One point of amusement or irritation to a South Indian, depending on his mood, is when his friend from across the Vindhyas calls his dhoti a lungi. What is worse, the latter often doesn't even realise why the former is getting miffed with this description.
Maybe this will help .. or maybe not ! A dhoti is a dhoti is a dhoti .. right? Well ... no.
I first started wearing LUNGIS at home when I was about 16 or so - bright colours, vivid designs. Remember particularly one with red swirls on a yellow background !
On formal occasions - marriages in the family, temple visits - I still wear a white two-layered MUNDU (Malayalam) or a VESHTI (Tamil), often having a thin zari border. This is wrapped around the waist and sometimes accompanied with a small cloth called an angavastram draped across one shoulder.
For very formal or religious occasions - the wedding of my daughters or my parents' shraaddham - I wear it PANCHAKACHAM style - similar to the way a dhoti is worn on formal occasions in the rest of India.
From lungis, I moved on to KAILEES - usually checks of one colour on a different background, often white.
Now at home I wear what in Kerala is called a KAAVI MUNDU - similar to a white one in that it is wrapped around the waist but usually single layer and in a variety of colours. Kaavi is the word for saffron - these started as different shades of saffron, but are now available in many colours. I have even a light blue one !
Next time somebody calls my mundu a lungi, I'll compliment him on the dupatta he wears with his churidar - kameez !
Maybe this will help .. or maybe not ! A dhoti is a dhoti is a dhoti .. right? Well ... no.
I first started wearing LUNGIS at home when I was about 16 or so - bright colours, vivid designs. Remember particularly one with red swirls on a yellow background !
On formal occasions - marriages in the family, temple visits - I still wear a white two-layered MUNDU (Malayalam) or a VESHTI (Tamil), often having a thin zari border. This is wrapped around the waist and sometimes accompanied with a small cloth called an angavastram draped across one shoulder.
For very formal or religious occasions - the wedding of my daughters or my parents' shraaddham - I wear it PANCHAKACHAM style - similar to the way a dhoti is worn on formal occasions in the rest of India.
From lungis, I moved on to KAILEES - usually checks of one colour on a different background, often white.
Now at home I wear what in Kerala is called a KAAVI MUNDU - similar to a white one in that it is wrapped around the waist but usually single layer and in a variety of colours. Kaavi is the word for saffron - these started as different shades of saffron, but are now available in many colours. I have even a light blue one !
Next time somebody calls my mundu a lungi, I'll compliment him on the dupatta he wears with his churidar - kameez !
Good stuff! Very enlightening, though I'm not sure I wanted to know that you wore red and yellow lungis once upon a time. Follow up article to this should discuss the topology of mundu-based legwear - tube vs sheet.
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