Costumes of an Age 2017 Costumes of an Age ‘Costumes of India’ Taken on the stage after the formal show in 1953 or 1954. In this Homai Vyarawalla photograph, though mannequins are positioned in a manner that gives full prominence to the map of India, it appears to have been taken in haste: several are not looking their best and some are even partially hidden. Cover Image: ‘... when weaving was done in squares and stripes only’ Anjolie is wearing anikat sari in traditional colours of white, red and black representing knowledge, beauty/blood and Lord Jagganath, the presiding deity of Odisha.Ikat refers to the process by which the pre- Kathiawar court costume arranged pattern is produced by partly dyeing the warp and weft threads before they are woven. The original text in the commentary Kathiawar consisted of several small princely states outside the reads as follows ` the women seldom wear a blouse, the sari being purview of British India. This 18th-century costume from one draped to cover the whole body. Great stress is laid on the silver of these states consists of a full-length somewhat fitting skirt jewellery, which is of an unusual design and is their wealth. Peasants with deep pleats to one side and a shortcholi (blouse) tied at all over India put their wealth into silver ornaments carried on their the back. A longodhani (veil) and elaborate jewellery completes person, and turn them into money when the need arises. The weight the ensemble. of the jewellery varies with the poverty or wealth of the owner”. Model: Leela Oberoi (nee Leela Naidu) Model: Anjolie Dev (Anjolie Ela Menon) October 7, 1958 October 7, 1958 CURATOR: Malavika Karlekar DESIGN: Sundaresh and Malavika Karlekar Costumes of an Age In the summer of 1956, New Delhi-based Mary Badhwar decided to and ladies' tea party for members of a visiting World Bank delegation. approach the Ministry of Education, Government of India, for At a meeting convened by B.K. Nehru, Secretary in the Ministry, its support for what was clearly a novel idea: a pageant of Indian costumes structure was worked out and as is clear from some of the following `showing the different styles and fashions in vogue in this country photographs, the emphasis shifted from the tableau format to a over the last 20 centuries, with some emphasis on the Ajanta period'. straightforward display of women's attire over the centuries As Mary, a gynaecologist trained at King George's Hospital, Lucknow representing different social groups. Three years later, on January 25, and the wife of a senior bureaucrat, had curated a successful 1961, Queen Elizabeth II of Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh were ‘Costumes of India’ show a few years earlier (see the group photograph guests of honour at Ashoka Hotel's banquet hall. They witnessed an above), she felt emboldened to do another show for the 9th session of even grander version of `Costumes of India' where lighting was UNESCO to be hosted in New Delhi later that year. She asked professionally done by All India Radio, make up by Lakme and whether it could be held in front of the Red Fort's Diwan-e-Aam or costumes and jewellery were on loan from Sangeet Natak Akademi Lodi Gardens: the former venue had often been used for mushairas and other government bodies. Court costumes were shared for the and civic receptions, she wrote. Not unexpectedly, permission was event by Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, the Begums of Bhopal and refused for the Diwan-e-Aam, but after a personal appeal to Minister Rampur and Princess Kusum of Bharatpur. These included a of Education Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Mary got permission to “fabulous `Bharatpur lehenga' and Mary “promised to guard it with hold the show in the area in front of the open mosque right in the my life” Luckily, the two shows were widely photographed and our centre of the historic Lodi Gardens. Some of those who participated calendar is based on some of these images from the actual shows or in the show are names and institutions memorialised in post- photo shoots on the roof of the hotel independent India's newly emergent cultural scene. Curator's note Newspapers reported that mannequins in shimmering costumes – A distinct serendipity undergirds the calendar for 2017 as, some years ago, soon some designed by a young Shama Zaidi based on her research at the after close family friend Mary Badhwar's passing, among her papers I chanced National Archives - sashayed down and around the historic site, upon this cache of images, as well as brochures, commentary and appropriately flood lit for the event and compered by the inimitable correspondence relating to these pageants. As the theme does not conform to Roshan Menon. The pageant of dance and music that combined earlier CWDS calendars that focussed on the girl child, womens' education, the fantasy with an evocation of the country's past glory had been lives of prominent activists and academics and so on, I did not think of these choreographed by well-known dance teacher Kamal Kirtikar and photographs as `calendar worthy'. A post-colonial fanciful presentation of others. While danseuses Indrani Rehman and Sundari Shridharani Indian women's costumes, a number of them, courtly dress, did not quite fit in. had important roles, most participants were ingénues trained over a Though, of course, the photographs did represent moments in the young nation's short period. desire to juxtapose new ideas and institutions with those that had a long In giving legitimacy to an unusual tribute to a new India, Maulana history, in this case, evolution of women's attire. Thus, of late, I started Azad acknowledged that the world beyond should know more about thinking of them in the way that artists view and use `found objects' and, this country. While its Five Year Plans, stress on a mixed economy, encouraged by senior colleagues, have gone ahead. Incidentally, some old styles agricultural production as well as science, technology and that we have shown could find a resonance in contemporary design. The industrialization had quickly became buzz words, a rich history and selection of costumes reflected not only Mary’s personal choice, but also their varied cultural past needed more international focus. And what could availability and the willingness of institutions and owners to share these. Thus be better than presenting an elaborate pageant of Indian fabrics and some regions were well-represented and others did not feature in any of the dress to a captive audience of delegates at the UNESCO session! shows. A few days later, this well-received show was followed by a repeat I am deeply grateful to my old friend, Jaya Jaitly (she is also the model for the performance during the official visit of Chou En-lai, Prime Minister of month of June) for invaluable help in descriptions of costumes and names of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. As far as Mary some models. Unfortunately, we were not able to identify a few, and if they or Badhwar and her group of enthusiastic friends were concerned, the their friends and relatives do chance upon this calendar, we hope that they success of the 1956 `Costumes of India' show – of which, alas, there enjoy our presentation. are no photographs – prepared the way for two more extravaganzas. In Malavika Karlekar 1958, the Ministry of Finance commissioned another costume show ‘. their costume is decorative and their jewellery unusual’ Sakina wears thepheran , the voluminous Kashmiri woollen gown that hangs in many folds. It is a loose-fitting garment that provides protection against the cold and is generally made of wool. Thepheran is worn over loose pyjamas and has elaborate embroidery inzari (gold thread), wool or silk in the front, cuffs and hem. The under layer is normally in light white cotton. Sakina’s jewellery is elaborate and heavy. Model: Sakina Saadat Ali October 7, 1958 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4567 Guru Govind Singh’s New Year’s Day Birthday 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Makar Sankranti Pongal 15 1617 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Republic Day 29 30 31 December February S MTWT F S S MTWT F S 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 4 5678 910 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 January 2017 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 26 27 28 ‘In a basket carried on the back, they transport a child or their household goods’ Sayeda displays a Kulupattoo that is worn over achuridar -like lower garment and a full-sleeved shirt. Heavier than a shawl but not quite as bulky as a blanket, the pattoo is woven in strips that are usually stitched together, and kept in place by brooches. It was often woven by individual families from goats' hair. A piece of cloth, thegachchi , is tied around the waist, and acts as a belt As in this image, silver chains, long earrings and a headpiece were traditionally worn. The little girl is wearing a round Kulu cap. The colourful borders on her garment are woven on a smaller loom that are subsequently attached to the pattoo. Models: Sayeda and Rebab January 25, 1961 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 Basant Panchami/ Sri Panchami 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Guru Ravidas’s Birthday 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Swami Dayananda Shivaji Jayanti Saraswati Jayanti Maha Shivaratri 26 27 28 January March S MTWT F S S MTWT F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 8 9101112 13 14 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 February 2017 29 30 31 26 27 28 29 30 31 ‘One drape ankle-length, one short’ Striking in its simplicity, the beauty of the Maharashtrian sari lies in the precise draping of its nine-yard length of silk.