Humor in Uniform etc.

 Dear Reader

This is the penultimate write-up in the series blog post about cloths. I was wondering about what to write about the theme today. In fact, this series about cloth/es began with a query about the number of cloth materials available--whether we have lost several important natural cloth materials that our ancestors used.  

  I remember a very ordinary, simple material for saree-voil sarees. These are available in the market today, but that which was available during the 1980s was much softer. With the number of manufactured goods available to us today, I fear some of the local materials may just vanish.  It was this aspect of cloth that I wanted to explore--not just sexist/class-ist politics. 

  I had read In Search of Indian Folktales- Pandit Ram Gharib CHaube and William Crooke by Sadhana Naithani as one of the primary texts for research. This is a fascinating 'detective research' that unfolds the journey of folktales collected from the present day Avadh region to the neglected dark corner of the Folklore Society, London, in British India. Even as Naithani describes the heart-wrenching story of the protagonist-Pandit Chaubey, she discusses how progressive a researcher he was. She notes that he had sent Sir William Crooke some 25 pages of information on cloth and clothing. He also lists 14 types of silks that were in use.   

    But, cloth and clothing are as much about all this and humour is one aspect of it. I remember how Readers Digest was one of the many books I peeped into for many inconsistent numbers of years. What repeatedly took me back to RG were these two columns--Life's Like That and Humour in Uniform. The short writeups which were based on real-life incidents made an exciting read for me. I have shared just two from the Humour in Uniform (pic courtesy-google images)  

  

      This also led me to look into the history of uniforms. Today, we understand that it is one way of establishing equality among children in the school. (It's yet another issue that there is elitism at work here too--some schools are more equal than other schools 🙆) There is a history to Uniforms as well--not just the personalised memory of our School Uniforms. Most middle-class people of the 1980s will be able to relate to this--the joy of getting a new uniform stitched (mostly, one size bigger so that it will last at least two years😁), the irritation of White Uniforms and that moment of eureka (for girls) to find a pocket in the Uniform skirt--are indescribable.

         Here is a brief account of the actual history of Uniforms: 

    i. I believe the introduction of Uniforms in schools began in the United Kingdom in the 16th C.  

  ii. As school became popular, it became an increasingly Upperclass affair and so, it was very formal 

   iii. In the 1900s the USA enforced uniforms in the School

 

   iv. Ancient India--3rd Century BC or so, had Gurukuls.  There was no 'uniform' but there was 'uniformity' in their dress. This serves the purpose of equality better I suppose. . . But, modern school uniforms and their notions  

 v. As early/late as 1665, Jan Steen's painting school in Europe depicts Village School casually dressed for school.

 

vi. The French Revolution is supposed to have started the tradition of military uniforms at school. This trend was imitated by the military regime under the Ottoman Empire. 

vi. Japan is one country that was not influenced by Britain.  Though today the uniform is modern, the early uniform of girls was modelled after the sailors and the boy's uniforms were modelled after the military. 

  So much for uniforms . . .  what about costumes?! That's my last blog post (in this series of clothes 😀, of course!! I am hopeful of continuing to write for at least another two decades 👀, dear reader, with your permission and encouragement )

Dear Reader, if you have anything to share about uniforms, please do👇 and if you are happy to read this blog, hit the follow button 👉 and if you would want to, share this blog with your friends and like-minded readers. 

Please share your comments at rekhadatta02@gmail.com or message me @rekhadatta1 on Instagram. I shall send the links to you personally. Thanks for your patience.

Of Cloth, People and Tales

Dear Reader

Power dressing is enormously impressive and influential. It could be the workplace or a family gathering. Just like the body communicates your mood, clothes communicate to you. And so, beware before you comment on it; today's trending tweet is #rippedjeans. 

     Clothing has a humble beginning--to protect people from cold, the harsh rays of the Sun, rain, insect bites etc. As the human race lost the protective body hair, we have used different materials to protect ourselves. In frigid regions, leather- the skin of animals-was preferred. It kept the human race from frostbite, from death, actually. The Eskimos ('the circumpolar people who live in the arctic and subarctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Russia, Siberia and the USA-COurtsey Britannica Encyclopedia) wear the 'caribou' (a North American reindeer). In fact, women are considered the originators of their traditional clothing made from caribou skin. (I found a significant blog post on the Eskimos and their clothing here👉https://www.solenerauturier.com/blog/history-ethical-fashion) 

   As the nomadic groups and/or communities transformed into society, gradually, clothing became a status symbol. Beginning with the material used for making the dress to the fashioning of the cloth to suit the luxury of forbidden physical labour. Whether you belong to the aristocracy or be a rich man, your daily bread is not dependent on physical labour. And so, the cloth was designed to suit this relaxed life-- the flowing gowns for women, the varied styles of coat that men wore (in the Western nations) and the intricately woven silk, heavy sarees/ lehenga for women and the similarly designed kurta for men in India. 

      And over some time, just as the design of the cloth came to represent the caste and class of the people, it also came to designate the moral issues that society clamped on wo/men--most of the time women. So, wearing a 'certain' kind of apparel came to be socially acceptable and recognised as 'respectable'. Soon 'society' as an 'institution' was the established norm, and the moral-ethical notions also began to be rigidly established. Thus, the modesty of an individual was slowly transferred from the strength of character to the kind of clothing one wore. 

        In this connection, I want to share some interesting stories. I would like to begin with the great Sharana mystic poet, Akka Mahadevi of the 12th C in Karnataka, India. As a child, she was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. When she was married to King Kaushika (who was a Jain), it was on the condition that she continue to worship her beloved lord Shiva-ChannaMallikarjuana (Shiva as beautiful as Jasmine). When this promise was broken, it is said that she walked out of the palace, renouncing all--including the clothes the king had given. There is an anecdote-- Kalyana, the abode of ShivaSharanas (the place where all mystics who worshipped Lord SHiva gathered), Akka enters the hall in the nude. The gathering of the mystics lowers their eyes in respect to Akka, a mystic herself. Only Allama Prabhu welcomes her without taking his eyes off her. Respects her and engages in a philosophical conversation. Akka, it is believed to have said 'Only you are the true sharana since you recognise the soul and not the body'. 

       Then, of course, we have the cautionary tale in Mahabharata-- Draupadi Vastrapaharana-the Disrobing of Draupadi. Even if Kauravas had defeated the Pandavas, the Kurukshetra war would not have been so embittered and destructive. But, the crucial moment of disrobing Draupadi sets the time of the destruction of the Kauravas--sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra. It is that defining moment of ethics of respecting women, relationships and responsibility that this episode warns people. (Of course, I can't but mention Dopadi, a short story by Mahashweta Devi, which presents a new dimension to 'disrobing' altogether) 

     There is another interesting Russian folktale about two little girls in a village. It is Christmas time. One young child wears a beautiful White frock to go to Church. Her mother warns her not to get the frock dirty. The girl is eager to show her pretty white dress to her friend in the neighbourhood. As the two little girls begin to play, accidentally, dirty water splashes on the pretty white dress. The girl is now afraid of what her mother would say. Angrily, she lashes out at her friend, runs to her mother and complains about this lady who scolded her... Now, there is a heated argument between the two women. This fight involving the two women now extends to their families to involve the entire village. It takes a serious turn when the villagers arm themselves with weapons to fight each other! In the meantime, the two little girls have washed off the stain on the pretty white frock and have begun to play. A wise old woman sees this. She calls the parents and the village elders to the two little friends playing happily "Why is it that elders like you forget the auspicious message of Christmas on the day of Christmas. You all need to learn from the children". The village is ashamed of its mindless behaviour and celebrates Christmas in its true spirit.       

        And this is my personal favourite--the Emperor's New Cloths. I am sure, dear reader, you know this one. But I am unable to resist this narration. Once upon a time, there was a king. He considered himself the most intelligent one in his kingdom whom no one could fool. Irked by this attitude, a humble tailor decided to teach a lesson in humility to the arrogant King. He visits the King's court one day and shows a beautifully woven cloth to the court. He relates that he invented a clothing material visible only to an intelligent man. The court is stunned into silence as no one can see the cloth. Though the king did not see it, he could not say it aloud. So everyone agrees that he has indeed woven a beautiful cloth. The tailor now says 'I would like to design an apparel for the king with this piece of cloth'. So, he is given royal residence and treated with utmost importance. Each time the King visits the tailor in his room, the tailor describes the fabric and asks for his opinion. Each time, the king forces himself to appreciate the marvellous design. On the appointed day, the tailor informs that the King's apparel is ready and that he can wear it for his royal parade across the city. And the tailor pretends to help the king wear the stitched dress. And everyone, unwilling to say anything else, appreciates the dress. As the king sets out on the royal parade, a young boy, unable to hide his laughter, says aloud "But why is the King nude?" 😂😂😂😂 Many a time, what we think is what we wear.

  As 20 March is celebrated as International Story-Telling Day, keep up the spirit of sharing stories and enjoy listening to stories!!.

Dear Reader, if you have anything to share, please 👇 and if you are happy to read this blog, hit the follow button 👉 and if you want to, share this blog with your friends and like-minded readers. 

Please share your comments at rekhadatta02@gmail.com or message me @rekhadatta1 on Instagram. I shall send the links to you personally. Thanks for your patience.        

 

       

 

Women's Fashion --Personal Is Political

Dear Reader 

This post is a tribute to women, fashion and (em)power. History is evidence of varied injustices to women and some men. Women were put into the 'Scold's Bridle', first recorded in 1567 in Scotland and later in the UK for talking too much. It was approved by the Church and abolished 'legally in 1967. In Travancore (Kerala, India), women born into the lower castes were not allowed to cover their upper body in public. They were asked to pay a 'breast tax' if they wanted to cover it in public.  Little wonder that women in the US saw apparel as a 'tool' of oppression and burnt bras in the 1970s during the beauty pageant. It was in December 2015 that France banned 'extremely thin' models.  

       Not just this-aristocracy across the world has had another way of making their presence felt--the oppressively luxurious fashion. Here are some images--see it to believe it

    The Famed Cleopatra, Egypt, in a painting--it is said that she wore linen cloths that were uncut, ankle-length, in bright colours of blue, red, yellow, green . . .  

Jodha Bai, India, wore silk, cotton and brocade clothes that had intricately woven work, in bright colours of red, orange, blue . . . 

Aristocratic  women during the 1770s in France wore a dress made from taffeta, velvet, silk   

    From being ridiculed for being conscious about their fashion at the workplace, women and power-dressing have come a long way. The idea of 'power-dressing' began in 1988 and has moved on relentlessly ahead.  

  Power-dressing today is an interesting combination of what Virginia Woolf argued for in the 1940s-androgyny i.e. the mind is characterised by both masculine and feminine. Without idealising or romanticising, hopefully, we have reached a time that emphasises ability and capability without raising the proverbial storm in a cup of tea. Here is just one beautiful fashion

  Pic courtesy: Google images

The Alexander McQueenAW20 collection incorporated tailoring that embodied the ultimate juxtaposition between the masculine and the feminine. 

    One blog post does no justice to both women and fashion. But just could not resist the enthusiasm to share a glimpse...

 . 

  Hoping for empowerment for all of us--Happy Women's Day🌹 

Dear Reader, Looking forward to hearing some stories from you . . . if you are happy to read my posts do hit the follow button👉 and share your response to the blog post  👇

 Please share your comments at rekhadatta02@gmail.com or message me @rekhadatta1 on Instagram. I shall send the links to you personally. Thanks for your patience. 

 

 

 

The Story of Cloth

 Dear Reader

'Fashion' is a complicated and much-maligned notion, would you agree? Today, it is a personalized vision of how an individual would like to present oneself to people-personal and professional. From the common man's front, we no longer shy away from wearing different styles of apparel and experimenting with how we look and how we present ourselves to people on various occasions. On the professional front, we are talking of 'power dressing' i.e.  'dress' to create and communicate 'power' in the profession one occupies, to configure that personal communication channel. The 'boldness' of your thought defines the choice of clothes you wear or your notions of comfort and/or sense of fashion define what you wear and how you carry it off. To that extent, it shows that you are in charge of your body. The added attraction of the glamour quotient is that of being a 'fashion icon', in our own small way, of course.   

     There are darker sides to fashion that are widely criticized today- standardized notions of body, color, size, gender-stipulated clothing, and religious notions that are followed either by prescription or freely by the individual. This could lead to ridicule, being bullied, targeted, etc.  This darker side is not only with adolescent or adult professionals. Psychologists say it begins right at a very young age of 3 can bully-- remember we all have one or two favorite ones and the rest is neglected. If the dislike is mutual, ignoring is a welcome relief; the problem is when it is not mutual, rejection is hard to handle.  Socialization is learned at this tender age and at times, these early conflicts could have deeper impacts even in later life.   

         Then, there are other criteria for styles of clothing that are class/caste/gender-based. Amongst children or young adults, groups based on a sense of fashion are common but difficult to identify and address the problems due to such groups. And one such criterion of choosing friends is influenced by 'clothing'. If one doesn't or can't afford the right kind of clothes, the child is subjected to ridiculing/bullying. That is, notions of social groups and acceptance begin very early. So, many schools prescribe uniforms. The irony is, at times, this is also not affordable by many parents and 'literate/school education becomes unaffordable once again. 

     But, in the middle of all this confusion, I am tempted to take a sneak peek into our history of clothes. There is a truly lighter side (if I can be informal, a fun side) to clothes and fashion. And I am also confused about whether to write about clothes or about fashion . . . I think I will begin with clothes 😃

 1. Archeologists and anthropologists say that the first formal clothing was draped, wrapped, or wound around the human body

   2.  They have detected the date of origin of clothes to the presence of lice on the human body. They say that as humans shed body hair, the lice require the clothes fibre to survive. Genetic analysis of the human body lice shows that humans began to wear fabric clothes around 170,000 years ago. 

3. As we all know, the earliest form of clothes was made from the skin of animals.   

4. The invention of needles played a vital role in the continuation of human civilization. South-Western Siberia, near the Inya River, is a perilous region. During winter, the river freezes, making human habitation almost impossible. However, Scientists have evidence to show that Neanderthal man lived in this area. How?! Clothing. Scientists have discovered sewing needles in the caves near the Inya River. These needles are supposed to be 20,000 years old. They are sharp enough to pierce the thick animal skin and have the needle-eye to allow threading to sew 😊 

5. The researchers found eyed-sewing needles as early as 45000 years ago, in what is now Siberia and China. In Europe, the fabric-clothing is believed to have begun around 13,000 years ago

6. The earliest form of wearing clothes was draping--the sari and dhoti 👏 because it doesn't require to be cut to suit the body shape of humans 😋 simplicity is the fashion of civilization, I suppose

7. China was the first country to start the production of  Silk from cocoons.  

                                                                      To be continued 🙏

Dear Reader, Looking forward to hearing some stories from you.  And if you are happy to read my posts do hit the follow button👉

And do share your response to the blog post  👇

 Please share your comments at rekhadatta02@gmail.com or message me @rekhadatta1 on Instagram. I shall send the links to you personally. Thanks for your patience. 

 

   

    

 

Food for thought or thinking about food?!

Dear Reader

The history of the journey of Food demands more than three blog posts, really. This February has been a rich experience researching and writing about 'food'. The search and the research began with so many confusions that have become visible about food in the recent past --questions of identity, taboo, purity, quarrels and so many . . . these confusions are mischievous and create further harm in human relationships. And the search has been a flavorful and tasty culinary adventure.    

  Some information about food is known to all of us as commonsense viz. that food is community culture, that food has travelled across the globe, that salt and sugar are used as a preservative food and that pickling began as a method of preserving food for tougher seasons. With the evolution of technology (not only as it has reached us today but even in the earlier centuries) food and its connotations changed.

  Certain food was available only to Kings, queens, and aristocracy viz ice cream was brought to France by the Italian Duchess Catherine de Medici in 1533 who brought chefs along with her trousseau when she married the French Duke of Orleans, and one hundred years later, King Charles in England was so impressed with the 'frozen snow' that he paid his royal chef a lifetime pension to retain him in his palace. . . and in India, down south, the accidental sweet made by the Royal Chef of Krishna Raja Wodeyar a connoisseur of food earned royal patronage-the famous Mysore Pak; Hyderabadi Biryani, now common man's royal food, evolved in the kitchen of the Nizam of Hyderabad is a blend of Mughlai and the Iranian flavors. . . the list is an exciting one and never-ending.

      But, there are some more interesting evolutionary 'strange but true facts about food. Here they are:

1. just as we were evolving into homo-sapiens, it is
   believed that our stomach was more significant than the brain.

2. So, basically we were 'stomach on legs' and didn't bother so much about 'good food'. So much for our food fetishes and binge eating and most importantly, our prioritizing food over almost anything 😁 But, today, we know that the brain uses about one-fourth of what we eat

 

3. The change over to 'cooked food', 'culinary expertise' emerged when the human race learned to cook using fire and also control it--about 1.7 million years ago👏

4. Fermentation is a highly ancient method of preserving food and nutrition. The first thing we did when we learnt the advantages of fermentation is that we get drunk👀 because we had yet to understand the chemical process that made 'alcohol', many thought of it as a 'magical potion'!

Here are some more veggie facts:

1. Potato began her sojourn in South America, reached Europe, almost synonymous with any country of Ireland and was introduced to India around 1600 CE. There are supposed to be 4000 recognized varieties of potatoes!!

2. Tomatoes have a transatlantic journey. It was first introduced to Italy in the 1500s. (And there was no tomato sauce in Italy before that time.) It reached the Indian home also sometime during 1500 CE. The traditional Bengali homes do not use tomato in the dish made as an offering to the Mother Goddess because the pulp looks like meat () but fish is offered to the Mother. And many South Indian homes avoided tomatoes in their preference for tamarind which is original to South Africa. So much for Indigenous epistemologies, veggies and offerings

3. Chilies were brought to India from South America and today we can't think of cooking without this veggie

4. Cocoa beans were used as currency in Aztec communities

5. The word 'restaurant' comes from the root word 'restoration' and restaurants were, thus, the place where one got nourishment. Here, people were served delicacies and exclusively nutritious food for upper-middle and middle-class people. The first restaurants arose in Paris before the French Revolution, around 1760-1770.

6. And the Byzantine emperor's niece used a gold fork at her wedding in 1004. A Venetian onlooker was disgusted and commented 'God in his wisdom has provided man with natural forks- fingers. Therefore, it is an insult to God to use artificial metal fingers-forks to eat." And the cherry on the top-- as late as 1608, the use of forks was ridiculed in the UK. 

     No wonder food, preservation, fermentation and the making of an Empire go together. But, for a passionate student of literature, food is 'thought' as well as the literature of food. Won't you believe me? 

 

Dear Reader, just watch this exotic representation of literature as food!! In the Australian Master Chef, watch Reynold Brendon's creation of the first chapter of Alice in the Wonderland-the Rabbit Hole as the theme of his dessert. Here is the link: 

 

(link courtesy YouTube)

And after all these rendezvous with food, am more hopeful than ever that surely we'll come to respect 'food' as 'nourishment' and just enjoy it, forgetting all the politicizing that happens around it 😃. 

Looking forward to hearing some stories from you  And if you are happy to read my posts do hit the follow button👉

And share your response to the blog post  👇

Please share your comments at rekhadatta02@gmail.com or message me @rekhadatta1 on Instagram. I shall send the links to you personally. Thanks for your patience.