The Nivi Drape :

There are more than a hundred and fifty different styles of Sarees all across India. Each has its own draping style and cultural significance, creating an immense richness of textiles throughout the country. The Nivi drape is the most commonly used in India nowadays. This around 6 meters long saree is wrapped around the waist with pleats in the front and the pleated Palu is put over the left shoulder. It is usually worn with a bloused and a petty coat. « Nivi » is a short word for « new » in India. Indeed this style is the last one to be added to the national Indian list of Sarees. This styled is commonly known to have originated in the state of Andhra Pradesh, where it has been a part of local traditional attire for centuries. However this drape has a very complicated past. The Nivi style is used today all across India usually for women of all ages, for everyday life but also for special occasions like weddings and religious celebrations. 

 

Firstly, before British colonisation, the people of India had traditionally worn very light hand loomed clothes, draped saree that were easy to work with and airy as a consequence of the tropical weather. During colonial rule, the shock between the British society women who didn’t even show their ankle and the Indian women wearing sarees where their shoulders, bellies and feet were usually visible, was huge. The British started a discrimination on clothing routed in racism and oppression, considering that the Indian saree was « immoral » clothing, a measure that reflects the ethnocentrism and racism of the British colonial rule in India. As a consequence of this, the men in order to work better with the British started wearing a short and a blouse with, for example, their dhoti. The women later followed as they joined the public eye and fight for freedom with a more covering version of the saree with a petticoat and blouse as well. This allowed women to join the working society and go out in public without facing an oppressive backlash from the colonial rule. This new way of draping, despite being used to fit in the colonial society, became a symbol of the female Indian struggle for freedom. This drape was about fitting in this society while keeping the national heritage very much alive in the cloth, without forgetting that the petticoat and the blouse were a symbol of colonial oppression.  It is said that the first public woman embracing the Nivi style was Jnanadanandini Tagore (1850-1941), member of the prestigious Tagore Family and wife of the first ever Indian officer in the British colonial administration. Indeed in order to fulfil her social duties as the wife of an officer without facing discrimination by the British with the traditional saree or forgetting her background with a western style of dress, it is said that she used the petticoat and blouse introduced in her Nivi saree  to fit in better in the colonial society as a public Indian woman. It is said that after travelling all across India to learn more about how can a saree be draped she go very inspired by the Parsi drape that already incorporates a sort of blouse in the drape and has a more « modest » look. She had her answer and chose to incorporate a blouse and a petticoat in her Nivi style for her public representations. The Nivi drape became really popular in the political sphere because it allowed woman to join the indian struggle for freedom while juggling the idea or morality imposed by colonialism in morality at the time. For example, one of the main broadcaster of the nivi drape in Indian public life was Indira Ghandi (1917-1984), the only female prime minister ever elected in India, she was a feminist figure in and a role model for a lot of women. Her preferred style of saree was the Nivi drape and as she was very popular and seen as a fashionable political figure her style of saree became also very popular amongst women. The second reason why the Nivi is so popular today is most likely Bollywood and their broadcasting of a simplified and westernised Indian culture that starting during colonial rule. Indeed the women also needed to be « modestly » dressed to shoot film for Bollywood, therefore the Nivi drape imposed itself as a modest modern style that could fit in the global growing industry of Bollywood. Bollywood was and still is extremely popular in India and therefore highly influences the way Indians wear their sarees and what is considered fashionable or not.

 

To finish off, I believe that it is a pity that the Nivi drape is the most common nowadays in India and that the other 150 styles of sarees of the country aren’t seen very fashionable and modern. The Nivi style is a result of colonial oppression with the petticoat and blouse but also a symbol of female emancipation in India. The Nivi drape was the attire of the indian public women like Indira Ghandi and Jnanadanandini Tagore who wanted to fit in the colonial inspired « sense of morality » without loosing their Indian heritage. This drape has therefore a complicated colonial history of oppression and fight for freedom and could be seen as a westernised version of the traditional way of wearing sarees in India despite being also a strong symbol of female emancipation.

 

Bibliography :

 

The different steps of draping a nivi saree => first drape around the ways, then pleated tucked in the front and the leftover palu is also draped over the left shoulder. The left over fabric around the waist is then fitted in the textiles crating horizontal pleats as well.

Jnanadanandini Devi Tagore  photographed in Calcutta. Early 20th Century. Wearing her Nivi drape saree with long sleeves.

Indira Ghandi wearing her signature Nivi draped saree. India 1970's.

Nivi draping experimentation in class, with Iris, Maja and Roos.

Example of one of the dhoti styles in India : Bengali style

Experimentation on Roos during class of the Dhoti drape

An example of a dhoti style inspired saree for women. Proof that the dhoti is also applicable for women.

The Dhoti Drape

 

A dhoti is the traditional cloth worn by men in South Asia, especially in India where it is a part of many regional clothing. It is an unstitched rectangular piece of cloth that is draped around the waist and legs and is usually made of cotton or silk, traditionally hand loomed but nowadays the production is more and more industrialised. The length of the dhoti can change, but it usually ranges from 4 to 7 meters. The Dhoti is the equivalent of the saree for women. It englobes many different styles of draping but it usually refers to a trouser like drape. 

 

The Dhoti is the most usual clothing in India for men. It originating from the Sanskrit word “dhoti”, which means to “cleanse or wash”, the Dhoti refers to a cleansed or cleansing garment which is part of everyday wear and frequently worn. Indeed the dhoti is a very airy kind of drape that allows the skin to breath. The styles of the dhoti varies depending on the region of the country and cultural background. Generally, it is wrapped around the waist and legs, with one end tucked in at the waist and the other draped over the shoulder or wrapped around the head. Dhotis are usually used on formal occasions, such as weddings and religious ceremonies, for example the Pitambar dhoti, a yellow silk dhoti, is worn by men on very special religious occasions, usually to honour the deities Vishnu and Krishna. However they are also used everyday and even easier versions of already stitched down Dhotis are now available for sale  ( considered less prestigious than the real draped dhoti) and are getting more and more popular amongst the Indian population. They are often paired with a long cotton or silk fluid shirt. Shirtless, the Dhoti is also a symbol of the indian national struggle, as it is an very ancient form of traditional draping reflecting the cultural heritage of India. It was worn publicly by important figures of the fight for freedom in India like Mahatma Ghandi and Neru. 

 

Historical and cultural significance:

The dhoti is a very important part of a rich history in Indian culture all the way back to the antiquity.  The dhoti is said to have originated in the Indus Valley civilisation around 2500 BC. It was worn by men and women and it was made from one large piece of textile wrapped around the waist.With the evolving history, the dhoti changed into a more intricate drape for men, while women began to wear sarees. With time the dhoti became more elaborate and was worn by men of all social classes. Different regions of India developed their own styles of dhoti, with variations in length, drape, and textile. During British colonial rule in India (1757-1947), Western inspired dressing  became more popular in the colonial elite, but the dhoti remained the main form of garment for many Indians, especially in the countryside, therefore becoming a symbol of the Indian struggle of maintaining traditions under British rule. Today, the dhoti is still worn by men but also by woman who look for the comfort of a trousers like drape rather than a skirt.

The dhoti is considered to be a symbol of Indian culture and heritage thanks to its rich history. Ii is often worn for religious festivities , especially in Hinduism. It is believed to be a pure and sacred garment, and wearing it during religious ceremonies is seen as a sign of respect and faith. The drape of the dhoti and the way it is draped can also tell the wearer's social status, caste, or profession. It therefore also reflects how the society in India works with casts and the brutality of a divided and unmixed society. For example, certain communities or castes in India have specific ways of draping the dhoti that differentiate them from others. For many Indian men, wearing a dhoti is a way of cultivating the cultural and religious traditions of India. It is seen as a way of preserving and promoting Indian culture and tradition around the world. 

 

To conclude, I believe that the Dhoti drape in India is much more than only a drape since it englobes a the immensely  rich history and cultural heritage of India. The dhoti is also a generic label to englobe many different style of men’s trouser like draping. The dhoti is also a social garment that can indicate your cast, profession or relationship status. It is still worn today also by some woman and is a sign of Indian resilience and fight for freedom of keeping the tradition alive despite globalisation. It is an un westernised style of draping that the Indian society considerers and uses in many different aspects of the society still today. 

 

Mahatma Ghandi wearing his signature dhoti to advocate for the Indian struggle for freedom. 1930's.

Quote from Mahatma Ghandi on his choice to exclusively wear a handmade dhoti, 1920's, " “All the alterations I have made in my course of life have been effected by momentous occasions; and they have been made after such a deep deliberation that I have hardly had to regret them. And I did them, as I could not help doing them. Such a radical alteration — in my dress, — I effected in Madura.”