Introduction
While making the journet into the history of art and design we tried to make an attempt to relook and trace back t5he history of our existence. We saw how form changed from time to time. How product evolved and get accepted by the mass. But deeper than it’s tecniquecalities and economical fluency, it is its strong asthetic, culture and its strong functional aspect that made it stand out from the rest.
Living in the city of history and vast culture, ahmedabad , we thought of searching the city and tracing its evolution and history.
AHMEDABAD THE CITY OF HISTORY
The city came into being on the easty bank of the sabarmaty river.The site appears to have been occupied by settlements going as far back as the stone age and there are later vestiges bearing evidence to the existenence of buildings erected along the river at sarangpur ,Raipur ,Raikad and Bhadra. According to literary sources, Karnadeva, Solanki, king of Anahilvada – Patan established his capital here between 1063 and 1093. The firs city was designated in the 14th century by the name of Ashaval. Asha bhil- no-tekro, some where near Dhaal-ni-pol, is eaven today known .All-biruni a Persian from 11th century and jain author in the 12th century mentioned the city of Ashaval and Karnavacati,but say nothing of its precise location or of its size.
Thus Ahmedabad dates officially back to 1411,founded as it was by Adamed Shah ani its history can be divided into five periods. Origin of name
There is a legend associated with Ahmedabad. At the beginning of the fifteenth century, an independent sultanate ruled by the Muslim Muzaffarid dynasty was established in Gujarat. Sultan Ahmed Shah, while camping on the banks of the Sabarmati river, saw a hare chasing a dog. The sultan was intrigued by this and asked his spiritual adviser for explanation. The sage pointed out unique characteristics in the land which nurtured such rare qualities which turned a timid hare to chase a ferocious dog. Impressed by this, the sultan, who had been looking for a place to build his new capital, decided to found the capital here and called it Ahmedabad.
Solanki dynasty
Archaeological evidence points to the occupation of the site from a much earlier period than that of Sultan Ahmed Shah. It was known in ancient times as Ashapalli or Ashaval. In the eleventh century the Solanki King Karandev I, ruler of Anhilwara (modern Patan), waged a war against the Bhil king of Ashaval. After his victory he established a city called Karnavati on the banks Sabarmati at the site of modern Ahmedabad. Solanki rule lasted until the thirteenth century, when Gujarat came under the control of the Vaghela dynasty of Dwarka.
Sultanate rule
Gujarat was then conquered by the Sultanate of Delhi at the end of the thirteenth century. In 1487 Mahmud Begada, the grandson of Ahmed Shah, fortified the city with an outer city wall six miles in circumference and consisting of 12 gates, 189 bastions and over 6,000 battlements to protect it from outside invaders. The last Sultan of Ahmedabad was Muzaffar II.
Mughal rule
Gujarat was conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1573. During the Mughal reign, Ahmedabad became one of the empire's thriving centres of trade, especially in textiles, which were exported as far as Europe. Jehangir, son of Akbar, visited Ahmedabad in 1617 but did not like it and called it Gardabad, the city of dust. Shahjahan spent the prime of his life in the city, and also built the Moti Shahi Mahal in Shahibaug.
Maratha rule
In 1753, the armies of the Maratha generals Raghunath Rao and Damaji Gaekwad captured the city and ended Mughal rule in Ahmedabad. A famine in 1630 and the constant power struggle between the Peshwa and the Gaekwad virtually destroyed the city. Many suburbs of the city were deserted and many mansions lay in ruins[1].
British rule
The British East India Company took over the city in 1818. A military cantonment was established in 1824, a municipal government in 1858, and a railway link between Ahmedabad and Bombay (Mumbai) in 1864. Ahmedabad grew rapidly, becoming an important center of trade and textile manufacturing.
The struggle for independence from the British soon took roots in the city. In 1915, Mahatma Gandhi came from South Africa and established two ashrams in the city, the Kochrab Ashram near Paldi in 1915 and the Satyagrah Ashram on the banks of Sabarmati in 1917. The latter was later called Harijan Ashram or Sabarmati Ashram. He started the salt satyagraha in 1930. He and many followers marched from his ashram to the coastal village of Dandi, Gujarat, to protest against the British imposing a tax on salt. Before he left the ashram, he vowed not to return to the ashram until India became independent.
Post independence
After independence, Ahmedabad became a provincial town of Bombay. On May 1 1960, Ahmedabad became a state capital as a result of the bifurcation of the state of Bombay into two states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. A large number of educational and research institutions were founded in the city in the 1960s. In February 1974, Ahmedabad occupied the centre-stage of national politics with launch of the Nav Nirman agitation. It started of as an argument over a 20% hike in hostel food bill in the L.D. College of Engineering, but ignited an agitation which later snowballed into the Nav Nirman movement. This movement caused the then chief minister of Gujarat, Chimanbhai Patel, to resign and also gave Indira Gandhi one of the excuses for imposing the Emergency on June 25, 1975[2]. There were two major anti-reservation protests in 1981 and 1985[3]. On 26 January 2001, a devastating earthquake centred near Bhuj, measuring 6.9 on the richter scale, struck the city. As many as 50 multistoried buildings collapsed killing 752 people[4]. In February and March 2002, Ahmedabad witnessed communal riots as an aftermath of the burning of a train full of Hindu pilgrims at Godhra.
The pols of Ahmedabad
The gropping of the houses into pols of Gujrat and specially of Ahmedabad Pols can befound Cambeay,Baroda,Vaso,Sidhpur and Pattan. A pol is agathering of houses gropped together along interior streets closed off by a gate having above it the quarters of a guard.We know little if anything regarding the founding,dating and development of the pols is such that we cannot deduce whether they resulted from the dividing up of large plots of land or rather from the gradual gropping together of smaller plots of land. Initially,each pol was inhabited by community of the same religion cast,or trade and this still holds true today.
The cadaster shows that different types of pol exist.Some are of an organic type and would appear to have been formed by aggretion’ whereas others resemble planed housing tracts straked out deliberately in one step.The dimension of the pols varies,ranging from the few houses to several hectares.An interlocking of pols which at times are subdivided in to subpol,can also observed.
No attempt were made to delineate and count the number of pols even through mention was made in 1872 of 356.On the basis of cadastrl numbering it would appear that there are curently some 500 pols,leading to concider that the pols are subdivided,for the counting of pols only cka space and concern those districts which have been distructured.
The areas outside of the pols is defined as non pol,a naka space and includes the open space surronding places of worship and main roads.The limits of the pols facing these roads identified by facades onto which small shops have been built but which remain in non pol space .The houses on the borderline betwn pol space.The houses on the borderline between pols can be identified by their large plinth stuructures,blind walls and small windows of their rear frontages. There can also be narrow alleys in the space separaing two pols.
Not only can pols defined by their nestling togethr as separation techniques but also in terms of their equipment.
The pols gate ..The poral under the porch affording access to the main street is the only way into the pol.When passing through the portal one leaves behind the din marchant streets of the techiniquality of the pole. A steep stairway leads to the guards quarters located on the top of a portal. To provide for access control the main leaves of the door are kept closed. Only a small wicked door in one of the leaves affords access into the pole for one person at a time who must duck his head down and step over the high sill.
• the temple near by the entrance of hindu and jain pole is the ritual place for puja, prayers and daily offerings.
• the black board on to which are written the dates of the feast days, wedding or other information for the inhabitants of the pole bearing witness existance of collective life.
• the birds feeders or chabutaro, a pole supporting a platform covered by an awning. The inhabitants bring food here for the birds. It is the common to find here “bird facades” comprising many niches or birds tray which rock under the awning. The chabutaro is crafted out of curved stone or wood or moulded in stucco or plaster. The existance of more recent version in sheet metal or concrit demonstrate that this practices are still very much alive.
• For the most part of the wells which enabled water autonomy of the pole have been sealed off and their sculpted brim removed due to lowering of the water table.
• Water pots sitting atop a podium at the entrance of the pols are therefore for thirsty passers by and can be found frequently at muslim pols.
• Some public toilets are still visible but have been replaced by toilet faccilities in the houses.
• The street and the small quares inside the pols are used for ceremonies, feast and reunion. The ground there is a paved kota stones which have now increasingly given way to asphalt with the arrival of the motor car.
CHABUTARO
Chabutaro is raised platform, where seeds and water for feeding birds like pigeons, sparrow, squirrels and mynahs are kept. The food is kept on a wooden plate like structure and is raised above the ground in order to save the feeding birds from stray cats and dogs. The Chabutaro in ancient times are also known for wooden carvings done on it. The platform built on its pillar is a distinct feature, which invariably served as a meeting place for people. It often served as a resting place for hawkers and a stage for speakers. In the end, the chabutaro did not remain a place merely for feeding birds, but also looked upon as a decorative element in public places and also an iconic location, which people could identify.
Jains have always shared a close relationship with animals and specially birds. The first food of the day has to be offered to animal specially cow. In the old city of Ahmedabad we find holes built in the south east wall of the houses for the dwelling of birds. One primary reason for that is less of vegetation and trees in the old city. Feeding birds is not only a superstition but it has also became a part of daily life. In the older days the land lord or the zagirdars used to built the chabutaros, but now the situation has changed. Each pol has its own chabutra. Not only pols even the modern skyscrapers has its modernistic version of the chabutaro. It has been an interesting study for us to see how the structure and form of the chabutaros has changed from time to time.
In the past the chabutaros used to be built with stone with heavily carved on it. Its used to be a piller placed on a stone platform three feet high. It was used to be a resting place for the travelers or hawkers in the day time. Later we even see wooden chabutaros. In the newer part of the city we even see the latest version of chabutaro. Some are concret and some are made out of tin sheets. And even in some place the whole chabutaro has been replaced with a bowl with grains and water.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
MENS CLOTHING IN BOLLYWOOD THROUGH THE 60’s, 70’s, AND 80’s.
PROJECT : AN ATTEMPT TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF BOLLYWOOD ON THE STYLE STAMENTS OF A PERIOD.
GUIDE : Ms.SUCHITRA SETH
SUBMITTED BY:
RESHMI SHANKAR ( PG TEXTILES 3RD SEM)
SREEJITH JEEVAN (UG TEXTILES 5RD SEM)
AN OVERVIEW
A split second, a single glimpse can create a passion for a certain look. Once in the darkness of a movie theatre, someone is fascinated by the dress, the presence of the figure on the screen. From that moment, they are driven to make that image their own. It’s the start of a trend.
As in Hollywood, Indian cinema has had a close relationship with the fashion industry, both as a source of inspiration and of marketing. It is impossible to gauge how often a film star by appearing in a particular dress or suit, or perhaps through the use of an accessory, hairstyle or a detail of make up, can provoke millions of imitations and thus create a fad. However there is no question that fashion will be far less influential without the influence of cinema; the work of couturiers and costume designers would be far less effective without those marvelously casual, tough, delicate, cool, beautiful people whom they have to dress-and who intern inspire their contemporaries.
In the early days the wardrobe department consisted mostly of tailors, who made designs chosen by the stars and the producers. The stars began to use their own dressers and advisers, but it is only recently that the specialist dress designers became important. Their budgets are now considerable and the have become celebrities as the fashion and model business boomed in the 1990’s. The first celebrity designer was Bhanu Athaiya, who won an Oscar for her costumes for the film Gandhi in 1990.
When the celluloid began to move, it was in a world or disorder. Ordinary people lined up at the box offices of movie theatres to see melodramatic films, to see a world not necessarily real.
The image of the idols that entrance millions as they move across the screen is determined to a considerable extent by the costume designers (as well as by the designers who dress them for the glare of publicity on screen). The difference between the character, the star and the real person in subject to a retouching process which is scarcely visible; creating the compound identity of the greatness of cinema. The actors and actresses may well continue to play their roles in what should be their private lives has much to do with their clothing.
Hollywood was the center of the film fashion world and it remained so for a long time, but many European talents helped it to its greatness.
INDIAN FASHION – A RECAP
Looking at fashion in the Indian context, the post independence period saw western clothes becoming the norm again for the urban, upper caste male, with Indian clothes reserved for wearing in the home (the vest /kurta worn with a lungi/sarong ) or for strictly formal occasions- the bandgala( lounge suit with a nehru collar ) or the sherwani pyjama. The trend was mirrored in films, with male stars becoming famous for their styles, be it – the ‘debonaire’ Dev Anand’s quaff or Shammi kapoors “Indian elvis”. The greatest super star of hindi movies, Amitabh Bachchan , very tall ,thin, and not conventionally handsome, set the trend that has continued to the present for ‘cool’, outrageously stylish high fashioned for men often eclipsing his female co-stars. Bachchan’s reputation representation was fetishistic , his first appearance usually being of his feet, shod in black leather,as the camera slowly panned his long body. His legs, which were clad in the widest flares or bell bottoms , often impossibly white, Bachchan regularly appeared in a vest, but his body was for action, not offered for display, while his fashionable clothing became his trademark
The action films in the 1980s saw this macho action hero dominate the screen, but this image was replaced in the 1990’s by the short muscular hero with pretty face. Salman Khan, one of the most popular, heroes famous for taking off his clothes several times in each movie to show his pumped body, found frequently wearing gym gear and American sportswear. The sub urban look of Tommy Hilfiger and Nike trainers is the informal uniform while men with double brested suits implied they had formal occasions to attend, showing that men’s clothes as ever are designed either for careers or for leisure , although they are supported with a number of fancy outfits for the song and dance numbers.
The bollywood (Indian film industry) has become an integral part of our country’s identity. Over a period of time, there has been a gradual development in the film industry as well, be it technological or representational, and these changes have influenced the society in one way or the other.
Fashion booms through cinema and every fashion flows right into film, making the cinema a document of its time. Or time itself may become documentary: the trends of former years may be taken up again by the new ones, and the stars from the good old days of the movies can enjoy a comeback.
Fashion does not exist in a vacuum. Society dons clothing every day and that clothing reflects an individual's identity, lifestyle and mood. These personal characteristics are in turn affected by the prevailing social and economic trends whether they are on a local, national or global level. Just as these trends change, our lifestyles and moods are transformed, and so are our fashion choices.
Jeanette Jarnow describes fashion as "the process of change in the styles of dress that are accepted or followed by substantial groups of people at any given time and place". The production of fashion begins with the raw materials which make up the clothing. These include fibers, fabrics, and leathers. Advances in the techniques of producing textiles affect the availability, cost, and wearability of the garment.
DETAILING OF THE STYLES THORUGH THE PERIOD.
In our attempt to see the close connection of bollywood with our everyday lives we have tried to trace the prominent style changes that the “hero’s” of bollywood have brought about in the society between the 70’s and 80’s. Fashion is a continous change and its study requires the backbone of earlier styles, thus creating a context to build up on instead of reinventing the wheel again!
In India, the 40s was a decade marked by the world war II and the post independence era clothing was simple and purely functional. In India, the fashion scenario was very confusing since the century had very conflicting ideologies as the matter of Indian independence was concerned. With the freedom of speech and movement, fashion remained graceful and refined.Mahatma Gandhi had started fashion ‘anarchy’ of sorts with his khadi movement; these garments became a rage- it spoke an entirely different language of fashion and freedom.
However, we may find that the fashion trends in the post independence era within the high society was strongly influenced by the british with the result that western clothes became a status symbol. Due to the western influence the use of angarkhas, chogas and jamas diminished considerably by this time and they had been replaced by the chapkan, achkan and sherwani.
The 50s saw the dawn of art colleges and schools which became places of fashion designing and hence change in silhouettes and patterning were evident though they were not drastic in nature.
The 60s is one of the most shockfilled decades of the century which saw fashion and lifestyle changes that reflected the changing passions of the times. Mens wear also took drastic changes at this point of time in terms of loud prints and patterns, very evidently an influence of the European art and textiles of somewhat the same times. Art movements such as pop art played a major role , directly or indirectly, in the textiles of this era.
New types of materials such as plastic film and coated polyester fabric got popular in these years. The then designers found a need for more ready to wear garments that were cheaper. The sixties was the era that accompanied synthetic materials like nylons , polyesters and rayon.
The 70s is often called the ‘me decade’ since it was one of the most revisited and retro periods after independence. In 1971, VIP smashed the mens underwear market with a shocking advertisement of model Dalip Tahil rescuing a maiden in distress dressed only in briefs and a flowing robe. Since then fashion became another form of self expression with bold colours , giant stripes and flower prints being adapted in tunics with shirts and bell bottoms.
The drug culture was also expanding and it gave rise to fashion of psychadelic colours, tall hazardous shoes and extreme silhouettes.This century also saw the export of traditional material with the result that export surplus was sold within the country itself and hence , international fashion came to India much before the MTV culture . Synthetics became very popular , the disco culture had a profound influence on fashion and the clothes started being more flashy.
The 80s was the era of self consciousness and American designers like Calvin Klein became household names.The ready to wear fashion revolution came to age with the birth of Indian designers , their labels and the introduction of fashion houses. Ritu Beri, Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit khosla and a host of others shot into the limelite and their creations became a guide to the Indian men and women. Suddenly to be a fashion designer was considered a respectable profession much unlike the tailors of the 50s. The kurtha also made a comeback with increased length.
Power dressing and the corporate look became a dominant dress code. The influence of cable television became more prominent , evidently shouting out that the world was becoming a smaller place.The teenage market boomed which also had an influence on the mens wear of the times.
In the 1980s , the Indian male started looking back to the royal grandeur and the comfort of ethnic wear. It became fashionable to sport an ethnic look, not just in the house or bedroom , but also for formal occasions or even for work.
The 90s discovered that the Indians were able to dress not only in the styles confirming to the country’s sensibilities but also to western norms.It started as a trickle in the 90s with very high fashion entering Indian market for a very limited period. With the revival of ethnicity, with films inclining more towards Indian fashion, fashion was no longer a means to cover the body but was also about creating an image that had to do with the worlds best brands.
The 21st century spoke the ‘unisex’ language. Tshirts, jeans, casual jackets and many kinds of special sports clothing flooded the silver screen and hence the Indian markets. Some of the running fads or trends also include Capri pants, handbags, sport suits ripped jeans, blazer jackets. Mens and womens tailored business jackets are just two versions of the same garment, but with differences in shape and construction.
Even the previous corporate look is taking a backseat for the more casual and comfortable look. Fancy garments are totally out of the scene in a world where life moves at a very fast pace. Extreme style garments for party and evening wear indicate the changed lifestyle and culture. The old idea of anything can be worn anywhere doesn’t exist anymore. From teens to elderly men, they all have a well set wardrobe with clothes that suit every occasion, so much like a precaution to not be caught in the ‘ill dressed’ or ‘fashion victim ‘ categories.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE PROMINENT FILMS THROUGH THE PERIOD :
1960’s Chaudhvi ka chaand, Mughal-e-aazam, Ganga –jamuna, Dosti, Sangam.
1970’s Khilona, Anand, Haathi mere saathi, Kati patang, Bobby, Aamir-gareeb, Roti kapada aur makaan, Don.
1980’s Qurbani, Karma, Mr.India, Chandni, Disco dancer.
1990’s Dil, Karan arjun, Baazigar, Hum aapke hain kaun, Dilwale dulhaniya le jayenge.
Early 60s
Their characteristic pleats in front and the straight fit indeed speaks of the 60s bollywood fashion. Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar can easily be categorized as they all sported a similar look. Bollywood heroes , particularly in the mid 1900s have demanded for that attention, a reflection of which is very evident in the patterning of the garments they wore. Raj Kapoor , was in fame during the 60s and movies like ‘Jis desh mein ganga behti hein’ indeed created a new look, particularly with the use of materials like cotton and satin silk which was change as far as men’s look is concerned. The bottom hem shaping of the shirt followed a sharp curved shaping from the centre front bottom point curving its way up to the side seam. The looks of the 60s were mainly dominated by the high waisted and straight loose fit bottoms with large crotch length.
Late 60s and 70s
Dev Anand started his career in the late 50s and films such as Baazi, CID, Taxi Driver, Kalapani etc established himself as one of the milestones of Indian cinema. His dressing sense created a wave amongst the public to such an extent that the term ‘dev Anand look’ was coined. A muffler became an inevitable part of the so called ‘Dev Anand wardrobe’. There are movies where he is seen wearing a muffler with a jacket, one of them being ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’. The 60s saw a transformation in gents’ garments, particularly in shirt styling. The placket which followed a self fold construction now changed to a pleated one commonly known as the American placket.
Dev anand,with a green scarf draped over a navy blue jacket, his hair dyed black and his skin still taut, Anand retains the charm of a mischievous romantic - the image from his heyday that he has cultivated over a career spanning 60 years.
Credited with introducing several actresses to Bollywood, Anand lived his lover-boy image to the fullest, wooing heroines with songs late into his 50s. When he was too old for that, he turned to making romantic films.
Anand, considered the epitome of the suave, urbane gentleman, was seen as one of the most handsome men in Indian cinema and looked strikingly similar to Hollywood hero Gregory Peck.The puff in his hair and collared shirt became a rage among Indian men, and his trademark singsong delivery and penchant for nodding while speaking were all heavily copied.
The elements that formed an inevitable part of the ‘Devanand wardrobe’ were;
• Collar styling- the centre back portion of the shirt collar was kept upright instead of being left folded as the norm was.
• The collar point – saw a completed exaggerated jump from the regular 2-2.5 inches to a dramatic 6 inch wide styling
• The collar stand was stylized to accommodate two button- button hole fastening from that of a single.
• Double pocket styling came into being
• Along with collar styling came in the existence of broad cuffs (3-4 inches wide) which generously accommodated 2-3 button- button hole fastenings.
• The hem line shaping also saw a change to what is locally referred to as open hem line as seen in the sketch.
• The trousers followed a straight cut with a high waistline accommodating two pleats for waist ease.
Devanand’s role of a guide in the movie Guide (1976) showcased him in a new look, characteristic of which was the black blazer. It’s said that he was banned from wearing it as the crowd went to crazy over it, so much so that they tore apart their clothes or even committed suicide. Such was the excitement it created.
70s look
The early 70s saw the rise of a new bunch of young actors who showcased brilliant talent. This was the era in Hindi cinema when almost 90 percent of the movies turned to color and the styling depicted a truly new character. Colour itself seemed to communicate a lot more on the silver screen and its impact was just not minor.
Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna , Manoj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bacchan and Jithendra were the then new-age actors. Khud Garz, Farz were a few movies that created the Jitendra style statement.
• With him came the classic fitted clothes. He popularized the fitted pants which had no pleats in front, locally known as the ‘ivy’ pant. These pants had a straight cut from the knee. The hem opening was about 12-13”.
• He brought in the technique of double stitching and was locally called as the cow boy shirt.
• He also popularized the use of T shirts, especially the high neck ( 4-5 inches) polo T shirts
• Jitendra was also characterized with the use of white shoes (circular cut).
• There was also a characteristic styling that came in the button placement in the placket. They were now placed in sets of three.
• The short sleeve roll up fashion with the roll up band fastened at the shoulders was also characterized to this period. This was called the khandi flap. He also brought in the trend of pocket placing on the sleeve.
Jithendra and Rajesh Khanna brought in the styles of the long sleeve Indian Kurta with a jawahar collar whereas Dilip Kumar popularized embroidered kurtas.
They also brought about the trend of wearing long shirts with a dart for a tight fit and a belt to accessorize the same at the waist level.
The other styles that Rajesh Khanna popularized also includes the use of double collars and double cuffs with cuff lings. The use of princess seamed shirts were also popularized by him. They also popularized the use trousers without waist bands that also had a styled fly shaping. Rajesh Khanna also brought about the ‘jaali’ embroidery style on kurtas.
80’s
A rage with Indian cine goers in the 1970s and 1980s, Bachchan is still among the most popular actors in the country. Indian Cinema and Indian audiences have matured over the years, and there is an exception to perhaps the ageing character, an exception to anything which is done differently. When it's all put together the movie works out into a wonderful product.
The son of noted Hindi poet, Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan quit his job as a Kolkata freight broker to join the Hindi film industry in 1969. He made his name in the 1970s playing a "Dirty Harry"- style cop in the ground-breaking movie "Zanjeer".
His best-known film, "Sholay", ran in Bombay for seven years - turning him into an icon in India, much like Elvis Presley was in the West. Millions of young men aped his distinctive hairstyle and people in remote villages rattled off lines from his films.
A serious accident he survived on the sets of "Coolie" in 1982, left the country in a tizzy, forcing state television to telecast hourly medical updates, the first in Indian media history.He was voted the millennium's greatest star of the stage and screen in a BBC online poll three years ago, ahead of Hollywood icons such as Lawrence Olivier, Humphrey Bogart and Charlie Chaplin.
Amitabh bachan, a style icon till date who kick started his career with a box office hit that the film “zanjeer” gave him. A few characteristic features of Amitabh Bachan include:
• The exaggerated high waisted bell bottoms.( had a leg opening of about 32”)
• He also popularized the use of rexin and leather jackets and cross pockets on the jackets.
• The use of striped patterns with a gradation in thickness on shirts. The colors of which usually where red green and blue.
• The use of knee length boots were also popularized in this period.
Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan who came in the second half of the 80’s reinvented the wheel by bringing back the use of loose clothes and casual fits as was seen during Raj kapoor’s time though not in such an exaggerated fashion as it was then.
And now the trend slowly started changing towards ‘designer’ clothing.
Acid-washed jeans and denim jackets became popular with both men and women. Acid washing is the process of chemically bleaching the denim, breaking down the fiber of material and forcing the dye to fade, thus leaving undertones of the original dye evidenced by pale white streaks or spots on the material. This became associated with the heavy metal trend (called "hair metal" in later decades for the large frizzy coiffures worn by both male and female enthusiasts).
One popular look for men in the late 1980s was Hawaiian shirts. Often they would be complemented with sport coats with stitched looks. They were often gray and white, and were worn for both casual and business settings. When worn in the business setting, they were often worn without a tie.
Leather jackets popularized by Michael Jackson and films like The Lost Boys were often studded and left undone to create a messier look. Oversized, slouch shouldered faded leather jackets with puffy sleeves from Europe caught on.
Gloves, sometimes fingerless, were fairly common.
Late in the decade plain brown aviator jackets made a comeback, styled after World War II fighter pilot jackets. Already popular aviators were joined by other forms of sunglasses. It was not unusual for sunglasses or shades as they were known, to be worn at night.
Earrings became a mainstream fashion for male teenagers. Teen culture held that to pierce the left ear was acceptable for a heterosexual male. A right ear piercing indicated homosexuality. Adults who did not understand the fad worried about how this would affect young men's job prospects as they reached adulthood. Ear piercings left a scar even if they closed from disuse.
In the urban hip-hop communities however, sneakers usually worn unlaced, tons of gold jewelry and headwraps donned the young of the eighties.
Severely bleached and ripped jeans, either manufactured purposely or done by hand, become a popular fashion trend, being a main component of glam metal music acts such as Poison. Although gay men have often been thought of as trendsetters in the fashion world, elements of gay fashion exploded into the mainstream in the 1980s. The outdoor look, such as the wearing of huge hiking boots, jeans and flannel shirts in the city caught on, drag styles for men and butch styles for women spread into straight society.
Theres also the function of the movies as a dream factory. This has really changed only in the last 20 years. Films in the 30’s, 40’s- 60’s did not portray reality but it was more about how life would seem a bed of roses if it was like what was seen in the movies.But its not quite true to say that what the movies show become fashion although it might at first appear this way, considering the power of the desire to imitate. A fashion for which the time is not yet ripe cannot be established even by a film star. Fashion is the spirit of the time and of life. It has to be in the air.
PROJECT : AN ATTEMPT TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF BOLLYWOOD ON THE STYLE STAMENTS OF A PERIOD.
GUIDE : Ms.SUCHITRA SETH
SUBMITTED BY:
RESHMI SHANKAR ( PG TEXTILES 3RD SEM)
SREEJITH JEEVAN (UG TEXTILES 5RD SEM)
AN OVERVIEW
A split second, a single glimpse can create a passion for a certain look. Once in the darkness of a movie theatre, someone is fascinated by the dress, the presence of the figure on the screen. From that moment, they are driven to make that image their own. It’s the start of a trend.
As in Hollywood, Indian cinema has had a close relationship with the fashion industry, both as a source of inspiration and of marketing. It is impossible to gauge how often a film star by appearing in a particular dress or suit, or perhaps through the use of an accessory, hairstyle or a detail of make up, can provoke millions of imitations and thus create a fad. However there is no question that fashion will be far less influential without the influence of cinema; the work of couturiers and costume designers would be far less effective without those marvelously casual, tough, delicate, cool, beautiful people whom they have to dress-and who intern inspire their contemporaries.
In the early days the wardrobe department consisted mostly of tailors, who made designs chosen by the stars and the producers. The stars began to use their own dressers and advisers, but it is only recently that the specialist dress designers became important. Their budgets are now considerable and the have become celebrities as the fashion and model business boomed in the 1990’s. The first celebrity designer was Bhanu Athaiya, who won an Oscar for her costumes for the film Gandhi in 1990.
When the celluloid began to move, it was in a world or disorder. Ordinary people lined up at the box offices of movie theatres to see melodramatic films, to see a world not necessarily real.
The image of the idols that entrance millions as they move across the screen is determined to a considerable extent by the costume designers (as well as by the designers who dress them for the glare of publicity on screen). The difference between the character, the star and the real person in subject to a retouching process which is scarcely visible; creating the compound identity of the greatness of cinema. The actors and actresses may well continue to play their roles in what should be their private lives has much to do with their clothing.
Hollywood was the center of the film fashion world and it remained so for a long time, but many European talents helped it to its greatness.
INDIAN FASHION – A RECAP
Looking at fashion in the Indian context, the post independence period saw western clothes becoming the norm again for the urban, upper caste male, with Indian clothes reserved for wearing in the home (the vest /kurta worn with a lungi/sarong ) or for strictly formal occasions- the bandgala( lounge suit with a nehru collar ) or the sherwani pyjama. The trend was mirrored in films, with male stars becoming famous for their styles, be it – the ‘debonaire’ Dev Anand’s quaff or Shammi kapoors “Indian elvis”. The greatest super star of hindi movies, Amitabh Bachchan , very tall ,thin, and not conventionally handsome, set the trend that has continued to the present for ‘cool’, outrageously stylish high fashioned for men often eclipsing his female co-stars. Bachchan’s reputation representation was fetishistic , his first appearance usually being of his feet, shod in black leather,as the camera slowly panned his long body. His legs, which were clad in the widest flares or bell bottoms , often impossibly white, Bachchan regularly appeared in a vest, but his body was for action, not offered for display, while his fashionable clothing became his trademark
The action films in the 1980s saw this macho action hero dominate the screen, but this image was replaced in the 1990’s by the short muscular hero with pretty face. Salman Khan, one of the most popular, heroes famous for taking off his clothes several times in each movie to show his pumped body, found frequently wearing gym gear and American sportswear. The sub urban look of Tommy Hilfiger and Nike trainers is the informal uniform while men with double brested suits implied they had formal occasions to attend, showing that men’s clothes as ever are designed either for careers or for leisure , although they are supported with a number of fancy outfits for the song and dance numbers.
The bollywood (Indian film industry) has become an integral part of our country’s identity. Over a period of time, there has been a gradual development in the film industry as well, be it technological or representational, and these changes have influenced the society in one way or the other.
Fashion booms through cinema and every fashion flows right into film, making the cinema a document of its time. Or time itself may become documentary: the trends of former years may be taken up again by the new ones, and the stars from the good old days of the movies can enjoy a comeback.
Fashion does not exist in a vacuum. Society dons clothing every day and that clothing reflects an individual's identity, lifestyle and mood. These personal characteristics are in turn affected by the prevailing social and economic trends whether they are on a local, national or global level. Just as these trends change, our lifestyles and moods are transformed, and so are our fashion choices.
Jeanette Jarnow describes fashion as "the process of change in the styles of dress that are accepted or followed by substantial groups of people at any given time and place". The production of fashion begins with the raw materials which make up the clothing. These include fibers, fabrics, and leathers. Advances in the techniques of producing textiles affect the availability, cost, and wearability of the garment.
DETAILING OF THE STYLES THORUGH THE PERIOD.
In our attempt to see the close connection of bollywood with our everyday lives we have tried to trace the prominent style changes that the “hero’s” of bollywood have brought about in the society between the 70’s and 80’s. Fashion is a continous change and its study requires the backbone of earlier styles, thus creating a context to build up on instead of reinventing the wheel again!
In India, the 40s was a decade marked by the world war II and the post independence era clothing was simple and purely functional. In India, the fashion scenario was very confusing since the century had very conflicting ideologies as the matter of Indian independence was concerned. With the freedom of speech and movement, fashion remained graceful and refined.Mahatma Gandhi had started fashion ‘anarchy’ of sorts with his khadi movement; these garments became a rage- it spoke an entirely different language of fashion and freedom.
However, we may find that the fashion trends in the post independence era within the high society was strongly influenced by the british with the result that western clothes became a status symbol. Due to the western influence the use of angarkhas, chogas and jamas diminished considerably by this time and they had been replaced by the chapkan, achkan and sherwani.
The 50s saw the dawn of art colleges and schools which became places of fashion designing and hence change in silhouettes and patterning were evident though they were not drastic in nature.
The 60s is one of the most shockfilled decades of the century which saw fashion and lifestyle changes that reflected the changing passions of the times. Mens wear also took drastic changes at this point of time in terms of loud prints and patterns, very evidently an influence of the European art and textiles of somewhat the same times. Art movements such as pop art played a major role , directly or indirectly, in the textiles of this era.
New types of materials such as plastic film and coated polyester fabric got popular in these years. The then designers found a need for more ready to wear garments that were cheaper. The sixties was the era that accompanied synthetic materials like nylons , polyesters and rayon.
The 70s is often called the ‘me decade’ since it was one of the most revisited and retro periods after independence. In 1971, VIP smashed the mens underwear market with a shocking advertisement of model Dalip Tahil rescuing a maiden in distress dressed only in briefs and a flowing robe. Since then fashion became another form of self expression with bold colours , giant stripes and flower prints being adapted in tunics with shirts and bell bottoms.
The drug culture was also expanding and it gave rise to fashion of psychadelic colours, tall hazardous shoes and extreme silhouettes.This century also saw the export of traditional material with the result that export surplus was sold within the country itself and hence , international fashion came to India much before the MTV culture . Synthetics became very popular , the disco culture had a profound influence on fashion and the clothes started being more flashy.
The 80s was the era of self consciousness and American designers like Calvin Klein became household names.The ready to wear fashion revolution came to age with the birth of Indian designers , their labels and the introduction of fashion houses. Ritu Beri, Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit khosla and a host of others shot into the limelite and their creations became a guide to the Indian men and women. Suddenly to be a fashion designer was considered a respectable profession much unlike the tailors of the 50s. The kurtha also made a comeback with increased length.
Power dressing and the corporate look became a dominant dress code. The influence of cable television became more prominent , evidently shouting out that the world was becoming a smaller place.The teenage market boomed which also had an influence on the mens wear of the times.
In the 1980s , the Indian male started looking back to the royal grandeur and the comfort of ethnic wear. It became fashionable to sport an ethnic look, not just in the house or bedroom , but also for formal occasions or even for work.
The 90s discovered that the Indians were able to dress not only in the styles confirming to the country’s sensibilities but also to western norms.It started as a trickle in the 90s with very high fashion entering Indian market for a very limited period. With the revival of ethnicity, with films inclining more towards Indian fashion, fashion was no longer a means to cover the body but was also about creating an image that had to do with the worlds best brands.
The 21st century spoke the ‘unisex’ language. Tshirts, jeans, casual jackets and many kinds of special sports clothing flooded the silver screen and hence the Indian markets. Some of the running fads or trends also include Capri pants, handbags, sport suits ripped jeans, blazer jackets. Mens and womens tailored business jackets are just two versions of the same garment, but with differences in shape and construction.
Even the previous corporate look is taking a backseat for the more casual and comfortable look. Fancy garments are totally out of the scene in a world where life moves at a very fast pace. Extreme style garments for party and evening wear indicate the changed lifestyle and culture. The old idea of anything can be worn anywhere doesn’t exist anymore. From teens to elderly men, they all have a well set wardrobe with clothes that suit every occasion, so much like a precaution to not be caught in the ‘ill dressed’ or ‘fashion victim ‘ categories.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE PROMINENT FILMS THROUGH THE PERIOD :
1960’s Chaudhvi ka chaand, Mughal-e-aazam, Ganga –jamuna, Dosti, Sangam.
1970’s Khilona, Anand, Haathi mere saathi, Kati patang, Bobby, Aamir-gareeb, Roti kapada aur makaan, Don.
1980’s Qurbani, Karma, Mr.India, Chandni, Disco dancer.
1990’s Dil, Karan arjun, Baazigar, Hum aapke hain kaun, Dilwale dulhaniya le jayenge.
Early 60s
Their characteristic pleats in front and the straight fit indeed speaks of the 60s bollywood fashion. Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar can easily be categorized as they all sported a similar look. Bollywood heroes , particularly in the mid 1900s have demanded for that attention, a reflection of which is very evident in the patterning of the garments they wore. Raj Kapoor , was in fame during the 60s and movies like ‘Jis desh mein ganga behti hein’ indeed created a new look, particularly with the use of materials like cotton and satin silk which was change as far as men’s look is concerned. The bottom hem shaping of the shirt followed a sharp curved shaping from the centre front bottom point curving its way up to the side seam. The looks of the 60s were mainly dominated by the high waisted and straight loose fit bottoms with large crotch length.
Late 60s and 70s
Dev Anand started his career in the late 50s and films such as Baazi, CID, Taxi Driver, Kalapani etc established himself as one of the milestones of Indian cinema. His dressing sense created a wave amongst the public to such an extent that the term ‘dev Anand look’ was coined. A muffler became an inevitable part of the so called ‘Dev Anand wardrobe’. There are movies where he is seen wearing a muffler with a jacket, one of them being ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’. The 60s saw a transformation in gents’ garments, particularly in shirt styling. The placket which followed a self fold construction now changed to a pleated one commonly known as the American placket.
Dev anand,with a green scarf draped over a navy blue jacket, his hair dyed black and his skin still taut, Anand retains the charm of a mischievous romantic - the image from his heyday that he has cultivated over a career spanning 60 years.
Credited with introducing several actresses to Bollywood, Anand lived his lover-boy image to the fullest, wooing heroines with songs late into his 50s. When he was too old for that, he turned to making romantic films.
Anand, considered the epitome of the suave, urbane gentleman, was seen as one of the most handsome men in Indian cinema and looked strikingly similar to Hollywood hero Gregory Peck.The puff in his hair and collared shirt became a rage among Indian men, and his trademark singsong delivery and penchant for nodding while speaking were all heavily copied.
The elements that formed an inevitable part of the ‘Devanand wardrobe’ were;
• Collar styling- the centre back portion of the shirt collar was kept upright instead of being left folded as the norm was.
• The collar point – saw a completed exaggerated jump from the regular 2-2.5 inches to a dramatic 6 inch wide styling
• The collar stand was stylized to accommodate two button- button hole fastening from that of a single.
• Double pocket styling came into being
• Along with collar styling came in the existence of broad cuffs (3-4 inches wide) which generously accommodated 2-3 button- button hole fastenings.
• The hem line shaping also saw a change to what is locally referred to as open hem line as seen in the sketch.
• The trousers followed a straight cut with a high waistline accommodating two pleats for waist ease.
Devanand’s role of a guide in the movie Guide (1976) showcased him in a new look, characteristic of which was the black blazer. It’s said that he was banned from wearing it as the crowd went to crazy over it, so much so that they tore apart their clothes or even committed suicide. Such was the excitement it created.
70s look
The early 70s saw the rise of a new bunch of young actors who showcased brilliant talent. This was the era in Hindi cinema when almost 90 percent of the movies turned to color and the styling depicted a truly new character. Colour itself seemed to communicate a lot more on the silver screen and its impact was just not minor.
Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna , Manoj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bacchan and Jithendra were the then new-age actors. Khud Garz, Farz were a few movies that created the Jitendra style statement.
• With him came the classic fitted clothes. He popularized the fitted pants which had no pleats in front, locally known as the ‘ivy’ pant. These pants had a straight cut from the knee. The hem opening was about 12-13”.
• He brought in the technique of double stitching and was locally called as the cow boy shirt.
• He also popularized the use of T shirts, especially the high neck ( 4-5 inches) polo T shirts
• Jitendra was also characterized with the use of white shoes (circular cut).
• There was also a characteristic styling that came in the button placement in the placket. They were now placed in sets of three.
• The short sleeve roll up fashion with the roll up band fastened at the shoulders was also characterized to this period. This was called the khandi flap. He also brought in the trend of pocket placing on the sleeve.
Jithendra and Rajesh Khanna brought in the styles of the long sleeve Indian Kurta with a jawahar collar whereas Dilip Kumar popularized embroidered kurtas.
They also brought about the trend of wearing long shirts with a dart for a tight fit and a belt to accessorize the same at the waist level.
The other styles that Rajesh Khanna popularized also includes the use of double collars and double cuffs with cuff lings. The use of princess seamed shirts were also popularized by him. They also popularized the use trousers without waist bands that also had a styled fly shaping. Rajesh Khanna also brought about the ‘jaali’ embroidery style on kurtas.
80’s
A rage with Indian cine goers in the 1970s and 1980s, Bachchan is still among the most popular actors in the country. Indian Cinema and Indian audiences have matured over the years, and there is an exception to perhaps the ageing character, an exception to anything which is done differently. When it's all put together the movie works out into a wonderful product.
The son of noted Hindi poet, Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan quit his job as a Kolkata freight broker to join the Hindi film industry in 1969. He made his name in the 1970s playing a "Dirty Harry"- style cop in the ground-breaking movie "Zanjeer".
His best-known film, "Sholay", ran in Bombay for seven years - turning him into an icon in India, much like Elvis Presley was in the West. Millions of young men aped his distinctive hairstyle and people in remote villages rattled off lines from his films.
A serious accident he survived on the sets of "Coolie" in 1982, left the country in a tizzy, forcing state television to telecast hourly medical updates, the first in Indian media history.He was voted the millennium's greatest star of the stage and screen in a BBC online poll three years ago, ahead of Hollywood icons such as Lawrence Olivier, Humphrey Bogart and Charlie Chaplin.
Amitabh bachan, a style icon till date who kick started his career with a box office hit that the film “zanjeer” gave him. A few characteristic features of Amitabh Bachan include:
• The exaggerated high waisted bell bottoms.( had a leg opening of about 32”)
• He also popularized the use of rexin and leather jackets and cross pockets on the jackets.
• The use of striped patterns with a gradation in thickness on shirts. The colors of which usually where red green and blue.
• The use of knee length boots were also popularized in this period.
Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan who came in the second half of the 80’s reinvented the wheel by bringing back the use of loose clothes and casual fits as was seen during Raj kapoor’s time though not in such an exaggerated fashion as it was then.
And now the trend slowly started changing towards ‘designer’ clothing.
Acid-washed jeans and denim jackets became popular with both men and women. Acid washing is the process of chemically bleaching the denim, breaking down the fiber of material and forcing the dye to fade, thus leaving undertones of the original dye evidenced by pale white streaks or spots on the material. This became associated with the heavy metal trend (called "hair metal" in later decades for the large frizzy coiffures worn by both male and female enthusiasts).
One popular look for men in the late 1980s was Hawaiian shirts. Often they would be complemented with sport coats with stitched looks. They were often gray and white, and were worn for both casual and business settings. When worn in the business setting, they were often worn without a tie.
Leather jackets popularized by Michael Jackson and films like The Lost Boys were often studded and left undone to create a messier look. Oversized, slouch shouldered faded leather jackets with puffy sleeves from Europe caught on.
Gloves, sometimes fingerless, were fairly common.
Late in the decade plain brown aviator jackets made a comeback, styled after World War II fighter pilot jackets. Already popular aviators were joined by other forms of sunglasses. It was not unusual for sunglasses or shades as they were known, to be worn at night.
Earrings became a mainstream fashion for male teenagers. Teen culture held that to pierce the left ear was acceptable for a heterosexual male. A right ear piercing indicated homosexuality. Adults who did not understand the fad worried about how this would affect young men's job prospects as they reached adulthood. Ear piercings left a scar even if they closed from disuse.
In the urban hip-hop communities however, sneakers usually worn unlaced, tons of gold jewelry and headwraps donned the young of the eighties.
Severely bleached and ripped jeans, either manufactured purposely or done by hand, become a popular fashion trend, being a main component of glam metal music acts such as Poison. Although gay men have often been thought of as trendsetters in the fashion world, elements of gay fashion exploded into the mainstream in the 1980s. The outdoor look, such as the wearing of huge hiking boots, jeans and flannel shirts in the city caught on, drag styles for men and butch styles for women spread into straight society.
Theres also the function of the movies as a dream factory. This has really changed only in the last 20 years. Films in the 30’s, 40’s- 60’s did not portray reality but it was more about how life would seem a bed of roses if it was like what was seen in the movies.But its not quite true to say that what the movies show become fashion although it might at first appear this way, considering the power of the desire to imitate. A fashion for which the time is not yet ripe cannot be established even by a film star. Fashion is the spirit of the time and of life. It has to be in the air.
BENGAL - A STUDY OF SOCIAL CHANGES AND LIFE STYLE (MAINLY FASHION) FROM 1800 TO 2000
GUIDE-MRS SUCHITRA SETH
DOCUMENT SUBMITTED BY – SOMDUTT SARKAR (5TH SEMESTER, TEXTILE DESIGN,NID)
ARNAB SENAPATI (3RD SEMESTER, TEXTILE DESIGN,NID)
DOCUMENT SUBMITTED BY – SOMDUTT SARKAR (5TH SEMESTER, TEXTILE DESIGN,NID)
ARNAB SENAPATI (3RD SEMESTER, TEXTILE DESIGN,NID)
BENGAL – A STUDY OF SOCIAL CHANGES AND LIFE STYLE (mainly fashion) FROM 1800 TO 2000
A study on the history of Bengal and changes in Bengali lifestyle (mainly fashion) through the ages was done by us as a part of our history of design course.
We mainly looked into photographs as our reference. Verbal sources and Literature was also referred. We also studied Rabindranath tagore, an integral part of the Bengali culture. Some movies like “Ghare Baire”, “Charulata”, “Tin kanya” etc were also seen in order to get an idea of how changes have taken place over the years. “Prothom aalo” and “Sei somoy” of Sunil Gangopadhay helped us get a picture of the changes that took place. “Hna hannattye” and ‘Mongpute Robindronath” of Maitreyi devi also helped us get an insight of the time period.
Photographs are not just frozen memories outlined with sunshine and clouds but do speak a lot about the social and cultural back drop of a particular scenario.It gives the viewer a hint about so many aspects of the subject. (Social, Cultural, Psychological, Geographical, Historical or Political)
Photographs in the beginning had been a privilege and a lavish pleasure confined only among the rich and upper middle class of the Indian society. The rural mass never had a fair chance to pose in front of the camera.
So old photographs are very few and not every aspect of the society is captured in them.
There were major social and political events, scientific discoveries and industrial progress in the country but not all these are always noticed to have influenced the life of Indians in the photographs that we got.
So our research was based more on verbal sources, literature.
There is a lot of British influence in the Bengali culture- in architecture, in dressing, in education system, in various other aspects of life style. Before discussing the major impact of the British on the Bengalis we must have at least a rough sketch on the the bengal renaissance.
BENGAL RENAISSANCE can be said to have started with Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1775-1833) and ended with Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), although there have been many stalwarts thereafter embodying particular aspects of the unique intellectual and creative output .Nineteenth century Bengal was a unique blend of religious and social reformers, scholars, literary giants, journalists, patriotic orators and scientists, all merging to form the image of a renaissance, and marked the transition from the 'medieval' to the 'modern.During this period, Bengal witnessed an intellectual awakening that is in some way similar to the Renaissance in Europe during the 16th century, The parallel socio-religious movement, the Brahmo Samaj, developed during this time period and counted many of the leaders of the Bengal Renaissance among its followers. In the earlier years the Brahmo Samaj, like the rest of society, could not however, conceptualize, in that feudal-colonial era, a free India as it was influenced by the European Enlightenment (and its bearers in India, the British Raj) although it traced its intellectual roots to the Upanishads. Their version of Hinduism, or rather Universal Religion (similar to that of Ramakrishna), although devoid of social evils like sati and polygamy that had crept into the social aspects of Hindu life, was ultimately a rigid impersonal monotheistic faith, which actually was quite distinct from the pluralistic and multifaceted nature of the way the Hindu religion was practised. Future leaders like Keshub Chunder Sen were as much devotees of Christ, as they were of Brahma, Krishna or the Buddha. It has been argued by some scholars that the Brahmo Samaj movement never gained the support of the masses and remained restricted to the elite, although Hindu society has accepted most of the social reform programmes of the Brahmo Samaj. It must also be acknowledged that many of the later Brahmos were also leaders of the freedom movement.
The renaissance period after the Indian Rebellion of 1857 saw a magnificent outburst of Bengali literature. While Ram Mohan Roy and Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar were the pioneers, others like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee widened it and built upon it. Later, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, a great saint of Bengal, is thought to have realized the mystical truth of all religions, and to have reconciled the conflicting Hindu sects ranging from Shakta tantra, Advaita Vedanta and Vaishnavism, as well as other religions like Christianity and Islam. In fact Ramakrishna made famous the Bengali saying: Jato Mat, Tato Path. (All religions are different paths to the same God).
The Vedanta movement prospered principally through his disciple and sage, Swami Vivekananda who on his return from the highly successful Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893 and subsequent lecture tour in America, became a revered national idol.Swami Vivekananda urged Indians to break free from the shackles of colonialism, past and present and reaffirmed service to mankind as the highest truth of the Hindu Vedantic religion. "Service to mankind is service to god" was his motto. He was the first Indian to conceptualize an absolutely free, prosperous and strong India, which while appreciative of its rich cultural past would be vibrant enough to walk confidently into the future.
THE TAGORE FAMILY, including Rabindranath Tagore were leaders of this period and had a particular interest in educational reform . Their contribution to the Bengal Renaissance was multi-faceted. Indeed, Tagore's 1901 Bengali novel, Nastanirh was written as a critique of men who professed to follow the ideals of the Renaissance, but failed to do so within their own families. In many ways Rabindranath Tagore's writings (especially poems and songs) can be seen as the imbued with the spirit of the Upanishads. His works repeatedly allude to Upanishadic ideas regarding soul, liberation, transmigration and - perhaps most essentially - about a spirit that imbues all creation not unlike the Upanishadic Brahman.Tagore's English translation of a set of poems titled the Gitanjali won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. He was the first Bengali, the first Indian as well as the first Asian to win the award. That is only one example but the contribution of the family is enormous. The tagore family was known for religious and cultural innovations during the 19th Bengal Renaissance. The profound social and cultural involvement of his family would later play a strong role in the formulation of Rabindranath’s educational priorities. His grandfather Dwarkanath was involved in supporting medical facilities, educational institutions and the arts, and he fought for religious and social reform and the establishment of a free press. His father was also a leader in social and religious reform, who encouraged a multi-cultural exchange in the family mansion Jorasanko. Within the joint family, Rabindranath’s thirteen brothers and sisters were mathematicians, journalists, novelists, musicians, artists. His cousins, who shared the family mansion, were leaders in theatre, science and a new art movement.
The tremendous excitement and cultural richness of his extended family permitted young Rabindranath to absorb and learn subconsciously at his own pace, giving him a dynamic open model of education, which he later tried to recreate in his school at Santiniketan. Not surprisingly, he found his outside formal schooling to be inferior and boring and, after a brief exposure to several schools, he refused to attend school. The only degrees he ever received were honorary ones bestowed late in life.
His experiences at Jorasanko provided him with a lifelong conviction concerning the importance of freedom in education. He also realized in a profound manner the importance of the arts for developing empathy and sensitivity, and the necessity for an intimate relationship with one’s cultural and natural environment. In participating in the cosmopolitan activities of the family, he came to reject narrowness in general, and in particular, any form of narrowness that separated human being from human being. He saw education as a vehicle for appreciating the richest aspects of other cultures, while maintaining one’s own cultural specificity.
As he wrote; “I was brought up in an atmosphere of aspiration, aspiration for the expansion of the human spirit. We in our home sought freedom of power in our language, freedom of imagination in our literature, freedom of soul in our religious creeds and that of mind in our social environment. Such an opportunity has given me confidence in the power of education which is one with life and only which can give us real freedom, the highest that is claimed for man, his freedom of moral communion in the human world.... I try to assert in my words and works that education has its only meaning and object in freedom–freedom from ignorance about the laws of the universe, and freedom from passion and prejudice in our communication with the human world. In my institution I have attempted to create an atmosphere of naturalness in our relationship with strangers, and the spirit of hospitality which is the first virtue in men that made civilization possible.
I invited thinkers and scholars from foreign lands to let our boys know how easy it is to realize our common fellowship, when we deal with those who are great, and that it is the puny that with their petty vanities set up barriers between man and man.” [1]
As well as growing up in a household that was the meeting place for leading artists and intellectuals from India and the West, Rabindranath had a further experience which was unusual for someone of his upbringing. In the 1890s, he was put in charge of the family's rural properties in East Bengal. His first experiments in adult education were carried out there as he gradually became aware of the acute material and cultural poverty that permeated the villages, as well as the great divide between the uneducated rural areas and the city elites. His experiences made him determined to do something about rural uplift, and later at Santiniketan, students and teachers were involved with literacy training and social work and the promotion of cooperative schemes. As an alternative to the existing forms of education, he started a small school at Santiniketan in 1901 that developed into a university and rural reconstruction centre, where he tried to develop an alternative model of education that stemmed from his own learning experiences.
A lot of cross pollination took place in the tagore family due to their foreign contacts. On the other hand the common mass in Bengal got influenced by the British rule of that time. British architecture influenced the indian aesthetic of architecture of that period. Calcutta is a major witness where still today we get to see those buildings and monuments with british architecture. Not just architecture but the lifestyle in general including dressing,eating habits also witnessed some changes.The Bethene School, one of the oldest schools for girls in Calcutta, started propagating women’s education. Women, who were so long confined within the four walls of their house now started coming out of their house . With the increased importance of woman in the bengali houehold,strengthened by the efforts of the great bengal reformers the dressing style in general also saw a plethora of changes.
THE BRITISH INFLUENCE ON FASHION IN BENGAL is undeniable. There was no concept of stitched garment in Bengal. Men used to wear dhoti as a lower garment coupled with a shawl or “uttariya” for covering the upper body, while women used to wear sarees. Sometimes they used to carry a light shawl while they used to go out of their houses.There was no concept of blouse. But when girls started going out to schools the British teachers thought that they needed something more refined for covering their upper bodies and so blouse was introduced.
With the advent of the british also came the BABU CULTURE in Bengal, which is described briefly in the later part of this write up.
HOSTORY OF BENGALI FASHION
Dresses of the women folk - In Bengal, the typical women dress has always been the sari. At one point of time, wearing a saree and veiling the head was the norm of the society. The saris of Bengal come in a wide range of hues, the most popular being the red and the white. Red and similar other bright colours were usually worn by ladies of lower age group. Since, earlier the Bengalee women used to wear sari from a very small age, these bright coloured saris suited to their taste and at one point of time it was customary to wear red sari in marriages as red was considered to have a lot of ritualistic values. Middle aged women i.e. women between thirty-five and forty generally wore light coloured saris and women above forty mostly used to wear white and off white coloured saris. White was also the colour of the widows. Ladies who became widow even at the age of fifteen, used to clad themselves in white coloured saris. But this trend is no longer prevalent. These days women off all ages are found to be wearing bright and gorgeous colours. Even the widows today are not found in white. Most women, these days, dress up according to their own choice and not according to the choice of the society. Conforming to this standard practice, women used a piece of cloth called “Orna” in addition to sari for veiling their head or at times they used the sari itself for veiling (ghomta). Due to the influence of the Turks, Afghans and the Mughals, there was a recognizable difference in the garments of the women folk. From the Pathans and the Mughals, our ladies got the “Salwar” and the “Kameez”. But these garments did not penetrate deep within the Bengali community much at that time and the basic convention of wearing the sari was not affected. It went on undisturbed Due to the influence of the Turks, Afghans and the Mughals a marked change was also noticed in the garments of the women folk. The practice of wearing colourful sarees started from this period. The “Anchal” of the saree was left over the shoulder to enhance the beauty. The “Choli” or the “Kancholi” as we know today was introduced to the women as the “Angia”. From the Pathans and the Mughals our ladies got the “Salwar” and the “Pajama”. This Pajama was of the same variety worn by the gentlemen. They also adopted the “Ghangra”, the “Do-patta” and the “Orna”. From them hung a bundle of keys or sometimes a tinkling ornament known as the “Kinkini”. But these garments did not penetrate deep within the Hindu society and the basic convention of wearing the saree was not affected. In short the Bengalis retained their own dress code in spite of so much influence of the Pathans and the Mughals.The weavers of Bengal produced varieties of fabrics. It need not be mentioned that the aesthetic sense of the Bengalis is the source of their textile triumph. With their artistry the Bengalis overwhelmed the world community. “Dhakai Muslin” overawed the whole world and this success of the textile brought about the downfall of India as the British interest in merchandise gradually shifted to creating a dominion.
In the year 1826, Feni Parks, a lady from England, attended the function at one of the rich Bengali house holds. She was curious to see and know about the women of the well-to-do families. In her diary she mentions having met two ladies who were extraordinarily beautiful. Judging by their dresses she came to understand the reason, why no one else other than their husbands were allowed in the inner quarters. They wore fine Benarasi sarees embroidered with golden laces that were fastened to the bodies with two twists with one end of the saree left over the shoulder. As wearing undergarments were not prevalent then, the fine silk emphasized the contours of their body.
Evolution of the Saree- the modern era inevitably changed the course and the convention. After Sri. Satyendra Nath Tagore returned to Bengal from abroad he had to leave for Bombay for his posting in civil service. He wished to take his wife Gyanadanandini devi with him. But a serious problem cropped up as to the dress the lady would wear while stepping out of her inner quarters. The solution to this problem came from a French tailor. He prepared an oriental dress for the ladies.
Contribution of Gyanadanandini devi-Later in Bombay, Gyanadanandini ransacked the market for a perfect dress that would be fashionable as well as fit to be worn in the society. She appreciated the style the Parsi women adapted while wearing the saree. She emulated them and also mastered the use of petty-coat, the chemise and the blouse. Thus she became the founder of the contemporary Bengali fashion for the ladies. More improvisations came when the Maharani of Coochbihar, Suniti Devi brought in more improvisations. She founded the trend of pleating and broaching the part of the saree that was hung over the shoulder as the “Anchal”. There were immense changes in the jackets and blouses as Frills started being used frequently on blouses.
The Bengali women implemented their own trends. The Bengali women defied the Pathan, Mughal or the English fashions and implemented their own trends. They started using the concept of colour matching and began wearing separate dresses for different seasons. Spring was the time for them to wear sky blue saree with black border and used floral garlands as headdress. During the Durga puja they wore sarees of different hues accompanied by floral ornaments and used cosmetics made from sandal and flowers. During holi they wore a white Muslin saree so that the colours strewn on the saree acquired prominence.
The ladies of the Tagore family became the trendsetters when it came to the usage of the sarees in the Bengali community. In this way in the nineteenth century a modernised trend of wearing the saree started its journey.
Men's wear- Under the British rule, started a new era and with it the Bengali dress sense also took a significant turn. For the gentlemen too, the century offered a stable fashion. In the British era men used to wear the coat and the trousers emulating the foreigners but the community at large did not accept the fashion. That is why till the mid nineteenth century the English dress code was ignored. To keep compatibility with the modern era a few changes were made in the conventional fashion and this was believed to suffice. The China coat and the vest were used and for the juniors there was the “Dolai”. Sandles were worn. Men sometimes used the turban and the shawl. The rich instead of a vest wore cloaks.
The Babus-We find a detailed description of the babus in Sri.Shibnath Sashtri’s writings. According to his writings in those days in the middle class families a special creed of people began to assert their culture in the community. Known as the “Babus”, these people were of a happy-go- lucky type and had dark circles round their eyes as a result of living an excessively promiscuous nocturnal life. These people had long cascading hair till the shoulders and used ink powder as dentifrice. They wore fine “Dhoti” with black border, a Muslin vest and round the neck hung a piece of braided white cloth. They wore Chinese shoes fitted with buckles.[2]
Tagore household became a trendsetter in fashion.Maharshi Debendranath Tagore was invited at a function at the Shovabazar Rajbari. All the rich and the famous of Calcutta were invited in the party. But at that time Maharshi was running through a financial crunch as he had to pay off his father’s debts, and this news had spread through the city like wild fire and every one was curious to know the way Maharshi would dress himself. This rumor reached the Thakurbari too and when Maharshi came to know about it he promptly ordered for a pair of Muslin shoe studded with pearls. What happened next was inevitable. Everyone in the party was waiting Debendranath Tagore
anxiously for the Maharshi. When Maharshi finally entered the banquet, people were enthralled to see him. There was nothing gaudy about his dress. He was wearing a milk white turban and a gown but his glittering shoes attracted the attention of all. At the sight of this, the “raja” of the Shovabazar Rajbari, who was also a good friend of Maharshi, called everyone and said that one should learn aristocracy from Maharshi, what every body wore round their neck and their head dresses, he nonchalantly kept that to his feet. Apart from Maharshi, his brother Nagendranath was also a very aesthetically inclined person.
Jyotindranath Tagore Another member of the Tagore family Jyotindranath Tagore also took a resolution to change the overall fashion trend of the Bengalis. For this he brought a fusion in the sponge wood cap with the turban and the pajama with the “Dhoti” and in the process formed a peculiar dress. He attached a pleated piece of cloth in front of the pajama simulating the “Kocha” of the “Dhoti” and mixed the sponge wood cap and the turban in such a way, which never seemed like a convincing head dress. Although Jyotindranath himself used to wear this peculiar dress, no body in the society dared to follow him.Thus the “dhoti” remained the “Dhoti” and the pajama the pajama. The trend of wearing the “dhoti” was challenged after the independence. The Bengalis saw that while going about their daily work, “Dhoti” was unsuitable. Thus they resorted to the coats, trousers and the shirt. The saree was replaced with the “Salwar-Kurta” and the “Orna”. This was readily accepted by the mass. This trend is prevalent now-a-days while new fashions are born every day. But the saree and the “Dhoti” are not done with. The Bengalis have a special respect for these garments and adorn them on occasions and ceremonies to relive their golden era of the yester years.
Modern dress-The end of the 19th century and the advent of the 20th century brought changes both in male and female dress styles. The effects of the Second World War in particular led men to adopt western cuts of shirts and trousers and suits and ties. The pyjama of Muslims and the dhuti of Hindus were frequently worn with western collar-and-cuff shirts. The kurta or punjabi, or the loose tunic, continued as formal wear, topped with waistcoat and a chadar or shawl on the left shoulder, but increasingly men donned western suits for office and state and official functions. Shoes also were laced and buckled in the western style, but pump shoes and sandals continued to be worn with indigenous costumes. Caps of different designs, either of plain cotton or embroidered, were worn by Muslim men on festive occasions. The sola tupi or sun-hat of the British was worn by Bengali officials, who also dressed in western uniforms of khaki, white or navy blue in various capacities.
The polka dot prints are gift of the 60s to the Indian wardrobe. Bell-bottoms became very fashionable in the late 1960s and much of the 1970s, both for men and women. They began as part of the hippie counterculture movement in the 1960s, together with love beads, granny glasses, and tie-dye shirts; in the 1970s, they moved into the mainstream.
Loon pants (shortened from "balloon pants") were one type of bell-bottomed trousers. They flared more from the knee than typical bell-bottoms, in which more of the entire leg was flared. They were a 1970's fashion, and could initially only be bought via catalog from a company in Britain which advertised in the back of the New Musical Express. They were usually worn with a Led Zepplin and Jesus boots (sandals). They became associated with disco music.
When the disco backlash occurred, late in 1979, bell bottoms quickly went out of fashion along with leisure suits and other clothes that had become associated with disco. The 1980s saw new trends in men's fashions. The influence came mainly through satellite television and increased travel. There was a conscious evolution of the classical Mughal styles, in which designers adapted elaborate dresses to meet contemporary needs. Punjabis with buttoned-up collars became longer, and the embellishment of exotic needlework or blockprint patterns enhanced the cut. Combination punjabi suits developed to men's three-piece ensembles. The third item was the left shoulder shawl or the graceful sleeveless long cloak with slits on the sides and finely embroidered. These are usually made from expensive silks, tassars and textured woven fabrics with gold braids or gold and silver embroideries. Since the 1990s, fashion designer men's wear has taken over as formal evening wear at weddings and festivals, reducing the use of western-style suits among the young elite. As cultural functions demand indigenous dress, the kurta-pyjama or punjabi-pyjama is still in common use, with or without waistcoats. For office and workplace trousers with open-collar shirt are commonly worn. Working class people of all religions still prefer the lungi-genji, the sewn sarong and short-sleeved cotton vest, as a daily garb. Both rural and urban common people wear the climatically suitable lungi-genji or lungi with shirt, which has been the unofficial national dress of Bengal for centuries. Middle and upper class men wear the lungi at home, usually with stylish punjabi. Western influence on urban Bengali women's dress entered in subtle ways at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. While the sari remained the same in drape, the blouse took on western styles, for instance, puff-sleeves or tight-fitting sleeves up to the wrists, made out of rich materials such as velvet, satin and brocade. The necklines, too, were scooped out wider and lower as in European dress and came to be fringed with laces, brocade braids, and various decorative borders. Post World War II changes brought in printed mill cloths, saris and blouses of the same material. The traditional handloom saris continued to be worn by ordinary women, as they were cheap and durable. The upper and middle class women wore the expensive silk jamdani and benarasi saris for weddings and festivals, and fine hand-loomed cottons at home. The innovation of artificial silk provided rich looking clothes at prices affordable by those in the low-income bracket. The period from 1945 to 1975 did not see much change. In the 1980s, information and visual communication media caused sudden extraneous changes. Access to sari fashions from India led to a demand for change in weaving textures, colours and embellishment. Designer saris, embroidered in nakshi kantha embroidery, brush painted, and tie-and-dye saris became fashionable. Blouses varied between the U-neck, which placed emphasis on the sari, and the conventional round open neckline exposing shoulders and neck for gold or silver jewelry. Apart from sari, another type of dress, which has suited to the taste of the Bengalees, is the Salwar Kameez. This is a dress, which the Bengalees got from the Pathans and the Mughals. With the emergence of salwar kameez, women, no longer clad themselves in saris from the age of nine or ten. Instead they start wearing saris from the age of twenty or so and at the age of nine they are found in frocks, skirts and similar other dresses. Skirts and frocks are dresses, which are worn even up to the age of twenty. Most women, these days, irrespective of their age, wear salwar kameez in formal and informal occasions. This particular dress has gained popularity over sari, as women feel more comfortable in it. But sari is not out of fashion. It is still a dress, which is worn by many women. Specially on occasions and ceremonies, women of Bengal are mostly found in saris. Even at home, some women still continue the tradition of wearing saris though there exist other types of dresses like the maxi, night dress etc.
Previously sari was the only dress of the urban women. But now in urban areas women wear saris as well as salwar-kurtas. Small girls are found in frocks and skirts , small boys in shirts and trousers. Girls now days, wear frocks and skirts even up to the age of twenty. Urban men wear shirts and trousers as formal dresses, dhotis and pajama panjabis on occasions. Pajama panjabis are also worn as informal wear.
The men in rural Bengal generally wear lungis and dhotis and women wear saris. Even the small boys and girls wear dhotis and saris respectively. But in rural areas also, the scenario is changing gradually. Now the village boys are also found to be wearing shirts and pants and girls are found to be wearing frocks. Men of rural Bengal too, are wearing shirts and trousers these days and women are wearing salwar-kameez. These dresses are commonly found to be worn by the people of younger generation. But the tradition of wearing dhoti, lungi and sari is still prevalent among the people of older generation.The decade from 1990 to 2001 saw an upsurge in sari fashion-shows that showed designers using the time-tried method of combining the classical with the contemporary. Fine cotton saris turned out from mills provided new colour lines and exotic patterns. Working women wore a range of hand block prints and hand-painted saris for daywear. Rajshahi silks for daywear in screen print and batik were followed by evening and party saris of the famous heavier Balaka silk, in rich hues of peacock and turquoise blue, rust and maroon, jade green and golden yellow. A significant entry into women's dress from the 1990s has been the shawl. This practical 3-piece ensemble has become popular among women of nearly all age-groups. Once considered taboo for married Bengali women, the salwar-kameez is now worn by girls attending schools, colleges and universities as well as by housewives and women in different professions. In response to the demands of a more active outdoor life, women have adopted this dress for comfort. This has led to a whole range of products in cotton day-dress, using all the formats of block print, hand and machine embroideries, screen print and dressy evening combinations in lace, silk, brocades, tissues and velvets. Jamdani dopattas, Tangail hand-loomed dopattas and muslin dopattas or orhnas are worn according to the choice of dress.
Women's hairstyles have witnessed noticeable changes since the 1980s. Women traditionally made their long hair up in a coil or khopa, and girls wore braids and plaits, but now they took to varying their hairstyles. Access to media has brought in other fashions and beauty parlours now offer services to trim and perm hair to suit the latest international trends.
Urban women's dress fashions are subject to change on an annual basis, but the sari remains a perennial favourite.
[Perveen Ahmed]
Bibiography-
Tagore Rabindranath. (1922) Creative Unity. London: Macmillan & Co.
Tagore, Rabindranath (1961) Towards Universal Man. New York: Asia Publishing House. Tagore, Rabindranath. (1917) My Reminiscences. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Tagore, Rabindranath (1917) Personality. London: Macmillan & Co.
Tagore, Rabindranath (1929) “Ideals of Education”, The Visva-Bharati Quarterly (April-July), 73-4
Dutta, Krishna & Andrew Robinson (1995) Rabindranath Tagore:The Myriad-Minded Man, London: Bloomsbury.
Kripalani, Krishna, Rabindranath Tagore (1980) Calcutta: Visva-Bharati.
O’Connell, Kathleen(2002) Rabindranath Tagore: The Poet as Educator, Calcutta:Visva-Bharati, 2002.
Tagore, Rabindranath (1980) Our Universe. Translated by Indu Dutt. Bombay: Jaico Publishing House
Tagore, Rabindranath (1961) The Religion of Man. Boston: Beacon Press.
Tagore, Rabindranath (1985) Rabindranath Tagore:Selected Poems. Translated by William Radice. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books.
Tagore, Rabindranath (1966) A Tagore Reader. Edited by Amiya Chakravarty. Boston: Beacon Press.
Selected letters of Rabindranath Tagore (1997) edited by Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson
Important sites
http://murshid.co.uk/Reluctant.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyendranath_Tagore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_Renaissance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarnakumari_Devi
[1] (Tagore, Rabindranath. (1917) My Reminiscences. New York: The Macmillan Company)
[2] ( Bankim Chandra Chattopadhaya, Babu)
TOYS
Introduction
Toys are things to play with, esp. play things for children.
Toys throw light on the remarkable similarity of sentiments and customs that exists among people divided from one another by time, space, race or religion. It also forms a key element to relate with the story of human race as they are intimately connected with the activities of the children who played with them and of the adults who designed or made them. It also holds historical importance as it supplies valuable supplementary landmarks in the history of man’s progress. Example: the toys recovered from the excavation of ancient tombs or sites which were the seats of by-gone civilizations and those who have left traces of their existence.
Toys also hold important educational value as it helps the experts to study children and their psychology. As a folk art toy making takes us back to the dim and distant past. Though the factory produced toy is a product of our mechanical civilization, some of the earliest toys prove that mechanical devices were also known to ancestors thousands of years ago.
Rattles, building blocks, pull carts, stuffed toys, dolls, train sets and various indoor games are a child's best friend. Interestingly, these very products also constitute the vast and varied range of traditional Indian toys that are slowly coming back into vogue. Doing the trick is the use of bright new colors and contemporary designs, and the backing of modern marketing techniques. There was time when clay dancing dolls or figurines of birds, animals and musicians could amuse a child for hours. Many adults may have fond childhood memories of playing with home-fashioned toys. Today, however, the markets are brimming with a variety of factory-manufactured toys of different makes and brands.
As technology changed and civilization progressed, toys also changed. Whereas ancient toys were made from materials found in nature like stone, wood, and grass modern toys are often made from plastic, cloth, and synthentic materials. Ancient toys were often made by the parents and family of the children who used them, or by the children themselves. Modern toys, in contrast, are often mass-produced and sold in stores.
Somewhere along the way, the Barbie doll replaced the humble clay doll, while Lego took the place of simple wooden building blocks. More than the change in basic form, the materials have changed because of technological development. Some how the basic difference in the gender based toys remain similar till date. Previously toys for girls were like dolls which were soft and curvy made of wood of stuffed fabric, mostly indoor toys and the ones for boys were outdoor and not as soft n easy to handle as girls as boys were suppose to be tough. Even now you see Barbie’s wearing pink lacy stuff soft beautiful and all accessorized popular among girls and GIJOES all tough with muscles and guns , hot wheels and race tracks very popular among boy.
Evolutionarily girls like to play with soft curvy dolls, kitchen sets (indoor games) while boys play outdoor games and had toys like toy soldiers, guns etc. This gender difference was there and still continues to be the same.
“Handmade toys reflect the culture and the traditions of the people, those produced by factories represent the march of science”
The play instinct is inherent in children and the earliest toys presumably included any object which appealed to this instinct and could be handled with ease by the child. The child’s environment and the mode of life of those in whose midst he was brought up must have determined the type of toys of any particular era.
Children have always made toys for themselves. By doing so, they have been provided the opportunity to penetrate and understand the physical environment in which they live.
Chronology
1920: Wooden toys
1928: Mickey Mouse was launched as a cartoon character
1934: the Mickey Mouse came as a toy in US
1959: The Barbie Doll was launched in the US
1960: beginning of plastic toys in India
1975: wooden toys lost existence in the Indian market
1980: the plastic toys
2000: wooden toys came back as art objects
Indian traditional toys
Indian handmade toys
Playing cards
Kitchen sets
Top (wooden lattu)
Dolls, animal forms ( glass, lacquer, terracotta and wood )
Puppets (fabric, wood, coconut, fiber)
Gilli danda (wooden)
Skipping rope
Ball (rubber, fabric, wood, clay)
Wooden toys
Stuffed toys
Western influence in India
Electronic
Cartoons and Barbie dolls
Guns and cars
Soft toys-teddy bear
Batterie operated toys
Toys in the 20’s and 30’s
Indian tradition of making has always been a craft
Indian toys since the early times have always been made from easily available material from the surroundings or were made from waste material from daily life.
Toys made out of wood were the most common in the 20’s and 30’s. Local carpenters made toys from locally available wood. Toys like gilli-danda, top, and wooden dolls, bullock cart were common. Simple wooden toys with wheels (something which has a string to pull) were used to play. Bullock cart was a favorite toy amongst kids.
In very interior parts of the country dolls and animal forms were made of cow dung and terracotta were colored in different colors using geru. (colors like Indian red and brown were used)
Small animal figures made of sugar were used in the ritual of puja. These small figures were then used as toys by kids and were also sweets to eat. Figures made of turmeric were also used as toys and now they are worshipped. These things are practiced till date but the context has changed. Lacquer toys were also available. Simple rattles made of tin and small stones were the sound entertainers.
In India kids were playing with handmade toys, while in the US Mickey mouse was launched as a cartoon character in 1928. Mickey mouse came as a toy in 1934.
Toys in 60’s and 70’s
Wooden toys were common in the market till the mid 70’s. Rubber dolls with blinking eyes were new and common. Dolls with moving limbs and action figures were in picture. Plastic toys were seen in since 60’s. After the mid 70’s wooden toys were almost extinct in the common market. They are again in picture in the 21st century but in a totally different context.
Toys running on batteries were all China made and were brought in India by people who could afford buying it from China. Metro cities like Mumbai and Chennai had toy stores selling the Chinese toys. Toy trains, cars and planes were some products available then. India was making clock work toys. Foreign toys were bought in India by rich Indians who could afford buying expensive toys.
Building blocks called Mechano made of wood was a common toy. Later this toy was also made in plastic.
The Barbie doll was launched in 1959 in the US. Launching of the Barbie doll was a landmark in the history of toys. Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara at play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children's toy dolls were representations of infants. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband Elliot, a co-founder of the Mattel toy company who launched the barbie doll.
Toys in 80’s and 90’s
Wooden toys were totally replaced by plastic in this decade.
Recycling of waste was on scene in this decade. Toys made from recycled plastic with very dull colors were available.
Rattles were toys making sound. Toys making realistic sounds were new inventions. Crying babies were exciting to play with.
Many famous toy companies started business in the 1890s and 1900s. Britains started making toy soldiers and later farmyards, zoos, cowboys and indians and railway figures. Hornby produced clockwork and electric trains and Meccano.
In the 20th century, the cinema and later TV, has had a major influence on the retail of toys. The popularity of many toys goes in cycles as new generations rediscover the toys for themselves. The use of battery power and computers have changed the way that toys operate. However the principles behind the toys are often the same with clockwork train replaced by the electric, the walking and talking doll relying on batteries rather than clockwork and string. Now there is also a return to wooden toys, traditional looking teddy bears and simple games such as marbles and spinning tops.
Aarti Badamikar
Akruti Sinha
Introduction
Toys are things to play with, esp. play things for children.
Toys throw light on the remarkable similarity of sentiments and customs that exists among people divided from one another by time, space, race or religion. It also forms a key element to relate with the story of human race as they are intimately connected with the activities of the children who played with them and of the adults who designed or made them. It also holds historical importance as it supplies valuable supplementary landmarks in the history of man’s progress. Example: the toys recovered from the excavation of ancient tombs or sites which were the seats of by-gone civilizations and those who have left traces of their existence.
Toys also hold important educational value as it helps the experts to study children and their psychology. As a folk art toy making takes us back to the dim and distant past. Though the factory produced toy is a product of our mechanical civilization, some of the earliest toys prove that mechanical devices were also known to ancestors thousands of years ago.
Rattles, building blocks, pull carts, stuffed toys, dolls, train sets and various indoor games are a child's best friend. Interestingly, these very products also constitute the vast and varied range of traditional Indian toys that are slowly coming back into vogue. Doing the trick is the use of bright new colors and contemporary designs, and the backing of modern marketing techniques. There was time when clay dancing dolls or figurines of birds, animals and musicians could amuse a child for hours. Many adults may have fond childhood memories of playing with home-fashioned toys. Today, however, the markets are brimming with a variety of factory-manufactured toys of different makes and brands.
As technology changed and civilization progressed, toys also changed. Whereas ancient toys were made from materials found in nature like stone, wood, and grass modern toys are often made from plastic, cloth, and synthentic materials. Ancient toys were often made by the parents and family of the children who used them, or by the children themselves. Modern toys, in contrast, are often mass-produced and sold in stores.
Somewhere along the way, the Barbie doll replaced the humble clay doll, while Lego took the place of simple wooden building blocks. More than the change in basic form, the materials have changed because of technological development. Some how the basic difference in the gender based toys remain similar till date. Previously toys for girls were like dolls which were soft and curvy made of wood of stuffed fabric, mostly indoor toys and the ones for boys were outdoor and not as soft n easy to handle as girls as boys were suppose to be tough. Even now you see Barbie’s wearing pink lacy stuff soft beautiful and all accessorized popular among girls and GIJOES all tough with muscles and guns , hot wheels and race tracks very popular among boy.
Evolutionarily girls like to play with soft curvy dolls, kitchen sets (indoor games) while boys play outdoor games and had toys like toy soldiers, guns etc. This gender difference was there and still continues to be the same.
“Handmade toys reflect the culture and the traditions of the people, those produced by factories represent the march of science”
The play instinct is inherent in children and the earliest toys presumably included any object which appealed to this instinct and could be handled with ease by the child. The child’s environment and the mode of life of those in whose midst he was brought up must have determined the type of toys of any particular era.
Children have always made toys for themselves. By doing so, they have been provided the opportunity to penetrate and understand the physical environment in which they live.
Chronology
1920: Wooden toys
1928: Mickey Mouse was launched as a cartoon character
1934: the Mickey Mouse came as a toy in US
1959: The Barbie Doll was launched in the US
1960: beginning of plastic toys in India
1975: wooden toys lost existence in the Indian market
1980: the plastic toys
2000: wooden toys came back as art objects
Indian traditional toys
Indian handmade toys
Playing cards
Kitchen sets
Top (wooden lattu)
Dolls, animal forms ( glass, lacquer, terracotta and wood )
Puppets (fabric, wood, coconut, fiber)
Gilli danda (wooden)
Skipping rope
Ball (rubber, fabric, wood, clay)
Wooden toys
Stuffed toys
Western influence in India
Electronic
Cartoons and Barbie dolls
Guns and cars
Soft toys-teddy bear
Batterie operated toys
Toys in the 20’s and 30’s
Indian tradition of making has always been a craft
Indian toys since the early times have always been made from easily available material from the surroundings or were made from waste material from daily life.
Toys made out of wood were the most common in the 20’s and 30’s. Local carpenters made toys from locally available wood. Toys like gilli-danda, top, and wooden dolls, bullock cart were common. Simple wooden toys with wheels (something which has a string to pull) were used to play. Bullock cart was a favorite toy amongst kids.
In very interior parts of the country dolls and animal forms were made of cow dung and terracotta were colored in different colors using geru. (colors like Indian red and brown were used)
Small animal figures made of sugar were used in the ritual of puja. These small figures were then used as toys by kids and were also sweets to eat. Figures made of turmeric were also used as toys and now they are worshipped. These things are practiced till date but the context has changed. Lacquer toys were also available. Simple rattles made of tin and small stones were the sound entertainers.
In India kids were playing with handmade toys, while in the US Mickey mouse was launched as a cartoon character in 1928. Mickey mouse came as a toy in 1934.
Toys in 60’s and 70’s
Wooden toys were common in the market till the mid 70’s. Rubber dolls with blinking eyes were new and common. Dolls with moving limbs and action figures were in picture. Plastic toys were seen in since 60’s. After the mid 70’s wooden toys were almost extinct in the common market. They are again in picture in the 21st century but in a totally different context.
Toys running on batteries were all China made and were brought in India by people who could afford buying it from China. Metro cities like Mumbai and Chennai had toy stores selling the Chinese toys. Toy trains, cars and planes were some products available then. India was making clock work toys. Foreign toys were bought in India by rich Indians who could afford buying expensive toys.
Building blocks called Mechano made of wood was a common toy. Later this toy was also made in plastic.
The Barbie doll was launched in 1959 in the US. Launching of the Barbie doll was a landmark in the history of toys. Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara at play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children's toy dolls were representations of infants. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband Elliot, a co-founder of the Mattel toy company who launched the barbie doll.
Toys in 80’s and 90’s
Wooden toys were totally replaced by plastic in this decade.
Recycling of waste was on scene in this decade. Toys made from recycled plastic with very dull colors were available.
Rattles were toys making sound. Toys making realistic sounds were new inventions. Crying babies were exciting to play with.
Many famous toy companies started business in the 1890s and 1900s. Britains started making toy soldiers and later farmyards, zoos, cowboys and indians and railway figures. Hornby produced clockwork and electric trains and Meccano.
In the 20th century, the cinema and later TV, has had a major influence on the retail of toys. The popularity of many toys goes in cycles as new generations rediscover the toys for themselves. The use of battery power and computers have changed the way that toys operate. However the principles behind the toys are often the same with clockwork train replaced by the electric, the walking and talking doll relying on batteries rather than clockwork and string. Now there is also a return to wooden toys, traditional looking teddy bears and simple games such as marbles and spinning tops.
Aarti Badamikar
Akruti Sinha
Monday, October 22, 2007
The Journey of Kid’s clothing in India
Kid’s clothing in India
· Introduction
Kid’s clothing has one f the fastest upcoming sectors in the fashion and clothing industry. Though the industry is not as old as the other garment producing sectors it has achieved no less than the other sectors. In fact more and more brands are venturing into kid’s garments as there is a lot of potential that the sector holds. We have tried to trace down the journey o f emergence of what we see today as kids clothing in India. The document will provide a brief history of kid’s wear in India and the major factors that changed the course of the journey time and again and the effects; apparent and non apparent that it had on the industry and culture as a whole.
o The “doll” look
A major influence that we still see in kid’s clothing and specially the little girl’s dresses is the “DOLL”. Most of us and the generations preceding us have had ‘the cute looking short, frilly, lacy frocks’ in our wardrobes in a particular age. Wonder how all over the world and India, even in the smallest towns of India people had a common sensibility towards kid’s clothing! But if thought about it as a parent, the reason becomes clearer.
Every girl in her childhood whether liked it or not had dolls as a part of their toys. That is also the first gift that we think of for a little girl. The doll was considered the perfect form of a cute little girl, adored by all, always dressed and made up. And this immense appreciation of the “DOLL” look had a great impact on the way kid’s clothing emerged. As we also spoke to a few parents, we did not miss out their use of the term s “Doll like” and “cute”. This was one common factor that governed the simultaneous emergence of Frocks.
Photographs showing kids wearing pretty frocks, with style elements like gathers,frills,laces adding to the doll look.
The photograph on the bottom left shows brother and sister wearing frocks. Frocks being one of the most popular and convenient clothing for the kids is often used for both girl and boy babies and also have a tradition to be passed on from the older kids to the younger ones in all homes. There has been a tradition of reusing fabrics to construct kids garments. It is interesting that even the garmenst are reused to the maximum possibility for the younger generation/siblings. Not only frocks but even other kids clothing is passed on to the younger ones.
· History (1930s-2000):
· Regional clothing and their origin: Kid’s Clothing, just like other developments started at regional level at not exactly the same time in history. But the approximate time when garments were consciously being made for kids was in the 1930’s. Much before that the only garments that were sewn for the kids in the rural sector were the undergarments (Langotis as said in colloquial terms). This was a triangular piece of fabric with tie ups at all the corners to tie it around the child’s waist. As the kid grew after a certain age he/she started wearing a miniature version of the adult’s clothes. But all that was stitched was hand stitched as the sewing machines had yet not arrived in the Indian homes, and specially the rural ones. As kids grew up the wore what the eldders did.
The picture on the top left shows kids from Rajasthan wearing traditional clothes and jewellery. On the right is a family picture from rural Tamilnadu. The boy wears exactly the same clothes the father but the girls wear blouse and loose fitting skirt as they grow older. The picture very well portrays how the tradition and culture influence the kids clothing, though the prints and fabrics are contemporary.
· Started with no specific garments for the kids : An important phase in the journey was when the idea of kid’s clothing as a completely separate range was not developed. This was when different forms of traditional regional wear were being converted into miniature versions. What is also interesting is that the same trend reentered the market a few years back when a lot of manufacturers made Salwar kamiz and Gahghra choli (skirt blouse traditionally worn in parts of west India and south India) for the kids.
· Minimalistic clothing (hand stitched): Another aspect of manufacturing of kid’s clothing was The advent of sewing machines in India. During the British era a couple of brands of sewing machines like Puff and Bhutia, existed in India. But since these machines were too expensive for the rural India which constituted the most of India. Slowly the urge for stylization had begun amongst the women who stitched their children’s clothes by hand. They introduced varied necklines and sleeves to the basic garment. By 1950s they even started using elements like gathering and piping in kid’s garments. Elastic was one of the most popular accessories started with just gathering in sleeves and later elastic and gathering were explored beyond limits.
· Occasional wear (traditional and a smaller version of elder’s garments, embellished): Even as all these innovations were happening the occasional wear for children, which was mostly festive continued to remain traditional. These were moreover smaller versions of the adult’s traditional garments. Just like the present day even in the past years different parts and communities of India followed a different dress code and so did the children during the festivals.
· Tailored garments: after 1948 people started getting sewing , machines at home and sewing remained a part of women’s household activities for quite a long time. As people’s lives started getting busier with women working in offices, the tailors gained popularity even amongst the middle class. Though earlier well stitched tailored garments were affordable to only the upper class and were a normal practice to get clothes stitched by tailors. In those days tailors used to go to these people’s houses to take the measurement and fabrics. Since the amount of effort and time that went into stitching kid’s garment was the same as that required for adults and some times even more complex but they were paid even less than what they were paid for adults garments. The tailors usually got inspired from movies and other foreign and Indian pattern making books and magazines for the designs. Sometimes even the parents used to suggest what they want the garment to look like. also the economically upper class of the society influenced the lower classes in terms of designs. They aspired to get their children the best clothes that they saw around. But with passing years the trend has completely changed. These days hardly any skilled tailors are ready to sew garments for kids. The ready to wear industry in a way also solved the problem as it is cheaper and has a wide range of garments as compared to the tailor made garments.
· Ready to wear (Indian, imported): ready to wear garments entered India during the British invasion. But at this time they were too expensive for even the richer group to afford. By 1960s India had its own textile mills and garment manufacturing units and a lot of ready to wear for kids started from then onwards and has now led to huge export houses that work for the foreign brands as well.
· Brands: with the advent of well known brands in India, the locally made garments are losing popularity. These brands provide a large variety of styles starting from sports wear to party wear to even traditional wear in all sizes. Another important shift from the woven to knitted fabrics has also changed the wardrobes of kids across the country. Most kid’s wardrobes are full of knitted garments whether summer wear or winter wear as it provides allowance for growing kids.
· Lifestyle: Along with garments these brands also manufacture a whole lot of lifestyle products which have extended the concept of lifestyle. Now the parents and children have different places to source their lifestyle products from. A lot of it is borrowed from the west and applied to the Indian context.
§ Kid’s garment producing sectors
India never had a history or concepts on children’s clothing. Most of the kids used to wear miniature of adult cloths. But with the time, India has adopted and carried forward western form of children’s wear along with their traditional dress. These changes majorly took place in India during 1960s. When many textile mills were set up in India and also the availability of sewing machines gave a push to these units who stitched clothes for kids at household level to public level.
1. Household:
House is the smallest unit in India which produces kids garment for their personal use.
· Raw materials are sourced from local markets or using the waste fabrics or old fabrics to make a new garment for a child. Recycling of old material plays a very important role here.
· Influencing factors on children’s clothing style:
Mainly all the designs are absorbed from cinema, plays, influential classes and also the dress available in the market.
· skills:
Skills were mainly developed with practice or learnt from their elders and later in this process, it was passed to them. During 60s-70s, new brands of machine were launched in the market and there were also many training centers set up by these companies so that they educate them about it. Schools also played an important role in providing classes on stitching lessons to students. These activities made the skill quite prominent in our country.
· Technology: this sector has always been there in country but it had not touched the creativity in the clothing for kids. But with the introduction of sewing machines and exposure to others ideas of kids clothing in other part of world made a vast change in the wardrobe of children in India rather then having only one and boring adult miniature style of garments.
2. Tailors
Tailors are another sector which also helped in the production of kids clothing.
· Raw material: they usually got the fabric from their clients; they also used their left out of the previous work to give an accent to the garment by doing piping and ruffles out of it.
· Design: they were told by their client or they had a catalogue for pattern making from which they used to construct garments for kids.
· Skill: self initiated, passed on skills, training centers, schools
· Issues related to tailors for non cooperating in the construction of kids wear
In 1950s onwards tailors slowly started to show their disinterest in accepting the order for kids wear. As they believe that they were paid less for their labor as they had to put same labor while constructing elder’s garments. This was the turning point when the kid’s garment manufacturing unit came in the picture in 60.
The top left picture shows the use of left over bits of fabric(chindis), where in the tailored frock is sold for Rs5.The picture on the right shows how today clothing has also become a part of the lifestyle making a style statement for kids. Just like the elders the kids are becoming brand conscious.
3. Technology:
Industrial revolution showed its peak during 1962 in India. At this time many mills and other factories were set up in various part of India. However the Tailor’s withdrawn attitude towards not stitching children’s garments gave the birth of kid’s garment industry in India. Kid’s garment manufacturers functioned in fragmented units for example a small scale industry, export houses etc. according to their convenient.
Kid’s Garment manufacturing units were very successful in generating job opportunity for people in India. But the most of the employee in this sector were females. The reason behind this was mainly because these units paid less salary in compare to other garment industries which produces adult garments.
Strategy set by these units
· outsourcing skill
· loaning equipments (sewing machine): they use to loan people in order to raise their production.
Influencing factors
The kid’s garment manufacturing units were highly influenced by following factors, which decided the type of garment to be produced in the market.
· Fashion (Indian/western):
The garment manufacturers always produced products which have the essence and taste of that particular time. This was also observed in these units through their particular way of style, detailing of clothes like sleeve, collars and silhouette, types of fabrics i.e printed or woven, following the color forecast of western countries, and also accessories used at that time.
The garments were also styled according to available accessories at that time. For example in 1930-1960s they had not much variety in the children’s wardrobe. For girls they had a-line frocks, gathered frocks with Peter pan color, puff sleeve etc. these frocks had also piping of contrast color to its base, which acted like an accent in the garment. Slowly from 70s different type’s garments for girls other then frocks were made and sold for example pants, top, skirts etc. were introduced. Laces and other accessories like belt, caps, and hair ribbons also became very popular and had become a part of children’s wardrobe.
· Culture/geographical condition
India is a multi cultural country where many religions co exist at same time and it is also geographically diverse as a country. Here the language of clothing varies from south to north India, west to east India. All these regions have their own way of expressing their own culture through clothing and they too have particular colour palette.
All these factors govern the decision of the manufacturers of that particular region. For example woolens clothing are produced at colder region and cotton clothes are more produced in south India because of its climatic condition. India still produces traditional dresses along with modern clothes for kids as the people here are very closely knitted to their culture. Therefore demand for such clothing becomes very high during festival and other ceremonial times, when people here like to dress up in their tradition attire along with other accessories. Color palette also changes from culture to culture; religion to religion for example Muslim people have more liking towards dark colors as they believe black color has power to ward off evil eye, Whereas Hindus prefer red and bright colors while they are buying clothes because these colors are more associated to their religious beliefs.
A study of the entire scenario of How Kid’s clothing has grown as concept and product in the last century explains the long journey and the various influencing factors amongst which the culture and religion, the geographical conditions, social and political and economical issues have played an important role.
It also gave us exposure to rich sources of information and material history in and around Ahmedabad which we were never aware of and amazed us to no limits.
References: Lucky Store, Kalupur, Ahmedabad
Images from google.com
Shakir Bhai; Apparel Design Department, NID
Conversation with family members (parents and grand parents)
Local tailors in Ahmedabad
History of Design
The Journey of Kid’s clothing in India
Giude: Mrs. Suchitra Seth
Submitted by: Jumpu Ronya, Kausar Rehman
3rd Sem, Textile Design, PGDPD
National Institute of Design
Date: 23.11.07
· Introduction
Kid’s clothing has one f the fastest upcoming sectors in the fashion and clothing industry. Though the industry is not as old as the other garment producing sectors it has achieved no less than the other sectors. In fact more and more brands are venturing into kid’s garments as there is a lot of potential that the sector holds. We have tried to trace down the journey o f emergence of what we see today as kids clothing in India. The document will provide a brief history of kid’s wear in India and the major factors that changed the course of the journey time and again and the effects; apparent and non apparent that it had on the industry and culture as a whole.
o The “doll” look
A major influence that we still see in kid’s clothing and specially the little girl’s dresses is the “DOLL”. Most of us and the generations preceding us have had ‘the cute looking short, frilly, lacy frocks’ in our wardrobes in a particular age. Wonder how all over the world and India, even in the smallest towns of India people had a common sensibility towards kid’s clothing! But if thought about it as a parent, the reason becomes clearer.
Every girl in her childhood whether liked it or not had dolls as a part of their toys. That is also the first gift that we think of for a little girl. The doll was considered the perfect form of a cute little girl, adored by all, always dressed and made up. And this immense appreciation of the “DOLL” look had a great impact on the way kid’s clothing emerged. As we also spoke to a few parents, we did not miss out their use of the term s “Doll like” and “cute”. This was one common factor that governed the simultaneous emergence of Frocks.
Photographs showing kids wearing pretty frocks, with style elements like gathers,frills,laces adding to the doll look.
The photograph on the bottom left shows brother and sister wearing frocks. Frocks being one of the most popular and convenient clothing for the kids is often used for both girl and boy babies and also have a tradition to be passed on from the older kids to the younger ones in all homes. There has been a tradition of reusing fabrics to construct kids garments. It is interesting that even the garmenst are reused to the maximum possibility for the younger generation/siblings. Not only frocks but even other kids clothing is passed on to the younger ones.
· History (1930s-2000):
· Regional clothing and their origin: Kid’s Clothing, just like other developments started at regional level at not exactly the same time in history. But the approximate time when garments were consciously being made for kids was in the 1930’s. Much before that the only garments that were sewn for the kids in the rural sector were the undergarments (Langotis as said in colloquial terms). This was a triangular piece of fabric with tie ups at all the corners to tie it around the child’s waist. As the kid grew after a certain age he/she started wearing a miniature version of the adult’s clothes. But all that was stitched was hand stitched as the sewing machines had yet not arrived in the Indian homes, and specially the rural ones. As kids grew up the wore what the eldders did.
The picture on the top left shows kids from Rajasthan wearing traditional clothes and jewellery. On the right is a family picture from rural Tamilnadu. The boy wears exactly the same clothes the father but the girls wear blouse and loose fitting skirt as they grow older. The picture very well portrays how the tradition and culture influence the kids clothing, though the prints and fabrics are contemporary.
· Started with no specific garments for the kids : An important phase in the journey was when the idea of kid’s clothing as a completely separate range was not developed. This was when different forms of traditional regional wear were being converted into miniature versions. What is also interesting is that the same trend reentered the market a few years back when a lot of manufacturers made Salwar kamiz and Gahghra choli (skirt blouse traditionally worn in parts of west India and south India) for the kids.
· Minimalistic clothing (hand stitched): Another aspect of manufacturing of kid’s clothing was The advent of sewing machines in India. During the British era a couple of brands of sewing machines like Puff and Bhutia, existed in India. But since these machines were too expensive for the rural India which constituted the most of India. Slowly the urge for stylization had begun amongst the women who stitched their children’s clothes by hand. They introduced varied necklines and sleeves to the basic garment. By 1950s they even started using elements like gathering and piping in kid’s garments. Elastic was one of the most popular accessories started with just gathering in sleeves and later elastic and gathering were explored beyond limits.
· Occasional wear (traditional and a smaller version of elder’s garments, embellished): Even as all these innovations were happening the occasional wear for children, which was mostly festive continued to remain traditional. These were moreover smaller versions of the adult’s traditional garments. Just like the present day even in the past years different parts and communities of India followed a different dress code and so did the children during the festivals.
· Tailored garments: after 1948 people started getting sewing , machines at home and sewing remained a part of women’s household activities for quite a long time. As people’s lives started getting busier with women working in offices, the tailors gained popularity even amongst the middle class. Though earlier well stitched tailored garments were affordable to only the upper class and were a normal practice to get clothes stitched by tailors. In those days tailors used to go to these people’s houses to take the measurement and fabrics. Since the amount of effort and time that went into stitching kid’s garment was the same as that required for adults and some times even more complex but they were paid even less than what they were paid for adults garments. The tailors usually got inspired from movies and other foreign and Indian pattern making books and magazines for the designs. Sometimes even the parents used to suggest what they want the garment to look like. also the economically upper class of the society influenced the lower classes in terms of designs. They aspired to get their children the best clothes that they saw around. But with passing years the trend has completely changed. These days hardly any skilled tailors are ready to sew garments for kids. The ready to wear industry in a way also solved the problem as it is cheaper and has a wide range of garments as compared to the tailor made garments.
· Ready to wear (Indian, imported): ready to wear garments entered India during the British invasion. But at this time they were too expensive for even the richer group to afford. By 1960s India had its own textile mills and garment manufacturing units and a lot of ready to wear for kids started from then onwards and has now led to huge export houses that work for the foreign brands as well.
· Brands: with the advent of well known brands in India, the locally made garments are losing popularity. These brands provide a large variety of styles starting from sports wear to party wear to even traditional wear in all sizes. Another important shift from the woven to knitted fabrics has also changed the wardrobes of kids across the country. Most kid’s wardrobes are full of knitted garments whether summer wear or winter wear as it provides allowance for growing kids.
· Lifestyle: Along with garments these brands also manufacture a whole lot of lifestyle products which have extended the concept of lifestyle. Now the parents and children have different places to source their lifestyle products from. A lot of it is borrowed from the west and applied to the Indian context.
§ Kid’s garment producing sectors
India never had a history or concepts on children’s clothing. Most of the kids used to wear miniature of adult cloths. But with the time, India has adopted and carried forward western form of children’s wear along with their traditional dress. These changes majorly took place in India during 1960s. When many textile mills were set up in India and also the availability of sewing machines gave a push to these units who stitched clothes for kids at household level to public level.
1. Household:
House is the smallest unit in India which produces kids garment for their personal use.
· Raw materials are sourced from local markets or using the waste fabrics or old fabrics to make a new garment for a child. Recycling of old material plays a very important role here.
· Influencing factors on children’s clothing style:
Mainly all the designs are absorbed from cinema, plays, influential classes and also the dress available in the market.
· skills:
Skills were mainly developed with practice or learnt from their elders and later in this process, it was passed to them. During 60s-70s, new brands of machine were launched in the market and there were also many training centers set up by these companies so that they educate them about it. Schools also played an important role in providing classes on stitching lessons to students. These activities made the skill quite prominent in our country.
· Technology: this sector has always been there in country but it had not touched the creativity in the clothing for kids. But with the introduction of sewing machines and exposure to others ideas of kids clothing in other part of world made a vast change in the wardrobe of children in India rather then having only one and boring adult miniature style of garments.
2. Tailors
Tailors are another sector which also helped in the production of kids clothing.
· Raw material: they usually got the fabric from their clients; they also used their left out of the previous work to give an accent to the garment by doing piping and ruffles out of it.
· Design: they were told by their client or they had a catalogue for pattern making from which they used to construct garments for kids.
· Skill: self initiated, passed on skills, training centers, schools
· Issues related to tailors for non cooperating in the construction of kids wear
In 1950s onwards tailors slowly started to show their disinterest in accepting the order for kids wear. As they believe that they were paid less for their labor as they had to put same labor while constructing elder’s garments. This was the turning point when the kid’s garment manufacturing unit came in the picture in 60.
The top left picture shows the use of left over bits of fabric(chindis), where in the tailored frock is sold for Rs5.The picture on the right shows how today clothing has also become a part of the lifestyle making a style statement for kids. Just like the elders the kids are becoming brand conscious.
3. Technology:
Industrial revolution showed its peak during 1962 in India. At this time many mills and other factories were set up in various part of India. However the Tailor’s withdrawn attitude towards not stitching children’s garments gave the birth of kid’s garment industry in India. Kid’s garment manufacturers functioned in fragmented units for example a small scale industry, export houses etc. according to their convenient.
Kid’s Garment manufacturing units were very successful in generating job opportunity for people in India. But the most of the employee in this sector were females. The reason behind this was mainly because these units paid less salary in compare to other garment industries which produces adult garments.
Strategy set by these units
· outsourcing skill
· loaning equipments (sewing machine): they use to loan people in order to raise their production.
Influencing factors
The kid’s garment manufacturing units were highly influenced by following factors, which decided the type of garment to be produced in the market.
· Fashion (Indian/western):
The garment manufacturers always produced products which have the essence and taste of that particular time. This was also observed in these units through their particular way of style, detailing of clothes like sleeve, collars and silhouette, types of fabrics i.e printed or woven, following the color forecast of western countries, and also accessories used at that time.
The garments were also styled according to available accessories at that time. For example in 1930-1960s they had not much variety in the children’s wardrobe. For girls they had a-line frocks, gathered frocks with Peter pan color, puff sleeve etc. these frocks had also piping of contrast color to its base, which acted like an accent in the garment. Slowly from 70s different type’s garments for girls other then frocks were made and sold for example pants, top, skirts etc. were introduced. Laces and other accessories like belt, caps, and hair ribbons also became very popular and had become a part of children’s wardrobe.
· Culture/geographical condition
India is a multi cultural country where many religions co exist at same time and it is also geographically diverse as a country. Here the language of clothing varies from south to north India, west to east India. All these regions have their own way of expressing their own culture through clothing and they too have particular colour palette.
All these factors govern the decision of the manufacturers of that particular region. For example woolens clothing are produced at colder region and cotton clothes are more produced in south India because of its climatic condition. India still produces traditional dresses along with modern clothes for kids as the people here are very closely knitted to their culture. Therefore demand for such clothing becomes very high during festival and other ceremonial times, when people here like to dress up in their tradition attire along with other accessories. Color palette also changes from culture to culture; religion to religion for example Muslim people have more liking towards dark colors as they believe black color has power to ward off evil eye, Whereas Hindus prefer red and bright colors while they are buying clothes because these colors are more associated to their religious beliefs.
A study of the entire scenario of How Kid’s clothing has grown as concept and product in the last century explains the long journey and the various influencing factors amongst which the culture and religion, the geographical conditions, social and political and economical issues have played an important role.
It also gave us exposure to rich sources of information and material history in and around Ahmedabad which we were never aware of and amazed us to no limits.
References: Lucky Store, Kalupur, Ahmedabad
Images from google.com
Shakir Bhai; Apparel Design Department, NID
Conversation with family members (parents and grand parents)
Local tailors in Ahmedabad
History of Design
The Journey of Kid’s clothing in India
Giude: Mrs. Suchitra Seth
Submitted by: Jumpu Ronya, Kausar Rehman
3rd Sem, Textile Design, PGDPD
National Institute of Design
Date: 23.11.07
Understanding the 'Tamizh' in the Tamil
Tamil Customs & Beliefs
INTRODUCTION
Civilisation often implies the external and visible marks/symbols, understood with reference to the material achievements, articles of daily use, inclusive of the dress and jewels- evolved to suit the environment and depending on the availability of sources, combined with the organising abilities of people at a given time and in a given place.
Culture is always with reference to the values cherished, the ideals and ideas evolved, the attitudes and aspirations of the people at a given period of time and place. Thus culture is internal. Culture manifests in a variety of ways such as belief systems and customs and traditions followed.
Thus culture is basically mental and spiritual. Culture is complementary to civilisation. All civilised people need not be equally cultured. Cultured people are always civilised. Yet all educated people need not be cultured.
Each and every race has its own individual behaviour and customs. These can be revealed from their activities, games, recreation, social and political actions. In the following pages, Tamil Civilisation and Culture in its day to day life is examined.
It is now universally acknowledged that Tamil Culture has a long antiquity. Many of the ancient Tamil customs are still in practice. Some of them have undergone changes. A few have become extinct. Most of the customs can be traced from literatures, inscriptions, from the folklore and so on. For convenience the daily life can be divided in to the beginning of the day, bathing, dressing food etc.
BEGINNING OF THE DAY
Getting up early before the Sunrise is a must for the Tamils.
This is followed still in all rural parts and by a majority in the urban areas. Avvaiyar in her didactic poem the AATHICHUDI, advised the children and youth to get up before the day break.
The first thing one does after waking up was to clean the entrance of the House, by sprinkling the cow dung mixed water. Then the floor is decorated with ornamental figures called the done with the rice flour mix. On occasions it is mixed with water to make a paste and used in combination with a red coloured paste. () Now days lime powder or white stone powder is normally used. Only on special and festive occasions do people practice the art in the true form.
Bharathiar, the revolutionary patriot poet of Tamilaham whose writings and thoughts inaugurated Renaissance Movement in Tamil Society and Tamil Language and Literature, hailed these daily morning routine of the women at Home in the celebrated poem 'Kudumba Vilakku,' The Tamils start their daily life with external cleanliness processes.
Temples were constructed in vicinity of the local pond. People started the day by having their daily ritual bath here, and proceeded to the temple to offer their prayers. Turmeric and oil were used by men and women alike as a part of the cleansing process. Women washed their hair on Tuesdays and Fridays and the men on Wednesdays and Saturdays (which was based on the lunar movements).Shikakai – a powder made from medicinal herbs was used to wash the hair. The bathing styles have changed through time, from common bathrooms, to ones in the backyard, and ones in the home. Today the fad of using turmeric has faded away, owing to the distinct colour it leaves on the skin.
MODE OF DRESSING
Dress forms an important part of study in understanding the quality of life and civilisation of a people. It depends on people's mental and physical requirements, age-old customs, and climatic conditions of a country.The arid temperature in Tamil Nadu makes cotton the most preferable fabric. Tamil nadu even today has the largest number of handloom weavers owing to this. However silk that came from China through trade gained popularity and with passage of time became customary to wear silk saris on festivals and occasions.
With the advent of industrialisation synthetic fabric found its way into the state and the tamil household. The influence of movies, other regional clothing changed the look of the average Tamilian. The Salwar Kameez, Bell bottomed pants , printed synthetic stripes made their impact on different style periods of Tamil Nadu. New clothes were customary for occasions and festivals. Like all things good and new, the clothes too were first offered to the gods by applying a tika in sandalwood. Through time, the clothing is highly westernised or ‘north indianised’. Today, the identity of the sari as the attire of the south Indian is being replaced with these.
WIDOW'S DRESS
It has been the practice to avoid the white garments by the young maiden and by the married women as it is considered the widow's dress. Some widows wear red colour instead of the white. Due tot he spirit of enquiry that has characterised the era of Tamil Literary Renaissance in the forties and fifties has resulted in the decline of this practice even in rural areas. Today the widows either wear pale coloured saris or white saris with borders. The bindi with which we identify with married woman are generally avoided by widows even today.
FASCINATION FOR FLOWERS
Tamils have given much importance for bodily adornment right through the ages. Flowers and Jewels had the supremacy in all ages. There are references in the classical texts to this practice equally by men. All parts of the body such as hands. Body, head were decked with flowers and decorated with jewellery.
specific flowers used for adornment used as garlands. There are references to garments made of leaves. There is no function without flowers whether it is a happy or sad one. Women adore their tresses with flowers even now. As flowers are considered as auspicious, they are used while leaving home to visit Temples, of relatives or friends. Visiting women guests are offered flowers, in particular when they take leave from their hosts. Flowers are carried to places of worship, taken to the Homes of friends and relatives even during formal/casual visits.
ADORNMENT WITH JEWELS
The ornaments used by men and women include Toti, Rings, Kalal, Chain etc. Women bedecked their bodies with a variety of ornaments. In his Silappadikaram, Ilango describes the jewellery adorned by Madhavi from head to foot. Gold is still widely used and is worn as a symbol of wealth. The more the gold, the richer the family of the woman. The jewels were considered an essential part of any woman’s dressing which also served as security for dire needs. Even the dowry given by the girl’s father is mostly gold. Gold is offered to gods and purchased on special occasions.
COLLYRIUM
The Tamil women have also other ways of adding to their beauty. From the very early days the habit of putting Collyrium to the eye is very familiar. (Kanmai.)
HAIR STYLES
The Indus Valley believed to be of the Dravidian origin, through various finds such as seals, terracotta figurines, bronze mirror etc, throw light on the existence of 400 different hair styles.
Tamil classics refer to the practice of applying the vapour of the eagle wood and other such thing fragrances to the hair by the Tamil women. The hair oils were also mixed with sever types of herbal perfumes.Different styles of hair dresses are found to have been used in
Length of the hair which was once considered a beauty trait has seen transistion.Women with the passage of time have adopted short hair as a part of their lifestyle. However the ‘poo pinnal’ which is a flower arrangement stitched on to palm leaves, is still used on family occasions (which is slowly loosing its identity).
USE OF SANDAL PASTE
Both men and women gave importance in those days to the smearing the bodies with the sandal paste. The residue of this custom has been found in important functions, festivals and among the prosperous using during the hot summer days. Sandalwood is used in religious ceremonies and hence has spiritual overtones. It is smeared on the forehead while offering prayers and is believed to cool the body’s temperature. Even offerings to the Gods are made with sandalwood paste.
USE OF HENNA LEAF PASTE (marudhani)
Applying henna on the hands and feet was part of the tradition and was in vogue for a very long time. Unlike the north of India where designs were drawn, here it was used more for its scientific properties than its aesthetic. Hence the henna was applied as caps for the fingers and a circle in the centre of the palm. This however had a charm of its own and is still considered a south Indian aesthetic.
USE OF KUMKUM.(kungumam.)
Another important custom is to have Kumkum on the fore head. Like the use of flowers this too is also considered very auspicious. Along with the Turmeric paste(Manjal, ) it is offered as a blessing in particular to the married women (Sumangalis.). From early times the widows are deprived this privilege of using Turmeric, Kumkum and Flowers. Kumkum, or the modern version of it, the bindi is considered to be a part of the South Indian aesthetic even today. All south Indian girls (hindu and even Christian protestants) consider the bindi as a part of their attire. This was the identity of a south Indian anywhere in India until recently. However this has changed and the bindi is spotted only when traditional attire is worn (usually weddings and occasions)
KOLAM is a decorative design drawn in a variety of sandpainting using rice powder by female members of the family in front of their home, especially near the threshold. It is widely practised by Hindus in South India. A Kolam is a sort of painted prayer -- a line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots. They are generally symmetric.
Kolams are thought to bestow prosperity to the homes. For special occasions limestone and red brick powder to contrast are also used. Though kolams are usually done with dry rice flour, for longevity, dilute rice paste or even paints are also used. Modern interpretations have accommodated chalk, and the latest "technology" in kolams are actually vinyl stickers (that defeat the original purpose).
Every morning before sunrise, the floor is cleaned with water, the universal purifier, and the muddy floor is swept well for an even surface. The kolams are generally drawn while the surface is still damp so that it is held better. Occasionally, cow-dung is also used to wax the floors. Cow dung has antiseptic properties and hence provides a literal threshold of protection for the home. It also provides contrast with the white powder.
PURPOSE OF KOLAM
Decoration was not the sole purpose of a Kolam. In olden days, kolams used to be drawn in coarse rice flour, so that the ants don't have to work so hard for a meal. The rice powder is said to invite birds and other small critters to eat it, thus inviting other beings into one's home and everyday life: a daily tribute to harmonious co-existence. It is a sign of invitation to welcome all into the home, not the least of whom is Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity. The patterns range between geometric and mathematical line drawings around a matrix of dots to free form art work and closed shapes. Folklore has evolved to mandate that the lines must be completed so as to symbolically prevent evil spirits from entering the inside of the shapes, and thus are they prevented from entering the inside of the home.
HEALTH AND KOLAM
Not to be underestimated is the benefits for the artist to bend down each morning - it is said to help her digestive system, reproductive organs and to help overall stretching of the body. Kolam requires the artist to be well focussed and improves the concentration with which the artist begins her day.
It used to be a matter of pride to be able to draw large complicated patterns without lifting the hand off the floor (or unbending to stand up). The month of "Margazhi" was eagerly awaited by young women, who would then showcase their skills by covering the entire width of the road with one big kolam. It was indeed a test of mastery, as one cannot repeat a pattern for 30 days.
When people get married, the ritual kolam patterns created for the occasion can stretch all the way down the street. Patterns are often passed on generation-to-generation, mother to daughter.
FOOD HABITS
VEGETARIAN: Generally food habits reveal the civilisation and culture of a people. Rice has always been the main(staple,) diet of the Tamils through the ages. Seated on the mat spread on the floor is the normal custom to eat their food. A variety of greens are consumed a part of their vegetarian diet. The Plantain and the Mango are the popular fruits forming as part of the daily food. ( Mangoes in seasons only.) Eating in the plantain leaves is an important Tamilcustom to this day. In Sangam age teak wood leaf was also used for this purpose. On special and festive occasions and while honoured guests are expected, plantain leaves become a compulsory part of the treat.
Sangam people consumed a variety of food items such as rice of water lily, flattened rice, thick gruel, the baked bulbous root of palmyra, the common millet rice with milk and honey, fried food, and ghee etc. They also consumed fish items like lamery, (Eral,) murrel, (varal,).
Surprisingly even today the food for occasions are very similar to what was served earlier. The north Indian dishes have seeped into the food palette but a majority of it is truly south Indian in its form.
In mediaeval period non-vegetarian diet was no longer popular due to the spread and influence of Jainism in Tamil Nadu. Presently Non-Vegetarian diet is no longer a taboo among various communities Tamils other than Brahmins. Yet on several days in a year, due to festivals and fasting days/ days of austerity, (Nonbu,) meat is avoided by a majority of the Tamils. In earlier days the morning food used to be the night rice soaked in water and kept to the coolness of the night. This cold rice mixed with curd, or millet gruel, was the healthy breakfast preferred by all irrespective of class and castes. This practice is fast disappearing even in rural areas was under modern influence of consuming more popular items such as the Idlis and Dosas, styled in the north as Madrasi diet. Earlier the morning drink used to be the night-rice water- a nourishig liquid and in modern times replaced by familiar drinks such as coffee (the popular south Indian filter coffee), tea etc. Among the sweet liquids the Payasam, a kind boiled porridge mixed often with milk, and cereals with dry fruits and nuts and spices is still familiar on special occasions. Ulunthu kali or the paste pottage made of black gram flour was consumed in olden days normally on oil-bath days. Among these, Payasam is the only dish that has sustained and is a part of the meal on special occasions.
USE OF BETEL CHEWING:
Betel leaves (Thamboolam,) its usage's for auspicious occasions continue to this through the ages. Normally betel is chewed after meals for digestion and as a matter of pleasure. Thamboolam is exchanged whenever marriages are finalised, when guests leave after their stay, while inviting for the weddings and while offerings are made to the Deities. To the visitors it is offered as a mark of courtesy. Today the betel leaf has taken the avatar of the north Indian ‘Paan’ garnished with grated coconut and is offered after meals.
OFFERINGS TO THE CROWS:
This custom of offering food to the crows on auspicious occasions, as well as the anniversaries of the departed souls in the family are observed. Normally, after the due worship of the family Deity, the food is offered to the crows and only when they begin to taste, the feeding by the family members takes place. Many households until the last decade made the first offering of the food to the crows as a sign of respect. Today with congestion and apartments being commonplace, this sight has become something of a rarity.
HOSPITALITY
The Tamils have been giving much importance to Hospitality, through the ages. Valluvar says, "The Goddess of wealth will gladly abide where pleasing smiles welcome worthy guests." .Accommodating the guest by satisfying their desires were part of the hospitality custom. As a sign of being pleased with the guest, the ladies are given KUMKUM while taking leave from their hosts. South Indians are believed to be very warm people and like many Indian families considered it a duty to serve the guest. In the course of time, along with the kumkum, the guest was offered other gifts/ symbolic gifts like material for blouse and food.
WORSHIP
Despite their many Gods and Goddesses, the Tamils also worship Nature. Daily worship of the Sun in the mornings used to be once a common practice. Pongal the Harvest festival is celebrated mainly to celebrate the Sun worship. In rural areas it is almost equal to the thanks giving festival. Daily Lighting of the Lamps in the evenings, offerings of flowers fruits and in rural areas paddy and other agricultural produce is a common practice. Diwali is the festival of lights and is another major festival where new clothes are adorned and sweets are home-made and exchanged with neighbours as a sign of good will. Tamils observe several austerity days such as Krittigai, New Moon Day and so on. Practices such as Fasting, worship of Ancestors with food offerings are observed to this day.
SOME TAMIL HABITS
FLOWER DECORATION
The habit of spreading flowers as in Kerala was once popular ,However in rural areas the flowers of the Poovarasan is decoratively placed on the cow-dung balls are artistically arranged at the entrances to the Homes.
AUSPICIOUS TIMINGS AND OMENS:
As in the case of many Hindus all over India, Tamils of all Castes and even Religious communities, are in the habit of observing auspicious timings. Besides the Tamils also meticulously observe OMENS of all kinds while undertaking journeys/travel.
In the olden days people had several ways of spending leisurely hours both indoors and in the social recreations at common places. In the Tamil Classical period, (Sangam age, literary pursuits such as debates, discussions, pattimanrams on literary, arts as well as political themes were conducted.
ROLE OF WOMEN IN DAILY LIFE
Women were respected and honoured. At home they reigned and their counsels were taken seriously by womenfolk. The mother attends to the childcare. Their songs of lullaby made the children to sleep. The lullabies are familiar at all levels both in the rural and urban areas. Women spent their time fruitfully engaged in handicrafts and were permitted to participate in social work.
CONCLUSION
We can see that every day affairs of the Tamils contain seeds of morality and culture. Bharath Dasan elaborates with minute details of the daily Family- life styles of the Tamils in his classic work 'The Kudumba Vilakku.' As the well known Tamil proverb asserts namely that a single rice from a boiling pot would reveal the nature of the entire quantity inside the pot, so also the study and understanding of some Tamil Customs or Habits would enable to understand the sure pointers that go in the making of THE TAMIL CULTURE AND CIVILISATION.
The living culture of the Tamils
The words "Tamil culture" immediately evoke the image of the towering gopuram (entrance gateways) of the Hindu temple, at once a commanding grandeur and solemnity; of a beautiful dancing girl, decked out in all her finery, graceful and lovely; to the literary minded, of the squatting sage Tiruvalluvar with his palm-leaf and stylus; to the gastronomically inclined, of idli (a rice and lentil batter) and sambar (lentils, vegetable and tamarind).
When we attempt to understand what constitutes Tamil culture in terms of an average man's life, particularly in the context of the present day, we encounter elements which cannot be isolated and defined, yet are deep rooted in a society which has always been instinctively aware of its strengths and weaknesses.
Over the centuries Tamils have spread outside their territory and in this process have planted signs of their presence many of which can be found even today. The Tamil community thus represents a population outside Tamil Nadu also. In their own land Tamils have been subject to significant foreign influences and, today, the admixture of these influences is so complex that it is difficult to talk about "typical" or "native" Tamil culture. Today's fashions, food habits, life-styles, values are all products of this long history of interaction.
Tamil Nadu’s boundary today is roughly what it was for the last two thousand years.
In Tamil Nadu the demands of the film world gave birth to a "poster-culture". When talkies were introduced, the population was largely illiterate and magazines were only just beginning to appear. Posters were the only major medium to announce new films. Now poster-oriented publicity has spread to other areas of public life and today one finds th walls of Tamil Nadu plastered with posters, with those for the cinema still the largest and most colourful.
The Tamils, though slower than their north Indian counterparts, have adopted to the westernisation of culture. However, even today, a majority of them confine to the moral codes laid down many a decade ago. Though there is a likely chance to end up with confused identities, the Tamils have managed quite well knowing where to draw the line.
The farmlands have taken up mechanisation with tractors and chemical fertilizers, but the distinct sound of the folk song resonates through the fields as the women harvest the crop.
A large percentage of the Tamil population are inhabitants of Chennai. The city is growing with time, but just a few kilometres from the city, the first village remains unaffected by urbanisation and the fast life. With urbanisation comes the space constraint. There are more number of flats and apartments sprouting through the city, which brings in the need for the ‘sticker’ kolams and restricted communication with the neighbours. However, the houses are modelled like houses from Kerala or Chettinad bringing in a little bit of tradition into an otherwise modern setup.
Changed conditions have resulted in a need to adapt traditional modes to the new constraints. Women are more free and have better opportunities to get education and jobs. However, they continue to be bound by traditional tasks and modes of behaviour such as looking after the home and maintaining a distance from men. Even in Madras city, there are still State Government buses meant exclusively to carry women during peak hours.
Marriage as an institution is a good example of how tradition and modernity can co-exist or be a source of friction. Marriage is an important event in the life of an individual in any society, but in Tamil Nadu in reveals a great deal about Tamil society's attitude to the man-woman relationship and its place in society. Most marriages are still arranged by the parents and determined by the astral bodies governing the individuals' chart.
Religion continues to be a dominant force in the lives of Tamils. In fact, one observes more pronounced increase in the interest in religion and occult beliefs. At a time when the average man's life is determined by economic motives and security, this may be the new kind of insurance he seeks against economic and physical insecurity.
Observance of religious ceremonies is marked among the newly educated, employed population--both men and women. However the loud speakers have intruded the temple and devotional songs are sung to the tunes of popular filmy numbers. No important function, domestic or business is organized without consulting the almanack and fixing an auspicious hour. Magazines pour our information on the movements of astral bodies and their effect on the average Tamil's life.
The Tamil language has been spoken in Ceylon, it would seem, at least for the last three thousand years. The punch marked coins of an early era point to connections that Ceylon may have had with Mohenjodaro and the Indus Valley civilisation. Tamil poetry composed in Ceylon has been included in the earliest Tamil Anthologies and the Tamil spoken in Ceylon represents a pre-Pallava period with its ancient morphological and grammatical forms and its repertoire of words considered obsolete for centuries on the neighbouring continent.
A language is always a mirror of a people’s genius. The Tamil language has been spoken basically in its present form for the last two thousand years, and it continues even now to be the living language for thirty to forty million people -about thirty million people in India, more than two million people in Ceylon, nearly one million people in Malaya, Vietnam and Indonesia, and many thousands scattered over Fiji, Mauritius, Madagascar, Africa and even Trinidad and the Martinique islands.
Tamil is as much a classical language as Greek, Latin or Sanskrit, with this difference that while her ancient contemporaries have changed beyond recognition or been long regarded as “dead”, Tamil continues to be one of the most vigorous of modern languages, and perhaps offers the only example in history of an ancient classical tongue which has survived to this day and yet remains young as it was two thousand years ago.
The ancient Tamils lived in close touch with nature. Astronomy and astrology very much influenced their lives. With regard to the year, the Tamils started it with the Vernal Equinox. In ancient days the sun entering Aries and the Vernal Equinox, that is the day when the sun rose exactly in the east, coincided. With the lapse of centuries, the New Year falls now, about three weeks after the Vernal Equinox. The Hindu solar year is sidereal, and since it is in excess of the tropical year by twenty four minutes, it does not keep step with the seasons. The seasons fall back one and half days for every hundred years...
As a part of our research and understanding both of us learnt that we had a lot in common when we discussed our individual communities and customs. One from a Brahmin community , a community which is large and spread across the country, whereas the other being the Chettiars, a very small community confined to the group of villages called Chettiand. The common professions and food of both communities vary, and so do the customs, however we still found that we had a lot in common. Our everyday lives were almost similar, with exceptions of festivals, which had overlaps of rituals in common too. This journey of probing through not only our past, but that of our parents and grandparents too has been an exciting and educative one. We have seen how life with all its customs , rituals and practices has seen changes through time and have been highly enthused and touched by it.
Swetha Thiagarajan
Sita Laxmi Mani
PGDPD Textile Design
Acknowledgements
Google Mata
Wikipedia
KMC
A one MR. S. Ramakrishnan for his insight into Tamil culture through the ages
Kamala R, Ranganathan and Usha Thiagarajan for contributing their share of inputs for this essay about life in Chennai through the last few decades.
INTRODUCTION
Civilisation often implies the external and visible marks/symbols, understood with reference to the material achievements, articles of daily use, inclusive of the dress and jewels- evolved to suit the environment and depending on the availability of sources, combined with the organising abilities of people at a given time and in a given place.
Culture is always with reference to the values cherished, the ideals and ideas evolved, the attitudes and aspirations of the people at a given period of time and place. Thus culture is internal. Culture manifests in a variety of ways such as belief systems and customs and traditions followed.
Thus culture is basically mental and spiritual. Culture is complementary to civilisation. All civilised people need not be equally cultured. Cultured people are always civilised. Yet all educated people need not be cultured.
Each and every race has its own individual behaviour and customs. These can be revealed from their activities, games, recreation, social and political actions. In the following pages, Tamil Civilisation and Culture in its day to day life is examined.
It is now universally acknowledged that Tamil Culture has a long antiquity. Many of the ancient Tamil customs are still in practice. Some of them have undergone changes. A few have become extinct. Most of the customs can be traced from literatures, inscriptions, from the folklore and so on. For convenience the daily life can be divided in to the beginning of the day, bathing, dressing food etc.
BEGINNING OF THE DAY
Getting up early before the Sunrise is a must for the Tamils.
This is followed still in all rural parts and by a majority in the urban areas. Avvaiyar in her didactic poem the AATHICHUDI, advised the children and youth to get up before the day break.
The first thing one does after waking up was to clean the entrance of the House, by sprinkling the cow dung mixed water. Then the floor is decorated with ornamental figures called the done with the rice flour mix. On occasions it is mixed with water to make a paste and used in combination with a red coloured paste. () Now days lime powder or white stone powder is normally used. Only on special and festive occasions do people practice the art in the true form.
Bharathiar, the revolutionary patriot poet of Tamilaham whose writings and thoughts inaugurated Renaissance Movement in Tamil Society and Tamil Language and Literature, hailed these daily morning routine of the women at Home in the celebrated poem 'Kudumba Vilakku,' The Tamils start their daily life with external cleanliness processes.
Temples were constructed in vicinity of the local pond. People started the day by having their daily ritual bath here, and proceeded to the temple to offer their prayers. Turmeric and oil were used by men and women alike as a part of the cleansing process. Women washed their hair on Tuesdays and Fridays and the men on Wednesdays and Saturdays (which was based on the lunar movements).Shikakai – a powder made from medicinal herbs was used to wash the hair. The bathing styles have changed through time, from common bathrooms, to ones in the backyard, and ones in the home. Today the fad of using turmeric has faded away, owing to the distinct colour it leaves on the skin.
MODE OF DRESSING
Dress forms an important part of study in understanding the quality of life and civilisation of a people. It depends on people's mental and physical requirements, age-old customs, and climatic conditions of a country.The arid temperature in Tamil Nadu makes cotton the most preferable fabric. Tamil nadu even today has the largest number of handloom weavers owing to this. However silk that came from China through trade gained popularity and with passage of time became customary to wear silk saris on festivals and occasions.
With the advent of industrialisation synthetic fabric found its way into the state and the tamil household. The influence of movies, other regional clothing changed the look of the average Tamilian. The Salwar Kameez, Bell bottomed pants , printed synthetic stripes made their impact on different style periods of Tamil Nadu. New clothes were customary for occasions and festivals. Like all things good and new, the clothes too were first offered to the gods by applying a tika in sandalwood. Through time, the clothing is highly westernised or ‘north indianised’. Today, the identity of the sari as the attire of the south Indian is being replaced with these.
WIDOW'S DRESS
It has been the practice to avoid the white garments by the young maiden and by the married women as it is considered the widow's dress. Some widows wear red colour instead of the white. Due tot he spirit of enquiry that has characterised the era of Tamil Literary Renaissance in the forties and fifties has resulted in the decline of this practice even in rural areas. Today the widows either wear pale coloured saris or white saris with borders. The bindi with which we identify with married woman are generally avoided by widows even today.
FASCINATION FOR FLOWERS
Tamils have given much importance for bodily adornment right through the ages. Flowers and Jewels had the supremacy in all ages. There are references in the classical texts to this practice equally by men. All parts of the body such as hands. Body, head were decked with flowers and decorated with jewellery.
specific flowers used for adornment used as garlands. There are references to garments made of leaves. There is no function without flowers whether it is a happy or sad one. Women adore their tresses with flowers even now. As flowers are considered as auspicious, they are used while leaving home to visit Temples, of relatives or friends. Visiting women guests are offered flowers, in particular when they take leave from their hosts. Flowers are carried to places of worship, taken to the Homes of friends and relatives even during formal/casual visits.
ADORNMENT WITH JEWELS
The ornaments used by men and women include Toti, Rings, Kalal, Chain etc. Women bedecked their bodies with a variety of ornaments. In his Silappadikaram, Ilango describes the jewellery adorned by Madhavi from head to foot. Gold is still widely used and is worn as a symbol of wealth. The more the gold, the richer the family of the woman. The jewels were considered an essential part of any woman’s dressing which also served as security for dire needs. Even the dowry given by the girl’s father is mostly gold. Gold is offered to gods and purchased on special occasions.
COLLYRIUM
The Tamil women have also other ways of adding to their beauty. From the very early days the habit of putting Collyrium to the eye is very familiar. (Kanmai.)
HAIR STYLES
The Indus Valley believed to be of the Dravidian origin, through various finds such as seals, terracotta figurines, bronze mirror etc, throw light on the existence of 400 different hair styles.
Tamil classics refer to the practice of applying the vapour of the eagle wood and other such thing fragrances to the hair by the Tamil women. The hair oils were also mixed with sever types of herbal perfumes.Different styles of hair dresses are found to have been used in
Length of the hair which was once considered a beauty trait has seen transistion.Women with the passage of time have adopted short hair as a part of their lifestyle. However the ‘poo pinnal’ which is a flower arrangement stitched on to palm leaves, is still used on family occasions (which is slowly loosing its identity).
USE OF SANDAL PASTE
Both men and women gave importance in those days to the smearing the bodies with the sandal paste. The residue of this custom has been found in important functions, festivals and among the prosperous using during the hot summer days. Sandalwood is used in religious ceremonies and hence has spiritual overtones. It is smeared on the forehead while offering prayers and is believed to cool the body’s temperature. Even offerings to the Gods are made with sandalwood paste.
USE OF HENNA LEAF PASTE (marudhani)
Applying henna on the hands and feet was part of the tradition and was in vogue for a very long time. Unlike the north of India where designs were drawn, here it was used more for its scientific properties than its aesthetic. Hence the henna was applied as caps for the fingers and a circle in the centre of the palm. This however had a charm of its own and is still considered a south Indian aesthetic.
USE OF KUMKUM.(kungumam.)
Another important custom is to have Kumkum on the fore head. Like the use of flowers this too is also considered very auspicious. Along with the Turmeric paste(Manjal, ) it is offered as a blessing in particular to the married women (Sumangalis.). From early times the widows are deprived this privilege of using Turmeric, Kumkum and Flowers. Kumkum, or the modern version of it, the bindi is considered to be a part of the South Indian aesthetic even today. All south Indian girls (hindu and even Christian protestants) consider the bindi as a part of their attire. This was the identity of a south Indian anywhere in India until recently. However this has changed and the bindi is spotted only when traditional attire is worn (usually weddings and occasions)
KOLAM is a decorative design drawn in a variety of sandpainting using rice powder by female members of the family in front of their home, especially near the threshold. It is widely practised by Hindus in South India. A Kolam is a sort of painted prayer -- a line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots. They are generally symmetric.
Kolams are thought to bestow prosperity to the homes. For special occasions limestone and red brick powder to contrast are also used. Though kolams are usually done with dry rice flour, for longevity, dilute rice paste or even paints are also used. Modern interpretations have accommodated chalk, and the latest "technology" in kolams are actually vinyl stickers (that defeat the original purpose).
Every morning before sunrise, the floor is cleaned with water, the universal purifier, and the muddy floor is swept well for an even surface. The kolams are generally drawn while the surface is still damp so that it is held better. Occasionally, cow-dung is also used to wax the floors. Cow dung has antiseptic properties and hence provides a literal threshold of protection for the home. It also provides contrast with the white powder.
PURPOSE OF KOLAM
Decoration was not the sole purpose of a Kolam. In olden days, kolams used to be drawn in coarse rice flour, so that the ants don't have to work so hard for a meal. The rice powder is said to invite birds and other small critters to eat it, thus inviting other beings into one's home and everyday life: a daily tribute to harmonious co-existence. It is a sign of invitation to welcome all into the home, not the least of whom is Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity. The patterns range between geometric and mathematical line drawings around a matrix of dots to free form art work and closed shapes. Folklore has evolved to mandate that the lines must be completed so as to symbolically prevent evil spirits from entering the inside of the shapes, and thus are they prevented from entering the inside of the home.
HEALTH AND KOLAM
Not to be underestimated is the benefits for the artist to bend down each morning - it is said to help her digestive system, reproductive organs and to help overall stretching of the body. Kolam requires the artist to be well focussed and improves the concentration with which the artist begins her day.
It used to be a matter of pride to be able to draw large complicated patterns without lifting the hand off the floor (or unbending to stand up). The month of "Margazhi" was eagerly awaited by young women, who would then showcase their skills by covering the entire width of the road with one big kolam. It was indeed a test of mastery, as one cannot repeat a pattern for 30 days.
When people get married, the ritual kolam patterns created for the occasion can stretch all the way down the street. Patterns are often passed on generation-to-generation, mother to daughter.
FOOD HABITS
VEGETARIAN: Generally food habits reveal the civilisation and culture of a people. Rice has always been the main(staple,) diet of the Tamils through the ages. Seated on the mat spread on the floor is the normal custom to eat their food. A variety of greens are consumed a part of their vegetarian diet. The Plantain and the Mango are the popular fruits forming as part of the daily food. ( Mangoes in seasons only.) Eating in the plantain leaves is an important Tamilcustom to this day. In Sangam age teak wood leaf was also used for this purpose. On special and festive occasions and while honoured guests are expected, plantain leaves become a compulsory part of the treat.
Sangam people consumed a variety of food items such as rice of water lily, flattened rice, thick gruel, the baked bulbous root of palmyra, the common millet rice with milk and honey, fried food, and ghee etc. They also consumed fish items like lamery, (Eral,) murrel, (varal,).
Surprisingly even today the food for occasions are very similar to what was served earlier. The north Indian dishes have seeped into the food palette but a majority of it is truly south Indian in its form.
In mediaeval period non-vegetarian diet was no longer popular due to the spread and influence of Jainism in Tamil Nadu. Presently Non-Vegetarian diet is no longer a taboo among various communities Tamils other than Brahmins. Yet on several days in a year, due to festivals and fasting days/ days of austerity, (Nonbu,) meat is avoided by a majority of the Tamils. In earlier days the morning food used to be the night rice soaked in water and kept to the coolness of the night. This cold rice mixed with curd, or millet gruel, was the healthy breakfast preferred by all irrespective of class and castes. This practice is fast disappearing even in rural areas was under modern influence of consuming more popular items such as the Idlis and Dosas, styled in the north as Madrasi diet. Earlier the morning drink used to be the night-rice water- a nourishig liquid and in modern times replaced by familiar drinks such as coffee (the popular south Indian filter coffee), tea etc. Among the sweet liquids the Payasam, a kind boiled porridge mixed often with milk, and cereals with dry fruits and nuts and spices is still familiar on special occasions. Ulunthu kali or the paste pottage made of black gram flour was consumed in olden days normally on oil-bath days. Among these, Payasam is the only dish that has sustained and is a part of the meal on special occasions.
USE OF BETEL CHEWING:
Betel leaves (Thamboolam,) its usage's for auspicious occasions continue to this through the ages. Normally betel is chewed after meals for digestion and as a matter of pleasure. Thamboolam is exchanged whenever marriages are finalised, when guests leave after their stay, while inviting for the weddings and while offerings are made to the Deities. To the visitors it is offered as a mark of courtesy. Today the betel leaf has taken the avatar of the north Indian ‘Paan’ garnished with grated coconut and is offered after meals.
OFFERINGS TO THE CROWS:
This custom of offering food to the crows on auspicious occasions, as well as the anniversaries of the departed souls in the family are observed. Normally, after the due worship of the family Deity, the food is offered to the crows and only when they begin to taste, the feeding by the family members takes place. Many households until the last decade made the first offering of the food to the crows as a sign of respect. Today with congestion and apartments being commonplace, this sight has become something of a rarity.
HOSPITALITY
The Tamils have been giving much importance to Hospitality, through the ages. Valluvar says, "The Goddess of wealth will gladly abide where pleasing smiles welcome worthy guests." .Accommodating the guest by satisfying their desires were part of the hospitality custom. As a sign of being pleased with the guest, the ladies are given KUMKUM while taking leave from their hosts. South Indians are believed to be very warm people and like many Indian families considered it a duty to serve the guest. In the course of time, along with the kumkum, the guest was offered other gifts/ symbolic gifts like material for blouse and food.
WORSHIP
Despite their many Gods and Goddesses, the Tamils also worship Nature. Daily worship of the Sun in the mornings used to be once a common practice. Pongal the Harvest festival is celebrated mainly to celebrate the Sun worship. In rural areas it is almost equal to the thanks giving festival. Daily Lighting of the Lamps in the evenings, offerings of flowers fruits and in rural areas paddy and other agricultural produce is a common practice. Diwali is the festival of lights and is another major festival where new clothes are adorned and sweets are home-made and exchanged with neighbours as a sign of good will. Tamils observe several austerity days such as Krittigai, New Moon Day and so on. Practices such as Fasting, worship of Ancestors with food offerings are observed to this day.
SOME TAMIL HABITS
FLOWER DECORATION
The habit of spreading flowers as in Kerala was once popular ,However in rural areas the flowers of the Poovarasan is decoratively placed on the cow-dung balls are artistically arranged at the entrances to the Homes.
AUSPICIOUS TIMINGS AND OMENS:
As in the case of many Hindus all over India, Tamils of all Castes and even Religious communities, are in the habit of observing auspicious timings. Besides the Tamils also meticulously observe OMENS of all kinds while undertaking journeys/travel.
In the olden days people had several ways of spending leisurely hours both indoors and in the social recreations at common places. In the Tamil Classical period, (Sangam age, literary pursuits such as debates, discussions, pattimanrams on literary, arts as well as political themes were conducted.
ROLE OF WOMEN IN DAILY LIFE
Women were respected and honoured. At home they reigned and their counsels were taken seriously by womenfolk. The mother attends to the childcare. Their songs of lullaby made the children to sleep. The lullabies are familiar at all levels both in the rural and urban areas. Women spent their time fruitfully engaged in handicrafts and were permitted to participate in social work.
CONCLUSION
We can see that every day affairs of the Tamils contain seeds of morality and culture. Bharath Dasan elaborates with minute details of the daily Family- life styles of the Tamils in his classic work 'The Kudumba Vilakku.' As the well known Tamil proverb asserts namely that a single rice from a boiling pot would reveal the nature of the entire quantity inside the pot, so also the study and understanding of some Tamil Customs or Habits would enable to understand the sure pointers that go in the making of THE TAMIL CULTURE AND CIVILISATION.
The living culture of the Tamils
The words "Tamil culture" immediately evoke the image of the towering gopuram (entrance gateways) of the Hindu temple, at once a commanding grandeur and solemnity; of a beautiful dancing girl, decked out in all her finery, graceful and lovely; to the literary minded, of the squatting sage Tiruvalluvar with his palm-leaf and stylus; to the gastronomically inclined, of idli (a rice and lentil batter) and sambar (lentils, vegetable and tamarind).
When we attempt to understand what constitutes Tamil culture in terms of an average man's life, particularly in the context of the present day, we encounter elements which cannot be isolated and defined, yet are deep rooted in a society which has always been instinctively aware of its strengths and weaknesses.
Over the centuries Tamils have spread outside their territory and in this process have planted signs of their presence many of which can be found even today. The Tamil community thus represents a population outside Tamil Nadu also. In their own land Tamils have been subject to significant foreign influences and, today, the admixture of these influences is so complex that it is difficult to talk about "typical" or "native" Tamil culture. Today's fashions, food habits, life-styles, values are all products of this long history of interaction.
Tamil Nadu’s boundary today is roughly what it was for the last two thousand years.
In Tamil Nadu the demands of the film world gave birth to a "poster-culture". When talkies were introduced, the population was largely illiterate and magazines were only just beginning to appear. Posters were the only major medium to announce new films. Now poster-oriented publicity has spread to other areas of public life and today one finds th walls of Tamil Nadu plastered with posters, with those for the cinema still the largest and most colourful.
The Tamils, though slower than their north Indian counterparts, have adopted to the westernisation of culture. However, even today, a majority of them confine to the moral codes laid down many a decade ago. Though there is a likely chance to end up with confused identities, the Tamils have managed quite well knowing where to draw the line.
The farmlands have taken up mechanisation with tractors and chemical fertilizers, but the distinct sound of the folk song resonates through the fields as the women harvest the crop.
A large percentage of the Tamil population are inhabitants of Chennai. The city is growing with time, but just a few kilometres from the city, the first village remains unaffected by urbanisation and the fast life. With urbanisation comes the space constraint. There are more number of flats and apartments sprouting through the city, which brings in the need for the ‘sticker’ kolams and restricted communication with the neighbours. However, the houses are modelled like houses from Kerala or Chettinad bringing in a little bit of tradition into an otherwise modern setup.
Changed conditions have resulted in a need to adapt traditional modes to the new constraints. Women are more free and have better opportunities to get education and jobs. However, they continue to be bound by traditional tasks and modes of behaviour such as looking after the home and maintaining a distance from men. Even in Madras city, there are still State Government buses meant exclusively to carry women during peak hours.
Marriage as an institution is a good example of how tradition and modernity can co-exist or be a source of friction. Marriage is an important event in the life of an individual in any society, but in Tamil Nadu in reveals a great deal about Tamil society's attitude to the man-woman relationship and its place in society. Most marriages are still arranged by the parents and determined by the astral bodies governing the individuals' chart.
Religion continues to be a dominant force in the lives of Tamils. In fact, one observes more pronounced increase in the interest in religion and occult beliefs. At a time when the average man's life is determined by economic motives and security, this may be the new kind of insurance he seeks against economic and physical insecurity.
Observance of religious ceremonies is marked among the newly educated, employed population--both men and women. However the loud speakers have intruded the temple and devotional songs are sung to the tunes of popular filmy numbers. No important function, domestic or business is organized without consulting the almanack and fixing an auspicious hour. Magazines pour our information on the movements of astral bodies and their effect on the average Tamil's life.
The Tamil language has been spoken in Ceylon, it would seem, at least for the last three thousand years. The punch marked coins of an early era point to connections that Ceylon may have had with Mohenjodaro and the Indus Valley civilisation. Tamil poetry composed in Ceylon has been included in the earliest Tamil Anthologies and the Tamil spoken in Ceylon represents a pre-Pallava period with its ancient morphological and grammatical forms and its repertoire of words considered obsolete for centuries on the neighbouring continent.
A language is always a mirror of a people’s genius. The Tamil language has been spoken basically in its present form for the last two thousand years, and it continues even now to be the living language for thirty to forty million people -about thirty million people in India, more than two million people in Ceylon, nearly one million people in Malaya, Vietnam and Indonesia, and many thousands scattered over Fiji, Mauritius, Madagascar, Africa and even Trinidad and the Martinique islands.
Tamil is as much a classical language as Greek, Latin or Sanskrit, with this difference that while her ancient contemporaries have changed beyond recognition or been long regarded as “dead”, Tamil continues to be one of the most vigorous of modern languages, and perhaps offers the only example in history of an ancient classical tongue which has survived to this day and yet remains young as it was two thousand years ago.
The ancient Tamils lived in close touch with nature. Astronomy and astrology very much influenced their lives. With regard to the year, the Tamils started it with the Vernal Equinox. In ancient days the sun entering Aries and the Vernal Equinox, that is the day when the sun rose exactly in the east, coincided. With the lapse of centuries, the New Year falls now, about three weeks after the Vernal Equinox. The Hindu solar year is sidereal, and since it is in excess of the tropical year by twenty four minutes, it does not keep step with the seasons. The seasons fall back one and half days for every hundred years...
As a part of our research and understanding both of us learnt that we had a lot in common when we discussed our individual communities and customs. One from a Brahmin community , a community which is large and spread across the country, whereas the other being the Chettiars, a very small community confined to the group of villages called Chettiand. The common professions and food of both communities vary, and so do the customs, however we still found that we had a lot in common. Our everyday lives were almost similar, with exceptions of festivals, which had overlaps of rituals in common too. This journey of probing through not only our past, but that of our parents and grandparents too has been an exciting and educative one. We have seen how life with all its customs , rituals and practices has seen changes through time and have been highly enthused and touched by it.
Swetha Thiagarajan
Sita Laxmi Mani
PGDPD Textile Design
Acknowledgements
Google Mata
Wikipedia
KMC
A one MR. S. Ramakrishnan for his insight into Tamil culture through the ages
Kamala R, Ranganathan and Usha Thiagarajan for contributing their share of inputs for this essay about life in Chennai through the last few decades.
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