The sashay of grace

 Article contribution : Dr.Rugmani V.

The Jaunsari lehenga is an abode of tradition, grace, health and functionality, says Rugmani V. The Jaunsaris, an agro pastoral community inhabit the Jaunsar Bhawar area, Western Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Their oral history reveals their migration from Ajmer (formerly called Shakambari), Rajasthan, in order to escape conversion to Islam during the Mughal rule.

Cultural traditions are integral to migrating people as a representation of group identity & heritage. Undoubtedly the most tangible & palpable symbol of culture is dress. Women continued the practice of wearing the lehenga/ghaghra as per traditional Rajasthani custom, with variations to cope up with the altered geography and climate. The Jaunsari lehenga/ghaghra is truly spectacular and is characterized by multiple knife pleats at the waist, comprising of 8 to 10 yards of fabric. This is teamed with a full sleeved kurti and a red headscarf scarf called Dhatu. 

 

Today, the salwar kameez is a staple with both young and middle age women while senior elders don the traditional Jaunsari ensemble on a daily basis, while farming, travelling or during their household chores. When the author attended a festivity at Hanol village, she noted that it was a practice for women to perform a dance on the grounds of the Mahasu Devta temple during occasions as a gesture of sublime devotion. Prior to the dance, she heard an announcement made by the temple authorities urging the women to change into their Jaunsari lehengas, as a mandatory requirement for the ceremonial dance. Women returned in their vibrant lehengas and rendered an incredible performance, vying with the rhythm of melodious folk songs and their unique musical instruments. 

The sashay of the voluminous skirts in all their vibrancy heightened the visual treat. Local women conversed with the author, asserting the significance of the traditional skirts for all important ceremonies and occasions. From this she gleaned that the lehenga occupied a place in Jaunsari culture as the purest garment, it being a living repository of their tradition.

As Rugmani herself wore the lehenga at the best of her new Jaunsari friends, she experienced its effects as a health aid. Form has always followed function in indigenous costume, the Jaunsari lehenga being a living example of the same. The multiple pleats at the waistline are instrumental in regulating body temperature by keeping the waist, and mid regions like the stomach and the backbone warm. This enables one to carry out one’s duties efficiently without falling sick due to extreme weather fluctuations in the hills. Health has always remained a key factor in the hills as all agricultural work must be completed in the seasons conducive to farming. Hence this lehenga plays a vital role as an instrument of adaptation to the surroundings.

The enrapturing saga of indigenous costumes is never ending and will always unravel new stories and perspectives. Documentation of the same is a must lest these are swallowed by modernity and cease to be.