Posted: 06.09.09 11:23. Post subject: Indian Sari

A sari or saree or shari is a female garment in the Indian Subcontinent. A sari is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder baring the midriff.

The sari is usually worn over a petticoat (pavada/pavadai in the south, and shaya in eastern India), with a blouse known as a choli or ravika forming the upper garment. The choli has short sleeves and a low neck and is usually cropped, and as such is particularly well-suited for wear in the sultry South Asian summers. Cholis may be "backless" or of a halter neck style. These are usually more dressy with a lot of embellishments such as mirrors or embroidery and may be worn on special occasions. Women in the armed forces, when wearing a sari uniform, don a half-sleeve shirt tucked in at the waist. The saree was born in both South and North India and is now a symbol for all of India.

 Posted: 06.09.09 11:24. Post subject: Different regions of..

Different regions of India have their own distinct forms of draping a Sari. Some of these are outlined below:

Gujarati way: This version of draping, ccommonly known as the seedha pallu way, is also found in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar. Instead of opening to the left, the pleats are tucked so that they open to the right. Then, the pallu is taken to the back and brought over the right shoulder. It is then spread across the chest, and the left edge is tucked in the petticoat at the back.

Maharashtra method: Instead of the usual five-and-a-half meters, the sari in this version measures eight meters. One portion of the sari is drawn up between the legs and tucked in behind at the waist, while another portion is draped as a pallu over the bosom. Thus it forms a kind of divided sari, allowing greater freedom of movement.

Tamilian version: Like the Maharashtra version, the sare in this version, too, measures eight meters. After wrapping around the waist, the pleats are positioned along the left leg. The rest of the sari is taken over the left shoulder, wrapped once again round the waist and tucked on the left side.

Bengali style: The sari is worn pleatless; it is wrapped around the waist, brought back to the right side and the pallu is thrown over the left shoulder. The pallu is then brought up under the right arm and once again cast over the left shoulder.

 Posted: 06.09.09 11:26. Post subject: http://s48.radikal.r..

 Posted: 06.09.09 11:26. Post subject: The Indian Sari (a.k..

The Indian Sari (a.k.a. Saree, Sare, Seere, Sadi etc) is a timeless garment—with a history that dates back to over 5000 years. Designs, patterns and even wearing style have changed, but the Sari is still the most exquisite single piece garment for a woman. Nothing identifies a woman as being Indian so strongly as the Sari.

The Sari is the quintessential Indian female garment. The Sari is still the most favored garment worn at most formal occasions or at religious ceremonies.

One of the earliest depictions of a Sari, a drape-like Sari, covering the entire body dates back to 100 B.C. A Terracotta from the North of India depicts a woman wearing a Sari wound tightly around her entire body in a typical Sari trouser style.

This demure Indian Sari garment is very versatile, and multi-purpose. If there is a slight chill in the air, you can wear it around the shoulder like a shawl. If it is very cold you can wrap it around your head like a scarf. The saree is so practical to wear that you can even run a marathon in it with out any problem. The Saree is the ultimate in Indian clothing and attire.

The Sari is like a canvas to the weaver, block printer, textile designer or the mill hand. A hand woven, and hand created sari is the most down-to-earth organic attire one can wear. When you wear that hand-woven sari, you are paying tribute to Indian craft persons who have stubbornly stuck to the skills, traditions and secrets of thousands year old Indian culture.

The sari is not just attire but it embodies the warp and weft, the basic thread of life itself. The essential simplicity of the sari — an untailored length of cloth measuring between four and nine meters long by approximately one meter wide — is set against a wonderful variety of fabrics, colors, patterns, and draping styles. It displays the rich diverse regional traditions of color, pattern, and weave. The etymology (origin) of the word sari is from the Sanskrit word 'sati', which means strip of cloth. This evolved into the Prakrit 'sadi' and was later anglicised into sari.

 Posted: 26.09.09 15:34. Post subject: http://s49.radikal.r..