Reflection of british raj on Indian attire: A review Fatma Tooba1, Prof. Srivastava Sangita2 1Research Scholar, Department of Home Science, University of Allahabad, U.P., India. tfatma30@gmail.com 2Professor & Head, Department of Home Science, University of Allahabad, U.P,. India Online published on 10 September, 2019. Abstract In the past 300 years, clothing and dressing pattern of men and women India have evolved. On a closer look it reveals more about changing scenario in the country, the socio-cultural, the political and the religious culture of the country. Changing era of the Mughal period and then gradual evolution and changing hues with the British Raj cascading into a new young free India. As Mughal culture was drawing to a close in 1757 Hindustan witnessed uneducated women confined behind the four walls of home. When the East India Company began teething out, country saw a new Raj in which dhoti clad Indian men in order to blend with the British Raj began to imitate the clothing of Britons, which was shirt and trouser. Men were accepting new Raj whereas women were very slow to the change because men were out in the public order and their need to blend with the British Raj was more ecstatic. While women were under pressure of being behind the veils and they remained clad in five yards unstitched garment called dhoti/saree. Being one of the basic needs of human viz: food, clothes and shelter clothing was more a need than desire for commoners. Since then it travelled so far to be more a want than need. It was not a journey of clothes or fashion but a journey of men and women. A woman who travelled so far on the track of education, on the path of economic empowerment. Equality, education and empowerment all the socio-political and economic changes have been from time to time reflected in clothing. The pages of history narratives, pattern and design of old people and museums have been used to extract information. The paper critically reviewed and captured Indian clothing structure at the start of British Raj. Top Keywords British Raj, fashion history, Indian women. Top |