1. What inspired you to write this book?
The hangover of the British Raj is still everywhere in our clothes. Men are wearing western wear these days; Women have also started wearing western clothes but at that time they were wearing western accessories, shoes, socks and purses and brooches. That’s why this book is very relevant even today.
In the 1990s, when I was working in a museum in Geneva, I was writing on the topic ‘Indian Influence on Western Textiles’. Indian textiles were widely used in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries and were also responsible for the development of Europe’s printing industry. My colleagues often asked me that you are writing about the Indian influence on the West, but what about the Western influence on Indians in terms of clothing and clothing? At the time I didn’t have many answers except the obvious ones – like a change in men’s dress – and it got me thinking. Therefore, writing this book was a long-term goal. And since I am from Punjab and not many books have been written on this subject, I decided to write this book.
2. The theme of the book is very unique and interesting. Tell us about your research process and how long did it take you to write this book?
I had not been actively working on this book for many years; I started working on it only a decade ago when we shifted to Chandigarh. It took me about five years of active research for the book, and then the process of writing and putting it together as a book began. Most of my work is done from people’s homes. As I mentioned in my book acknowledgment, the Chandigarh Museum has focused more
phulkaris and to some extent
duris When it comes to the clothes of Punjab. But other textiles and European-style embroidery were all virgin territory that I had to find by going to people’s homes. The people were very generous; he opened his
sandooks and allowed me to take pictures of them as a part of my research for this book. I focused on photographs (from the past) because it gave me an idea about the transition from Indian dress to western. The most interesting thing was that the process of westernization happened to the people in different stages. As before, they will be seen wearing a coat over an Indian outfit, and then they will be wearing a full western outfit with a tie and shirt. But I must point out that the entire population of Punjab was not westernized during the British Raj. There were many people who did not wear western clothes, but the number of those who did was quite high.
3. While writing this book, did you come across some interesting facts about the impact of the British Raj on modern Indian dress, which you did not know about earlier? tell us about it.
I didn’t know about many things! Like the fact that the achkan was a fusion garment; I always thought it was an Indian dress. I have seen people wearing achkans since childhood; My father always used to wear achkan and so did my husband. But, to my surprise, it was a new garment that was created by the end of the 19th century and became popular in India in the early 20th century. Also the way of tying a sari which has now become a universal method in India including Punjab, where upper class women wear saris, is inspired by the British. Initially, the sari was a single garment that was not worn with a petticoat and blouse in India. In fact, the words petticoat and blouse are indicative of its origin, regardless of its form, which is also mentioned by several authors. This is also something that I did not know before writing this book.
The sari has an interesting story: it was popularized by Gyandanandini Devi, the sister-in-law of Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore’s brother Satyendranath Tagore was the first Indian to join the Indian Civil Service. Because of this he interacted with foreigners. At that time (third quarter of the 19th century), the sari was a garment worn by women without a petticoat and blouse, and therefore it was not easy for women to go out of the house and interact socially. It is widely believed that it was Gyandanandini Devi, wife of Satyendranath Tagore, who popularized the new form of wearing the saree that we see today. Rabindranath Tagore has also mentioned this in Visva Bharati magazine. Another story related to this is that once Gyandanandini’s husband Satyendranath was ill and had to attend a Viceroy’s reception in Kolkata in 1967 or 68. Although her dress is not mentioned, it would be safe to conclude that she was wearing a new one. The form of tying a sari.
4. While being a British colony for decades was a setback for India, looking back, it also brought some positive changes in our country. For example, the British introduced railways, tea and cricket in India… What are your thoughts about it?
As I mentioned in the book, when Britain and Spain started ruling India, they realized that they could not communicate with the masses. So Lord Macaulay, the former Secretary of War for Great Britain, wrote to the Minister of Education, arguing that he was in favor of English education so that it could act as a bridge between the Indian people and the British rulers. They opened schools and colleges in India and this changed our lifestyle as well. Once children began wearing European clothing as a uniform in schools, they were comfortable wearing Western clothing as adults as that generation grew up. Others also started wearing western clothes on seeing them and thus the British Raj brought subtle changes in Indian dress. Over time, this led to the rise of fusion clothing where people wore western wear over Indian clothing. There are lots of pictures of men wearing
kurta-eye And a coat, which is still followed.
Another major change was the furniture. At that time, people used to sit on the floor in most Indian homes. But with the influx of western style furniture into Indian homes, came total westernisation. For example: Men started wearing trousers and they brought home western furniture. And with it came the use of household linen. In the context of Punjab, women began to embroider western-style motifs, white-on-white patterns, etc. on household linen.
And most importantly, the British brought knitting and socks to India! The use of umbrellas, watches, handkerchiefs, shoes, purses, bras for women, European style dress supporters, buttons also came to India only in the 20th century. There was a time when people in India did not even wear socks or shoes! The 1804 book ‘Costumes of Hindustan’ depicts Indian soldiers and writes that they could march in the most rugged terrains without shoes. Nearly 100 years later, when the then Prince of Wales visited India by the end of the 19th century, he was shocked to see congregations greet him barefoot. It was only after this incident that regular uniforms were introduced for the army. I have also written in my book that the doormen of Gymkhana Club will always wear white.
room band, which is clearly inspired by the British Raj in India. In the case of Punjab, it was during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh that uniforms for the army were introduced.
5. You write in your book about how the British Raj influenced the dress and clothing of Punjab. Was it true on the other hand as well?
Not necessarily Punjab, but India influenced the textile industry in Europe. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Europe did not know the true art of dyeing. Silk and wool were majorly used while cotton was used only for making undergarments. There was a French sailor who sampled various forms of dyeing from India and it is still preserved in France… That’s when people started experimenting with dyeing and printing. Later with industrialization they developed faster methods of printing etc.
Shawl too! It was in the 19th century when shawls were exported from India to Europe, where they were popularized by the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte who wore them. It is noted that during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh,
Kani The shawls were sent from India to France by the French general. When this shawl reached Europe, the people there started imitating it. In the Scottish town of Paisley people copied the styles and designs and hence the name Paisley was given to the hugely popular motif which we call
Ambitious Or
Blind Or common here in India. Similarly, the French left behind making shawls and in later years Indian designers influenced others around the world.
6. Your book is written in such a simple yet interesting way. It is often said that writing is the hardest…
Absolutely! There’s a story behind it: We were stationed in San Francisco in the 1980s. Then I was not interested in museums and my husband forced me to go on museum tour with him. It was an exhibition on Indian art and the guides there were stunning names like the Gupta period etc which I didn’t know much about. And at that time I felt really small because this is my culture and I didn’t know much about it. That’s when I started taking out books (about Indian history and culture) from the library and I started reading them. I found a book for children on Mauryan art and realized that most of the authors I read had written books in a very complex way. Since then I have this thought that whatever I write should be easy to read and understand, even for children. And this is what I have tried in my new book ‘Influence of the British Raj on the Attire and Textiles of Punjab’.
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