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 emperature, humidity and social parameters decide the clothing pattern of the people in a region. However it is the
fabric which makes Indians most
homogenous - cottons and silks being the most widely used.
One peculiarity of Indian clothing is that they require minimum of stitching and buttoning.
Man Style
North Indian men generally wear kurtas over loose
pajamas or dhotis (9 yards of cotton draped around the waist,
with one end taken through the legs and knotted in the back). In the South,
men prefer simple shirts over loongi (the knot-less version of the
dhoti). However this aspect is not very important. What is most important is the
color. Almost always it is white or cream - remember the
correlation between color and heat conduction from your physics class?
The task of adding a dash of color is assigned to the turban. Considered as symbols of honor,
turbans provide effective protection from the scorching sun and are worn everywhere in
India - only the shape and method of tying differs. Unfolded, it is
used as bed sheet or a pillow to laze under a tree, or even as a rope to draw water from the wells while
traveling. To the practiced eye, the
color and size of the headgear reveals the wearer's caste, religion,
region and socio-economic status. In some places in the South and Northeast, a cloth
is put on the shoulders or wrapped around the waist instead. However, its significance
is the same as that of the turban. For special ceremonies, silks, zari and embroidery come into the
picture. Jodhpuris, sherwanis, achkans, churidars
and jackets are an integral part of the wardrobe.
For the ladies
Nothing symbolizes India more than its unique SARI. It does not need to be purchased on the basis of size or
cut as it is just a 6 yards long rectangular piece of cloth. Saris come
in a mind-boggling range of infinite colors - plain cotton, printed, dyed, silks, embroidered,
gold and silver threadwork, zari etc. etc. The most amazing and difficult part is the method
of wearing it. It is draped in different styles in different parts of the
country. From very simple patterns in the East, saris become brilliantly
colorful in the West and strikingly rich in the South. Whatever the style,
one thing's for sure - it's always very graceful.
For women, India is an ethnic treasure trove. Beautiful attires like
odhnis, lehengas, salwar-kameezes, shararas and skirts come in
an unimaginable spectrum.
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