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THE PEOPLE
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DRESS
The mode of dress of the people of Buldhana is more or less the same as elsewhere in Maharashtra. It is, however, more akin to the mode of dress in the neighbouring Berar districts. The articles of dress and the style of wearing them have undergone considerable changes during the last few decades. A man having moustaches, whiskers, top-knot or a bunch of hair on the clean shaven head dressed in dhotar and uparane of big, red silk borders and a loose or made up turban is not to be found very commonly, though he is by no means rare.
The most common articles of apparel are a dhotar, a shirt and a pyjama. These articles are being worn in urban as well as rural areas. The loose pyjama, pant, shirt or bush-shirt are fast replacing the old dress. Formerly the male upper garments were uparne, barabandi, kurta, sadra, pairan, kabji, angarkha and dagla. The head dress was chakri pagote, pagadi, mundase, rumal or patka. Now it has become quite fashionable to walk bare-headed. The educated people use chappals, shoes, or slippers as footwear.
The traditional Hindu woman's dress is the full Maratha sadi of nine yards and a choli reaching to the waist and covering both back and chest, the ends being tied or buttoned in front. The sadi is known as lugade. The mode of wearing it followed by women of the upper classes is with hind pleats tucked into the waist at the back centre. Women from the poor peasantry allow it to hang from the waist and draw its upper end (padar) which covers the bosom and back over the head. Sadis of five or six yards in length have become fashionable for the last two or three decades among young women in towns and villages as well. This sadi is invariably worn over a petticoat. Skirts are getting more and more popular. New types of cholis in the form of blouses with low cut necks and close fitting sleeves are also becoming popular.
The child's dress of either sex is more or less the same. The child is usually dressed in jhable, angde, langot and topre. When a girl grows about two years old she is dressed in frocks or angi. A boy is dressed in shirt or bush-shirt and chaddi or shorts. In well-to-do families, boys are dressed in shirt or pairan, chaddi and tuman or cholna. Girls start using skirts at the age of eight or nine.
Quite a considerable number of Muslims are dressed like Hindus. However, there is a definite difference between the typical Muslim and typical Hindu dress. Most of the orthodox Muslims and particularly women, retain their traditional mode of dress. The principal articles of dress are kamij, shervani, pyjama, chuddidar pyjama, salvar, lungi and pairan. Women are dressed in kamij, salvar and odhani. The headdress is often a Turkish fez, Jinnah cap or a turban. Bohras, Khojas and Memans use pre-formed turbans, and put on loose trousers, shirts and long coats while going out.
Rich and middle class ladies observe pardah when they go out. Progressive Muslim families have discarded the system.
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