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Culture and History

all about sarees

You Can’t Live an Indian Life without a saree - 4 different saree you should know about!!

City Of Joy – Kolkata yes we are now talking about the tant saree which is famous in all over West Bengal. It is originally made from Bengal cotton handloom, it is also known as taant, tat, taat . This saree is not only worn by west Bengals but also women in Bangladesh is also fond of tant saree. This saree is has a speciality as it is light as airy texture and very suitable for the warm weather. These saree has a thick border and decorative pallu and is decorated by floral pattern.

Photo by Nripen kumar Roy on Pexels.com

BACKGROUND –
The word “Tant” indicate the handloom in Bengal that are used weave cotton garments like saree, dhoti and other garments. the background of this saree took place in the 15th century in shantipur.
The art gave wave during the Mughal rule 16th – 18th century when it became an extreme favourite among Muslim and jamdani weaving. This beautiful art continued during the British rule and decades before independence. After the partition of Bengal in 1947, many weavers from Bangladesh migrated to India and started living in neighbouring town shantipur, now it became a new home for Tangail weavers of Bangladesh. today both Bengalis and Bangladeshi weaver are well known for the varieties of tant saree.

WEAVING TECHNIQUE –

  1. A massive quantity of cotton threads comes from the mill are first washed to remove any chemicals, dried in the sun, bleached and again dried.
  2. Then they are put in boiling water which contains colour to dye them.
  3. After this, they are then starched and processed some more times to make then stronger and subtler. The threads are wound on bamboo drums for weaving.
  4. Every saree has a design on its border, pallu and body . These design made by the artist on a soft card sheet by perforating them which are then put up from the loom.
  5. The simplest saree takes about 10- 12 hours to weave, and saree which have complex design takes 5-6 days to get complete.

State Of Jewels – Gujarat, which is famous for bandhani work derived from the Hindi/Sanskrit word “ bandhna” and “bandha”, which means tying or to tie. Traditionally in India tie and dye art known as bandhani. According to the design and motifs each pattern has its special significance.

BACKGROUND –
It is an ancient practice done by people. People used the technique of picking the cloth with fingernails and tying before dying, this was first found in Indus valley civilization, back to 4000 B.C. even the Buddhist painting, and Ajanta caves have bandhani design in it.

MAKING PROCESS –

  1. Here the selection of cloth plays an important role. The artist starts with the unbleached white fabric.
  2. Then they have block printing design in other words it is senticels for printing on saree they give impressing by designed blocked on saree
  3. Later they grab some amount of cloth and tie with thread tightly, they also use some kinds of pebbles, motis , stones to give design to the saree.
  4. Then they dip the cloth into normal water to soak the saree so that colour can easily stick to the cloth.
  5. After this, they put the saree in the boiling water which contains salt and colour.
  6. Again they put the saree in the cold water and at last they dry the saree. And after untying you will find beautiful designs on saree.

State of Caves – Maharashtra. Every bride in Maharashtra dream to wear paithani saree at her wedding, one of the most beautiful saree in India. Paithani gives the reflection of rich Marathi culture and tradition. Paithani is woven with very fine silk which makes them one of the richest saree in India.

BACKGROUND –
Paithani is extracted more than the 2000 year back from statvahana dynasty. it is said that paithani is originated from the city called pratishan now it is known as paithan. At that time paithan was the centre of silk and zari ( gold yarn) and they even exported cotton and silk to the roman empire. So this is how paithani gots its name.

MAKING PROCESS –

  1. At first pallu or padar of paithani is weaved it is either woven either with zari work or silk warp. Traditionally zari work has silver coated with wash gold. Pallu is designed with akruti, asawali, banddimore etc.
  2. Next step is to weave its body. The body has bordered on the edges which are handwoven by gold and silver zari. As the border is made by gold zari body also has floral design and zari work is done.
  3. After all the zari work is done, it is polished with a mixture of water and gum to give saree a stiff texture. They also used methi and jaggery used in the mixture.
  4. They use various colours of bana and tana to get colours of the paithani saree. Tana bana means a mixture of two colours to give a single colour. ex- blue bana and red tana will give a shade of purple. This is how colour is given to paithani. After this, a perfect paithani is made.

State Of Temples – Tamil Nadu, kanjeevaram got its name from a village Kanchipuram. This saree owns thick fabric and dark shades of colours mixed with hints of gold. Women in India love to wear saree during festivals, weddings, occasion and celebrations then kanjeevaram is the best outfit to look classy.

BACKGROUND –
The history of kanjeevaram silk saree started from Hindu mythology. It is said that Kanchi silk weaver is descendants of sage Makanda, who was considered to be the best weaver. It is considered that two weaving communities from Andhra Pradesh, the devangas and the saligars came to Kanchipuram. As we know the city is full of temples and weaver cleverly used temples’ architecture in kanjeevaram saree to give details.

MAKING PROCESS –

  1. Mulberry silk is used to weave Kanjeevaram saree and the gold, silver zari which is used in the edges of the saree comes from Gujarat.
  2. Silk threads then dipped into rice water and dried under the sun to make the texture of silk thick and stiff.
  3. This silk thread is interlocked within a thin silver wire and woven
    with the help of golden thread to complete the process.
  4. To weave this fabric a wrap frame is used which has approx of 60 holes, in which there are 240 threads in the warp and 250 to 3000 threads in the weft.
  5. Saree is popular for vibrant colour and impressive designs which borrowed from designs of temples.
  6. Usually, weaver weaves pallu and body separately and they are pretty different from each other and later than are interlocked by pinti which is a zig-zag pattern where pallu meets the body of the saree. This is how a kanjeevaram saree is made.

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Indian Women Who Are FIRSTS In Their Field

In Indian history, where we find once upon a time women were not allowed to come in front of the males. They didn’t have the right to study, they didn’t have the freedom to talk. But some of the women who had broken the gender barriers worked hard for their rights and pioneers of woman empowerment, let’s see those women who are proved themselves in different fields and inspired millions.

1.Kadambini Ganguly was the first Indian and South Asian female physician and surgeon,1886 trained in western medicine, as well as one of the first female graduates in India, 1882

2.Chandramukhi Basu was one of the first two female graduates of the British Empire. In 1882, along with Kadambini Ganguly, 

3.Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi became the first Indian female physician in the year 1887.

4.Kamini Roy was a Bengali poet, social worker, and feminist in British India. She was the first woman honors graduate in British India.

5.Rukhmabai was an Indian physician and feminist. She is best known for being one of the first practicing women doctors in colonial India

6. Sarla Chakra was the first Indian woman to fly an aircraft,she earned an aviation pilot license in 1936 at the age of 21 and flew a Gypsy Moth solo.

7.Durba Banerjee was the first pilot of Indian Airlines in 1956 and the first Indian woman commercial pilot.

8.Harita Kaur Deol was the first woman pilot to fly solo in Indian Air Force 1994

9.Arati Saha was an Indian long distance swimmer, best known for becoming the first Asian woman to swim across the English Channel in 29 September 1959. 

10.Bachendri Pal became the first Indian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest In 1984. 

11. Arunima Sinha is the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest. She is also the first Indian amputee to climb the Everest

12. Surekha Shankar Yadav is a female loco pilot of the Indian Railways in India. She became India’s first female train driver in 1988.

13.Shila Dawre became the country’s first woman auto-rickshaw driver when she first stepped into the ‘male-dominated’ zone in the year 1988. 

14.Roshini Sharma recently became the first Indian woman to ride a motorbike from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.

Indira Gandhi became the first woman Prime Minister of India and served from 1966 to 1977.1971, she became the first woman to receive the Bharat Ratna award.

Mother Teresa became the first Indian woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979

Pratibha Patil, Indian lawyer, and politician who was the first woman to serve as president of India (2007–12).

Justice M. Fathima Beevi became the first female judge who was appointed to the Supreme Court of India in 1989. 

Isha Basant Joshi She was the first woman ICS officer of British India

Kiran Bedi, joining Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1972, Kiran Bedi became the first woman officer in India.

Sania Mirza,a professional tennis player, became the first ever Indian woman to win the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title in 2005.

Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom, also known as Mary Kom is the only woman boxer who has won a medal in each of the six World Championships. 

Mithali Raj was the first woman to score a double hundred in Test Cricket (214* against New Zealand at Wellington, 2004). 

Kalpana Chawla was an American astronaut, engineer, and the first woman of Indian origin to go to space. She first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 

Bharataratna Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi was an Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. 

Homai Vyarawalla, commonly known by her pseudonym Dalda 13, was India’s first woman photojournalist. 

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13 REASONS WHY! Ever wondered about the mystery behind some common Hindu traditions? Here’s what science has to say!

1) Tilak on forehead

The  circularspot between the eyebrows  is viewed as a significant nerve point in the human body. A tilak is accepted to forestall the loss of vitality, and hold this to control different degrees of focus. In addition, the demonstration of applying this guarantees the focuses on the mid-temple area and Adnya-chakra are squeezed, encouraging blood gracefully to the facial muscles and ensuring the natural glow.

2) Mehendi on palms

Mehendi is an incredible therapeutic herb, and its application on our palms and feet can pre-empt worry and nervousness during weddings, something which is really common in the first-time brides. Moreover, it cools the body and shields the nerves from being tensed.

3) Namaste (Pranaam)

There is a logical purpose for the ‘Namaskar’ in Hindu culture. Joining two hands together guarantees contacting the tips of the considerable number of fingers together, which are connected to pressure focuses in the eyes, ears, and brain. Squeezing them together is said to actuate these, helping us recollect that individual moment for quite a while.

4) Ringing bells in the temples

Devotees strike the temple bells upon entering as its sound is said to clear our brain and assist us with remaining sharp, keeping our full fixation on dedication towards the almighty. Besides, these bells are made so that the sound they produce makes solidarity in the left and right pieces of our cerebrums. The term of the chime reverberation is perfect to enact all the seven recuperating focuses in our body, freeing us from antagonism.

5) Wearing bangles

Bangles cause steady grinding with the wrist which builds the blood flow level. Further more, the power dropping through external skin is again returned to one’s own body in light of the ring molded bangles.

6) Toe rings (bichhiya)

Indian ladies regularly wear toe rings on the subsequent toe. A specific nerve from this associates the uterus and goes to heart. Along these nerve-endings, a toe ring on this toe reinforces the uterus, keeping it solid by directing the blood stream to it. Besides, a lady’s menstrual cycle is supposed to be regularized.

7) Tossing coins away in a holy stream or river

Verifiably, most money in the ancient period, was made of copper, an essential metal for the human body. Throwing coins in a holy water body was an approach to allow adequate copper, as a major constituent of water, to be consumed by us. As wells, drawing in water from these rivers were the main sources of drinking water.

8) Piercing of the ears

Indian doctors and scholars have acknowledged that piercing ears helps in the advancement of mind, intensity of reasoning and dynamic resources. This is the scientific reason behind most of the indian ladies piercing their ears while also serving the purpose for jewellery.

9) Not laying down with your head pointing north

The human body has its own magnetic field, while the Earth, as we all know, is a mammoth magnet. At the point when you lay down with your head pointing north, your body’s attractive field gets hilter-kilter to the Earth’s, causing issues identified with circulatory strain since your heart needs to work more diligently so as to defeat this.

10) Touching the feet of elders (Charan Sparsh)

At the point when you contact the feet of the old, their hearts discharge positive considerations and vitality, which they transmit through their hands and toes. Basically, the finished circuit empowers stream of vitality and increments grandiose vitality, turning on a soulful associate between two personalities and hearts. Your fingers and palms become the ‘receptor’ of vitality and the feet of the other individual become the ‘supplier’ of vitality.

11) Sindoor

Sindoor is set up by blending turmeric, lime and the metal mercury. Because of its inborn properties, mercury controls pulse and enacts oxytocin production. Along these lines, sindoor ought to be applied right upto the pituitary organ where every one of our sentiments are focused.

12) Idol Worship

Hinduism engenders idol venerate much more than any other religion does. This was started to expand focus during supplications or prayers. As per therapists, a man will shape his musings in accordance to what he sees.

13) Fasting on felicitous occasions

Ayurveda sees the fundamental reason for some infections as the amassing of poisonous materials in the stomach related framework. Ordinary purifying of poisonous materials keeps one sound. By fasting, the stomach related organs get rest and all body components are purified and rectified.