Dress Code for a Modern Nation
textile paragrap
The British, along with other things, brought into India their styles of clothing. After years of interaction with the colonial rule, Indians responded to it in different ways. While some outrightly rejected western clothes, many saw it as a sign of progress, and as an entry into the world of modernity. Others still sought a middle ground. Working in colonial offices, many Indians maintained a strict separation between their inner and outer worlds. While they wore shirts, trousers, hats and coats at work, at home they stuck to their simple dhoti and kurta., During the freedom movement, different ideas of designing a national dressing style for Indians were experimented with. Clothing became an important symbolic way of asserting the identity of a fast developing, modern and confident India, seeking freedom from colonial oppression. A unique dressing style was to represent a new Indian that was ready for clinching independence and capable of self-rule or Swarajya., Instead of combining western and Indian elements for clothing, many promoted the idea of bringing together various dressing styles prevalent across India. Rabindranath Tagore talked about mixing elements of Hindu and Muslim dress and believed that a long coat with buttons known as chapkan to be suitable for men. Styles of wearing the saree also underwent various changes. The Brahmo Samaj women, inspired by Jnanadanandini Devi - the first Indian Indian Civil Service (ICS) member, began draping the saree in the Parsi style, along the left shoulder, to be worn with a blouse. This came to be known as Brahmika saree, and was soon adopted by non-Brahmos too., Even where the regional styles of draping the saree were maintained, the design of the blouse was experimented with. While some added cuffs and laces inspired by blouses worn by the English, others embellished their bodices with silver threads as was done during the Mughal times. The salwar kameez, worn predominantly by women in and around Punjab, slowly started gaining more popularity due to its convenience and comfortability for wearing while both at home and outside., In the 1940s, as the freedom movement became more intense, the insistence on locally produced clothes grew. Khadi became an important national icon. Sarees, dhotis, kurtas etc. made of simple, handspun and handwoven fabric became popular among the people. This sought to bring about a sense of uniformity to the diverse traditional dressing styles of the Indians., The search for a suitable clothing style thus became an essential part of marking India’s identity as a strong, modern nation. While there was no one way of doing so, certain trends emerged during the 19th and 20th centuries. These attempted to express different sentiments of people at various stages of their interaction with the British. During the National Movement, clothing became a significant means of asserting a sense of grit and determination, highlighting an essence of unity among Indians and their collective struggle for freedom.body
The British, along with other things, brought into India their styles of clothing. After years of interaction with the colonial rule, Indians responded to it in different ways. While some outrightly rejected western clothes, many saw it as a sign of progress, and as an entry into the world of modernity. Others still sought a middle ground. Working in colonial offices, many Indians maintained a strict separation between their inner and outer worlds. While they wore shirts, trousers, hats and coats at work, at home they stuck to their simple dhoti and kurta.
British men and women in India during the Raj.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
During the freedom movement, different ideas of designing a national dressing style for Indians were experimented with. Clothing became an important symbolic way of asserting the identity of a fast developing, modern and confident India, seeking freedom from colonial oppression. A unique dressing style was to represent a new Indian that was ready for clinching independence and capable of self-rule or Swarajya.
Instead of combining western and Indian elements for clothing, many promoted the idea of bringing together various dressing styles prevalent across India. Rabindranath Tagore talked about mixing elements of Hindu and Muslim dress and believed that a long coat with buttons known as chapkan to be suitable for men. Styles of wearing the saree also underwent various changes. The Brahmo Samaj women, inspired by Jnanadanandini Devi - the first Indian Indian Civil Service (ICS) member, began draping the saree in the Parsi style, along the left shoulder, to be worn with a blouse. This came to be known as Brahmika saree, and was soon adopted by non-Brahmos too.
Even where the regional styles of draping the saree were maintained, the design of the blouse was experimented with. While some added cuffs and laces inspired by blouses worn by the English, others embellished their bodices with silver threads as was done during the Mughal times. The salwar kameez, worn predominantly by women in and around Punjab, slowly started gaining more popularity due to its convenience and comfortability for wearing while both at home and outside.
In the 1940s, as the freedom movement became more intense, the insistence on locally produced clothes grew. Khadi became an important national icon. Sarees, dhotis, kurtas etc. made of simple, handspun and handwoven fabric became popular among the people. This sought to bring about a sense of uniformity to the diverse traditional dressing styles of the Indians.
A young girl in Salwar Kameez in Sindh (Now in Pakistan).
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Pt. Nehru, Rajendra Prasad and Bhulabhai Desai donning kurta, during AICC meeting, 1939.
Image source: Wikimedia commons
The search for a suitable clothing style thus became an essential part of marking India’s identity as a strong, modern nation. While there was no one way of doing so, certain trends emerged during the 19th and 20th centuries. These attempted to express different sentiments of people at various stages of their interaction with the British. During the National Movement, clothing became a significant means of asserting a sense of grit and determination, highlighting an essence of unity among Indians and their collective struggle for freedom.
feb video
https://videoserver.nvli.in/nvli/ICP/textiles/DressCodeModernNation.mp4feb image
