The word 'basha' is an Assamese word meaning a 'hut' taking the form of naturally fabricated shelters made of bamboo and palm materials, it most probably first entered British Army vocabulary to mean a temporary shelter by Chindits operating behind enemy lines in Burma, with the sheet taking its name from this usage. Wider usage and adoption then came during the Malayan Campaign (1950–1959) where many ex-Chindits were recruited to fight the communist insurgents in the jungles.