Begum Liaquat Ali Meets President of MIT

A gharara (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

: ग़रारा,

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

: ঘারারা) is a traditional

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

i outfit, traditionally worn by Muslim women of the Hindi-Urdu Belt region of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It consists of a kurti (a short, mid-thigh length tunic), a

dupatta The dupattā is a Hindu shawl traditionally worn by women in Indian subcontinent to cover the head and shoulders. The dupatta is currently used most commonly as part of the women's shalwar kameez outfit, and worn over the kurta and the gharara. ...

(veil), and most importantly, a pair of wide-legged pants, ruched at the knee so they flare out dramatically known as ''Gharara''. The knee area, called the ''gota'' in

Hindi-Urdu Hindustani (; Devanagari: , * * * * ; Perso-Arabic: , , ) is the ''lingua franca'' of Northern and Central India and Pakistan. Hindustani is a pluricentric language with two standard registers, known as Hindi and Urdu. Thus, the langu ...

, is often elaborately embroidered in

zari ''Zari'' (or ''jari'') is an even thread traditionally made of fine gold or silver used in traditional Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani garments, especially as brocade in saris etc. This thread is woven into fabrics, primarily silk, to make in ...

and

zardozi Zardozi or zar-douzi or zarduzi (from Classical Persian زَردوزی ''zardōzī'', literally "gold embroidery"; fa, label=Modern Persian, زَردوزی, translit=zarduzi; hi, ज़रदोज़ी, tg, зардӯзӣ, ur, زردوزی ...

work. Each leg of a traditional gharara is made from over 12 metres of fabric, often silk brocade.Handcrafting a Culture
/ref> Ghararas originated in

Awadh Awadh (), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a region in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is synonymous with the Kośāla region of ...

region of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

during the era of the

Nawabs Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian, Punjabi , Sindhi, Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...

. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the gharara was part of the everyday attire among Muslim women of the Hindi-Urdu Belt. Ghararas were also made popular in Pakistan and Bangladesh, in the 1950s and 1960s with popular public figures like

Fatima Jinnah Fatima Jinnah ( ur, ; 31 July 1893 – 9 July 1967), widely known as Māder-e Millat ("Mother of the Nation"), was a Pakistani stateswoman, politician, dental surgeon and one of the leading founders of Pakistan. She was the younger sister of ...

and Begum

Rana Liaquat Ali Khan गुल-इ-राणा ( Kumaoni) , image = Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan (1961).jpg , imagesize = , alt = , smallimage = , caption = Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan in 1961 , alongside = , predecessor = Mir Rasool Bux Talpur , p ...

wearing them. Although they are no longer worn as an everyday garment, they remain popular as wedding attire among Muslim women of the Hindi-Urdu Belt and also among Urdu-speaking immigrants in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Images

File: Lucknow Women 1.jpg, Lucknow women in Gharara File:Lucknow Women 2.jpg, Lucknow Women in Gharara File:Lucknow Women 3.jpg, Women in Gharara File:Lucknow women 5.jpg, Women in Gharara File:Lucknow women 6.jpg, Women in Gharara File:Lucknow Girl.jpg, Girl in Gharara File:Lucknow Wedding.jpg, Lucknow wedding File:Lucknow women.jpg, Women in Gharara File:Lucknow singer.JPG, Lucknow singer in Gharara

References

{{Clothing in South Asia 19th-century fashion 20th-century fashion Dresses Pakistani clothing Bangladeshi clothing Indian clothing Culture of Lucknow

Images

See also

References