Dress Codes

Kashmiri Boat Girl
By Pandit Vishu Nath, 1890s

“Inquiring of a boatman why he did not make his wife, a really pretty woman, and his children engaging little things, wash every day and wear clean clothes, his explanation was, that if he kept his wife cleaner than those of other boatmen the Baboo would report to the Vakeel that he was earning more, and he would be more heavily taxed.

[…]

‘Topee and turban, or, Here and there in India’  (1921)
by 
 H. A. Newell, 
The photograph by R.E. Shorter. 

The Hindoos, with the same cast of Jewish features, are fairer than the Muhammedans, and their women are seldom seen; but returning from Ganderbul to Srinuggur, early one morning at Shadipore, we surprised a great Hindoo festival. Shadipore is situate at the confluence of the Scinde river with the Jhelum, where the waters are peculiarly sacred, and on this occasion, six in the morning, a concourse of both sexes were bathing almost in puris naturalibus. As soon, however, as they saw boats approaching, the women rushed to the bank, and were soon, cowering and peeping from under their embroidered shawls. Not to disturb their devotions, we passed quickly to a camping ground in a grove of chenars a mile farther down, and later in the day went to the festival, preceded by the sepoy, clad in white, with a scarlet puggery, wearing the breast band of his order, and armed with a scimitar, which he is not allowed to draw except in self-defence. Sepoy attendants are sent by the Baboo at Sriiiuggur to accompany travellers ignorant of the country and its customs during their stay in Kashmir, and are useful in procuring coolies and provisions at the established rates, and in keeping off beggars, loafers, and loos wallers (thieves).

The mela, or fair, a very large one, was attended by many of the’ wives and daughters of the chief Hindoos. Their hair, instead of being separated in plaited braids over the back as is the fashion among young Muhammedans, is gathered round a pad on the crown of the head, and forms a not ungraceful pyramid. Over it a silk shawl, scarlet embroidered with orange, is thrown, which falls to the brow in front and to the ground behind. Across the forehead they wear a fillet of gold or silver ornaments. A ring hangs from the left nostril, and is attached to the ear by a chain of gold. Ears, thumbs, fingers, and toes are covered with rings ; and bracelets, armlets, anklets, and necklaces, with pendants of bright-coloured stones, coral, and turquoise, complete their list of jewellery. On their thumbs they carry a ring holding a little mirror an inch in diameter, which they consult frequently. They have much to look to, the gradations of collyrium round their eyes sparkling eyes in youth, brilliant from belladonna when their natural lustre has begun to fade ; the arch of their thick black brows ; the arrangement of their hair and rings ; and the devices and adornments by which, in attempts to heighten, they lessen their charms. For withal, and spite of all, some, not all, are beautiful. Soft, oval faces, large almond-shaped eyes fringed with abundant lashes, noses finely cut though of the Jewish type, classic lips, invariably pearl-white teeth, rounded arms, slender fingers bright with hernia, and forms tall and well proportioned, are often seen. They wear a boddice and loose trousers of scarlet or blue silk, fitting tight at the ankles, which are covered with silver anklets. Some of these clank like prisoners’ chains ; others send forth a tinkling from the many little silver bells that hang from them.

” Rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes
To tell her dear husband the way that she goes.”

But all is not couleur de rose even among ” the brightest that earth ever gave ” in the vale of Kashmir. To see them eating is not attractive. A dish ‘full of rice, ghi and curry, unctuous and flavoured with onions and garlic, when placed in the centre of a group of women and children, is soon disposed of in the most natural, if not most graceful, style. Each grasps a handful, great or small as appetite dictates, and dexterously throws it into her widely-opened mouth. Me’las or fairs are mere assemblages of multitudes without amusements beyond those of eating, drinking, tom-toming, offering rice, flowers, and ghi to idols, and bathing a practice which they seem to reserve for these occasions. On the plains they rig up large roundabouts and turnovers, and then it is a truly absurd spectacle to see middle-aged men, and even patriarchs, grinning with delight at being whirled or tumbled about, a sport which in other countries would amuse none but a child.

~ “Letters from India and Kashmir: written 1870” by J. Duguid

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Didn’t know about

“A ring hangs from the left nostril, and is attached to the ear by a chain of gold.”

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Which reminds me of the photograph in which it is hard to tell if the women are Pandit or Muslim….

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Bhands of Kashmir

April 2013. Delhi.

“I have seen the best companies in Kashmir, though perhaps the best —the Bhaggats of Syebug— died off in the famine of 1877, and men now sigh : ‘ Alas ! poor Yorick,’ and speak of their excellent acting. The Bhaggats portray village life in a most vivid manner. Their dresses and make-up are excellent, and they represent most faithfully the internal working of a village community. It is said that Maharaja Gulab Singh acquired a very intimate knowledge of village administration from the Bhaggats’ performances, and I have picked up some hints from them as to the methods of the patwari, the village accountant. The plot is very much the same. The Raja rides by, burning to redress injustice, and his Wazir seizes on the patwari and the lambardar and calls for the village accounts. The unfortunate villager who has brought his grievance to the Raja’s notice is at first very loud and noisy in his complaints, but as he sees the Wazir and the patwari laying their heads together he becomes silent and sits as one fascinated. The denouement is that the Wazir finds that the patwari is innocent, and the complainant receives a severe flogging. Other scenes of village life are depicted, and one of the most favourite representations with the country-people is the sowing, plucking and spinning of cotton. I shall have some more to say about these interesting Bhaggats later on. They relieve the sadness of village life in Kashmir.

[…]
The minstrels of Kashmir [Bhaggat or Band) can be recognized by

their long black hair and stroller mien, and although they are practically
a peculiar people so far as marriage goes, they sometimes recruit their
companies by enlisting a villager. They combine the profession of singing
and acting with that of begging, and are great wanderers, travelling down
to the Panjab where they perform to Kashmiri audiences. With the
curious exception of the Akangam company, which is formed of Pandits,
the Bhaggats are all Musalmans. They are much in request at marriage
feasts, and at harvest time they move about the country, and in a year of
good harvest will make a fair living on the presents of the villagers. Their
orchestra usually consists of four fiddles with a drum in the centre, or of
clarionets and drums, but the company often contains twenty members or
more. Their wardrobe is frequently of great value, and several companies
which I have met are said to have dresses and properties worth more than
Rs. 2,000. Their acting is excellent and their songs are often very pretty.
They are clever at improvisation and are fearless as to its results. They
have songs in Kashmiri, Persian and Panjabi, but the Kashmiri songs are the only ones which I have heard. The story of the Akangam Bhaggats is peculiar. Brahmans considered acting to be degrading, and even now the Brahmans of Kashmir regard the Akangam players with contempt. But

the Brahman players say that they took to the stage by the express order

of the goddess Devi. The legend relates that many years ago Devi

appeared to the ancestor of the Akangam Pandits, and, placing a fiddle in

his hands, said, ‘ Play upon this fiddle.’ He protested his inability, but on

the goddess persisting, he took up the bow and played unearthly music.

He was bidden by Devi to sit under the deodars of Akangam [Akingam, Anantnag (the story now)] and play in

her honour. For some years he and his sons obeyed the goddess’ behest,

but unable to withstand the prejudices of his caste, he finally declined to

play any more. On this he was stricken with blindness and wandered

away to the Liddar valley. In a dream Devi appeared to the Magistrate of

the Liddar, and told him to take the old Pandit back to Akangam. On

reaching Akangam the Pandit recovered his sight, and since that day he

and his descendants fiddle away without further protest. These Pandits

never send their children to school, as they believe that Devi would resent

it and would kill the children. The Bhaggats are very pleasant people and

their mirth and good humour form a cheerful contrast to the gloom of the

Kashmiri peasant. They acknowledge two leaders or Sardars who arrange

that the circuits shall not clash. They have a peculiar argot (phirkat) which they employ in stage directions.”

~ Walter Rooper Lawrence’s ‘Valley of Kashmir’ (1895).

Flying to Kashmir


It’s not so far
There’s just a mountain
And at night
we can always fly

Music: Claudio Arrau playing Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”,The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor. Video: Flying from Jammu to Srinagar

on the wall


Over the last couple of years, I released thousands of photographs online, most of them now end up anonymously on Facebook walls of thousands of anonymous people.

If those walls aren’t enough, on a recent visit to Jammu I found some on the walls of a community centre.

Kashmiri Pandit Sabha, Nov. 2013

P.S. A cousin sis tells me she saw my Mekhal pics in an ad for hairloss treatment in Bangalore. Internet is weird.

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