| By Zahra Shahid Hussain |
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From the pristine white cotton dupattas of
yore to flowing chiffons from France, this
piece of garment has become more than
just a cover and cultural more. Dupatta is
both a fashion statement and an
adornment
oday baadal kay
saye men lehraey
gee, bul khaey gee
jaisay nadia deewanee,
chundria dhani,”
sings Bilal Maqsood of
Strings, in the words of poetess
Zehra Nigah and we can
immediately picture the
green dupatta fluttering in the
breeze under the shade of
purple clouds, and see the
rippling tie and dye effects of
purple and green orhnis,
chundris or dupattas.
Dupatta is ubiquitous; it
knows no hierarchy and is
worn by girls and women of
all ages, class and status.
Princesses wear it as well as
their maids. Dancing girls
use it provocatively and
women cover themselves
with it during prayers.
Young
and old, wealthy and poor
have worn it for centuries
and continue to wear it.However, the only difference
is in the material used and
the embellishment, if any.
Dupattas are made of all
varieties of fabrics, natural
and man-made. They are
made of coarse and loosely
woven cottons and the finest
muslins, of delicate chiffons
and shimmering silks. They
are woven using intricate
weaving and colouring methods
such as ikats, jamawars,
jamdanis, etc., or embroidered
with silks of many
hues and gold and silver
threads, beads, sequins,
shells, spangles and more. |
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The designs, techniques and
methods are innumerable and
modified and changed only
according to the maker’s
skills and the wearer’s fancy.
From the harsh and barren
desert have come the most
intricate and colourful fabric
decorating and dyeing
techniques from block printing to tie and dye and bandhinis.
These dupattas are
prepared in myriads of
colours and then often
starched and gathered into
tiny pleats whilst held taut by
toes to become chunna hua
dupattas. These ripple and
move to reveal the different
colours with each movement.
The original kalamkari,
sanganeri and Mughal
designs amongst many others
derived from far and wide
and were brought to the subcontinent
by waves of travellers
and invaders. They have
been very successfully replicated
by the many dress
designers in Pakistan, and
subsequently by the various
textile mills that now reproduce
them in millions at a
fraction of the original cost.
Along with its many
designs and fabrics, dupatta
has as many meanings and
uses. It is as inextricably
intertwined with our joys and
sorrows, our celebrations and
various rites of passage in
our lives as it is with the
clothes we wear. |
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What began
as a shoulder mantle or wrap
for protection against the sun
and cold soon found other
uses as well.
As societies matured and
concepts of property and
ownership developed, male
domination grew and women
were also regarded as property
and therefore had to be
confined and denied access
to other males. Dupatta, or a
long piece of cloth to wrap
round the head, face and
body, was useful in allowing
movement and at the same
time concealed the body.
Over the centuries, with the
development of textile manufacturing
and designing it
also became part of the cultural
and social life of its
users. There are different
dupattas worn at different
occasions, such as the various
wedding ceremonies,
from the yellow and green of
the mayoon and mehndi, to
the glorious red of the bridal
dress. While on serious occasions
such as funerals and
religious gatherings, the
more sober and unadorned
shades such as white and
black are preferred.
Dupattas are used in conservative
societies as a shield
of honour and protector of
modesty. No woman would
willingly remove it from her
head and face. |
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Its forceful
removal is taken as the
height of insult to the woman
and her family. The dupatta
has been worn for centuries
in both Muslim and non-
Muslim communities. It is
used to denote reverence and
covers the wearer during
prayer time and solemn occasions, and as a form of hijab.
Since Pakistan, a predominantly
Muslim state came
into being, women have been
wearing what they consider
an appropriate according to
their religious norms. However, over the years it has undergone many transformations and changes.
From the pristine white
cotton dupattas of the early
years to flowing chiffons
from France, this piece of
garment has become more
than just a cover and cultural
more. It became a fashion
statement and an adornment.
Till then it was used to cover
the breasts and heads of
women from the gaze of lustful
men and ensure their
modesty. Then came a veritable
explosion of designs and
colours.
Pierre Cardin came from
Paris to design the uniform
for the PIA air hostesses and
suddenly all young and bold
enough to emulate, were
wearing slim flared pants and
tailored scarf-like dupattas
over form-fitting tunics.
France started production
of silks and chiffons in the
same designs and Pakistani
women began to wear patterned
chiffon dupattas with
their matching silk outfits.
The idea was taken up by
local designers, and block
printed outfits with beautifully
patterned dupattas were
in great demand.
Fabrics of all hues, colours
and designs were being used.
Designs which were considered
ethnic and indigenous to
their regions of origin
became popular and fashionable all over the world and finding expression in dupattas worn by girls in cities and urban centres. |
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