Who were gomosthas? Write any two functions.

(a) Gomastha was a paid servant of the East India company.
(b) His functions were to supervise weavers, collect supplies and examine the quality of cloth.
(c) Earlier supply merchants very often lived within the weaving villages. They had a close relationship with the weavers. They looked after their needs. They used to help the weavers in times of crisis. On the other hand, gomasthas were paid servants of the Company. They were outsiders. They had no social link with the village. Sometimes they acted arrogantly, marched into villages with sepoys and peons and punished weavers for delays in supply. They often beat and flogged them. Such actions on the part of the gomasthos led to clashes with weavers.