Safai

Small cloth wrapped around the base of
a chillum, a clay cylinder used for smoking a mixture of tobacco and hashish
(charas). The safai serves two purposes,
one ritual and one physical. On one
hand, it forms a barrier intended to prevent passing the ritual impurity
(ashaucha) carried by saliva when the
chillum is being passed from person to
person. Ascetics who are very conscious
of purity or status will often wrap their
own safai around the base of the chillum
before smoking. Aside from helping to
protect personal purity, the safai also
serves a practical purpose–it is usually
dipped in water before being wrapped
around the chillum, which serves to cool
and mellow the smoke being drawn
through it.