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Kerala ForumAn Internet based forum on Kerala - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow! Sari - our national dress under attack from fundamentalists!Sari - the most important dress of women in India from time immemmorial! Our mythological godesses and heroines are all portrayed in beautiful saris in the olden days as well as in more recent times. Sari is also popular and accepted in many other countries in South East Asia. What is unique about sari is that it is the only non-western female dress fully accepted in formal parties in the West! Sari is worn by everyone - poor workers, labourers, ordinary housewives, noble women of all ages, fashion girls and so on. Sari is also wqorn everywhere - at work, at home and at formal occasions and parties. In a way, it is like 'Coca Cola' - the same cola is taken by the poor man as well as the President of the United States! According to the Oxford Talking
Dictionary Sari's meaning is given as "A
traditional garment of Indian women, worn over a choli
and an underskirt, consisting of a length of cotton,
silk, or other cloth wrapped around the waist and draped
over one shoulder." It's so simple garment,
just a piece of cloth; yet the way it is worn and the
place it occupies, makes it one of the most versatile
female dresses of all ages and times. Attack against Sari started, surprisingly, in the cities of Northern India - starting with New Delhi, the capital. Some time in the late 80s some people who claim to be progressive and 'westernized' suddenly realized that 'Sari' is revealing too much! Not only the belly even the belly-button is not covered in many cases!!! This is against 'civilized' dress code. Especially not suitable for offices, colleges or schools! So instead of Sari, churi-dar was advocated as the chosen and recommended dress for females in the offices. Soon this 'revolution' spread to colleges and schools. Though the movement was started by the pseduo-western enthusiasts, soon it got support from conservatives in the hindu society. To cut the story short, within a decade the sari practically disappared from the colleges and schools of Kerala. Churi-dar was the uniform. Even when the uniform was not enforced, it was chosen and recommended over sari. Most recently the sari came up in the news (though very few noticed it) in connection with Vazhichal College 'dhoti issue'. "Cl¢-¨T Bx-J¤-¶¢-Jw h¤-Ù¤« ¨dx-J¤-¶¢-Jw o¡-j¢-i¤« h¢-V¢-i¤« bj¢-´¡u d¡-T¢-¨¿-¼¤« O¢¹« H¼¢-c¤-Y¨¼ ±d¢u-o¢-¸v ©c¡-¶£-o¢-¶-©Y¡-¨T l¢-a¬¡t-Y®Z¢-Jw ±d-©J¡-d¢-Y-j¡-i¢." (Kerala Kaumudi, 5th Sept 2000) Culture and TraditionWhile this circus is going on in India, how are our neighbours treating sari? Well, in Singapore and Malaysia it is worn by all Indians or people of Indian origin and proudly worn by locals of non-Indian origin too at special functions and occasions. Recently (Oct 2000, again in Oct 2001) an
advertisement by Malaysian Tourism Board in Time as well as CNN International, tells the whole
story in one picture. |
