source: Indian Express April 14, 2018 01:01 UTC