Lecture 24

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[00:00:21]Hello dear learner. I welcome you back in part two. So in the part two of this session uh just the just to first give you the overview we'll be examining into the historical evolution and the religious significance of traditional clothing. This will also highlight the cultural diversity and symbolism which is embedded in our Indian ethnic attire.

[00:00:44]And lastly, we'll also explore the craftsmanship and the textile skills that sustain India's rich clothing heritage. Okay. So, let's begin.

[00:00:54]Now, coming to the costumes, the religious costume of India. Now we have to understand that just like we just saw in the earlier uh lectures that how the whole traditions uh we had such rich diversity of traditions and cultures. So similarly our country also reflects diversity in religions also. It's a reflection of our culture. It's a reflection of our spirituality of our social hierarchy and even of personal identity. Right? So clo is holding a special place as it is deeply interwined with faith with rituals and symbolism.

[00:01:31]So in India of course multiple religions are there from Hinduism to Islam, Sikhism, Janism, Buddhism and Christianity just to name a few but these are the predominant religions which exhibit extraordinary diversity in religious attire. Right? And then each tradition also has some distinct clothing style and which is carrying a symbolic meaning. It is it is carrying some ethical values and some spiritual significance as well. So basically we find that our religious clothing it's a it is a it has multi-purpose.

[00:02:03]It is also signifying devotion. It is signifi on the other one hand and it is also signifying our religious identity and it is also a marker of our social role as well. Right? So over centuries these governments have evolved under the influence of climate whatever the resources that were available the regional culture the trade the invasions and the philosophical ideas and of course some of the clothes have also been you know fused the there's a fusion of the culture also that has taken place. So first coming to Hinduism which is one of the world's um oldest living religion which originated in the Indian subcontinent more than 4,000 years ago.

[00:02:42]So if you look at the clothing, it holds a very deep religious, cultural and symbolic uh importance there. In Hindu philosophy, how a person dresses also is seen as the reflection of their inner self. An atma and their relationship with dharma that is the righteous living. Right? So in the image now you can see the whole cultural evolution in the post vdic period.

[00:03:06]So how did the evolution of the Hindu religious dress it took place in uh through ages if you just if we try to uncover that. So the garments the garments that were worn by Hindus during the ritual festivals and the daily worship were rich in meaning and symbolism. So the ancient Hindu attire was basically very depend the value depicted was a very value of simplicity and value of symbolism. Right? So in the Vic period the simplicity was the key and men they wore doi while women they adorned themselves in saris wrapped in various regional styles right then the sacred thread ceremony which introduced the sacred thread also still they were they were worn to um worn during the particular rituals as well. Now in the medieval period we have the royal patronage and the temple culture also the garments were not only spiritual but also respect uh reflected one's warn you know their social order and and their status in the community as well.

[00:04:09]Then when it came to the colonial impact there was a fusion of east and west there was a blending of western cuts with lot of traditional attire as well.

[00:04:18]So we there was a very subtle shift you can see from stitch garments like blouses for saris and jackets over korta. So then the religious wear however remained largely unchanged during the rituals. Then contemporary trend today now there's a very strong movement towards reviving ancient traditions in modern fashions. So many uh brands are reinforcing the organic fabric, the handwoven dotis, the sustainable saris for pujas and for temple visits as well. So if you like if you look at um Hindu men how they dressed up they don't adorned themselves or they draped themselves in thi and longi right. So they had the toti which was long unstitched cloth. A korta which was a loose collarless um shirt that pairs with toti or panch. Sherwani it was basically a long coatlike garment which was worn over with a korta with churida. And uh then there was lungi it was a sarong style you know wrap around usually worn by men south Indian men and you can see because the climate in south India is hot. So according to the climate uh condition how the garments were basically draped also differed.

[00:05:28]Then angara which was a side tied or overlapping jacket which was worn at the traditional functions. Turbans which was known as bugi also or safa of various colors and fabric depending on the different uh region depending on the community the status and the purpose also. What purpose are they wearing?

[00:05:49]Okay. The Hindu women their clothing were also very vibrant and very symbolic which reflected cultural pride their tradition the spirituality. So how the sari was basically an iconic attire right very colorful fitted with blouse and choli. Then there was shalwa kumse with long tunic that is the kumse and shalwa. Then bindi the red dot between the eyebrow it represents wisdom the spiritual vision and the marital status.

[00:06:15]Then bangles even the jewelry was a you know in combo with the dresses also which symbolizes prosperity and marital happiness which were worn by women of all ages. Then ha mahinti very uh prominently in in Indian culture we find that and irrespective of any community it is applied during festivals and during weddings you know it is signifying joy, beauty and good fortune.

[00:06:39]Now coming to Islam which is also steeped its rich history of tradition, culture and religious observance and we do find that um the key feature of Islamic clothing where very loose attires you know non-revealing and long sleeves and pants for both men and women head covering like hijab turbons and avoidance of any transparent or you know very tight fitting clothing. So the whole evolution of Muslim dresses of course came from the Arab country in the early Islamic period. So we can see the loose garment as thwab ankle length robe or isar that was a wraparound cloth and women they wore long robes like abaya or chilabs or veils like nikab which actually ensures modesty in public and even in the Quran we find it encouraged both men and women to dress modestly and to avoid extravagance. So the emphasis was on piety on cleanliness, simplicity and not specific clothing style. Now during the medieval Islamic uh era we found that when the Persian influence was lot uh we can feel the Persian influence at that time. So there it led to the development of Kftan and Shalwakami styles and different kind of rich fabric also [snorts] and even in Spain uh Muslim clothing it influenced the European fashion introducing luxury skill whales and tunic.

[00:08:01]Then uh for women the veil became more structured and the layering of garment reflected a social standing and their local culture as well. So this period saw a rise of symbolic garments which denoted a spiritual authority. For instance, the Sufi uh uh kal that is the woolen robe which is worn by the mystics to represent humility and devotion.

[00:08:24]Then in the colonial and the modern period of course uh the western style suits and uniform they became more common in men while traditional attire like korta pajama remained more of a religious occasion. Even women's veiling practice fluctuated in some region it declined because of modernization in other it strengthened as a symbol of Islamic identity right and the hijab aaya burkha became the marker of modesty and religious expression in modern Islamic society then if you look at the contemporary era the 21st century Muslim religious dress it continues to evolve balancing faith fashion and global identity so for men they they wear goofy caps Jbab, ka, pajama, thwabs and women they chose a more model style like hijab and you know abaya nikab and so on with different uh terminology and all that is depicting their culture and their interpretation of modesty. Now here's uh you can say the images the images of different styles and you can say that how even the women they depicted all these different style through that uh period and the the words that I have talked about the bayas the hijab the nikab that was all reflected and that came from the pre-Islamic period and then the medieval Islamic period then coming to sikism which also was founded in the 15th century it emphasizes devotion to one god right and equality to all human beings So the teaching of Sikhism was recorded in the holy scripture of guru grant sahib which is considered as the eternal guru right and and the faith was shaped by the 10 human gurus from guru nanad gi to guru um gobin singh gi. So if you look at the evolution of sikism dress how they even in the sikism religion the dress evolved. So the early sik period we find that sik wore simple and modest Punjabi clothing ka chad chad means cloth wrap and turbons and the medieval period the whole concept of saint soldier you know sipahi it combination of spiritual spirituality with courage.

[00:10:32]So sick men they started wearing more functional attire like um chaga jamas that is flade uh robes churid tight trouser turban styles that also allowed ease in the battle.

[00:10:46]Then came the the kalsa formation. So here the the in this particular u formation which was up to 16 uh 999 onwards um through hala pant they introduced five keys that is punchker right and the five keys you can see in the image the k uncut hair the kanga a wooden comb kan that is the steel sword the kacha that is also spelled as kach which is cotton uh underwear and the ka that is the steel bracelet so for sick women too we're encouraged to dress modestly, tie turbans and maintain equality with men. So even in the modern era we find that the sick clothing today continues to reflect both tradition and practicality. So many sick they wear western clothing in daily life but the traditional garments are worn during religious, cultural and ceremonial occasions as well. So you can see in this images how the different uh sick people are wearing at different occasions.

[00:11:52]Now coming to the craftsmanship behind Indian clothing. So the artisans. So first we'll look into the weavers. No the uh the weavers are basically skilled artisans who create cloth by interlacing threads using a loom. And this is a multiple specialized skills like spinning, turning the fibers cotton, silk and wool into yarn. Then dying, coloring the yarn into different colors, wrapping and wefting, preparing thread you know lengthwise and crosswise. Then loom work that is using hand looms or power looms to interlace the thread into fabric. Now in India weaving uh is often organized around the communities of weaver cast. So so the ys the the skills that they practiced also designated their cast as well. Right. We have banazi weavers in Vanasi Uttar Pradesh famous for silk sari right kjaram weavers in Tamil Nadu also famous for luxurious silk saries with temple inspired borders. Then pochampali weavers in Telangana which was the creat of ikat pattern with integrate geometrical design. Then Chanderei weavers in Madhya Pradesh with the marker of light airy cotton silk fab fabric with delicate motives. Then even the embroiderers they they are skilled artisans um who create decorative embro design on fabric using needle and thread everything done manually no machine involved and embroidery has been practiced from centuries and it varies according to the region as well. So it is reflecting our local customs our religious beliefs and our social identity as well. So economically embroidery provides livelihood to many rural and urban artisans community and is a significant you can say component of India's um handiccraft export then even the dyers the who used to dye um they were skilled artisans who used to apply they knew what is the u amount of color that they have to apply and how much color should be how much they should be exposing the cloth towards that color then it should be dried and the color should not mixed with one another otherwise the whole fabric will bleed. So basically it's enhancing the beauty, symbolism and artistic appeal as well and even the dyes it transformed the plain fabric into vibrant pattern and solid colored cloth. Right? So the the main kind of um the the natural dyes that was the true essence of Indian ethos during that time and it carries symbolic meaning. Saffron for apicious uh or indigo for royalty and economically dying it also provided livelihood to thousands and thousands of artisans and it contributed to hand lroom and art uh handiccraft industry as well.

[00:14:42]Then coming to designer and pattern drafters, how the pattern is supposed to be drafted and what is the design that also played a very crucial role in transforming the the traditional textile skills into contemporary, fashionable and functioning clothing. So they combined both artistic vision, the technical knowledge and also the cultural insight to create a beautiful garment. So India's rich heritage of weaving, dying, embroidery and block printing is also reflected in that. Then then designers uh often work to blend traditional techniques with modern trends as well ensuring that hand looms and handcrafted textile they remained relevant in contemporary market as well.

[00:15:23]Now with time they started using mathematical and geometrical skills also to ensure accurate measurement fit and proportion which is which is quite essential for complex garments like saris and shwvanis lehenas and tailored suit. Then tailoring and stitching skills. That's another set of skills that is the the mastery of precision, the mastery of draping and decorative stitching. That also has a cultural significance um in our country as well.

[00:15:53]So tailoring skill involves cutting fabric and how tailor must understand the body proportion, the fabric stretch and the government structure as well. So the stitching skill it is both functional. Functional meaning it should be seam, finishing, hemming, attaching, linen, uh linings and reinforcement. It should be also decorative with lot of embellishment, stitches, um apply piping and ornament bodice as well.

[00:16:21]And you can see even in the image the how the textile ornament skills have been uh depicted. The embroidery embishment which includes arossi the the metal thread work the son uh sne which is a fine very needle work you know with mirror and sequins and beads and so on.

[00:16:38]Surface uh on ornamentation that is block printing also is there. Weaving based ornamentation is there which incorporates like brocade aut motives and so on. Then uh even the finishing technique how would you finishing the product that's very also very important that is polishing calendaring pleing and fringing which further it it kind of you know enhances the visual appeal and texture as well.

[00:17:06]So you see needless to say all that skill is required all that craftsmanship is so unique in our country and it is still there. If you visit to any city, you go to any uh even in the city if you go to uh the remote areas in which the you see all these weavers, the dyers, the hook, the and the embroiderers, they're still working there and they are also using the traditional method.

[00:17:32]They're still using the traditional method of working. It's they're no longer using machines but they're using their own hands and the craftsmanship.

[00:17:39]The skills are there just passed down from generation to generation. So to conclude, Indian tradition, clothing is more than attire. Right? In these two lectures, you must have understood that it's reflecting our faith. It is reflecting our identity and artistry. We are really lucky that we Indians have such vibrant, such beautiful culture in which we can depict through our clothing, through our uh attire, right?

[00:18:07]And even a religion that is if you take any religion for that matter it is symboliz symbolizing devotion, modesty and cultural pride for all of us and evolving from ancient simplicity to modern reinvention right blending uh the blending of culture is also taking place. Equally vitals are the artisans.

[00:18:28]You cannot imagine if they were not there. We could not have relived in that uh era in which those artisans which u or where in which our Indian uh tradition had first originated. So equally important are them the weavers the dyers the the embroiderers and the designers whose skill they they still preserve our heritage and sustain local economies. So in a world of fast fashion if you look at it India's clothing tradition they stand very unique. They stand as a testament to resilience and creativity. So honoring these garments and craftsman um the craft people the craftsmanship it celebrates a legacy that continues to inspire a across generation. So I hope you enjoyed this session the two sessions in which I talked about the clothes and how I tried to connect it with our Indian ethos and our Indian cultures. These are the suggested reading the further reading that if you want to have regarding this particular topic and thank you all for your patience listening and I'll be back again with another interesting topic.

[00:19:34]Till then take care of yourself and have a nice day. Bye-bye.

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