Figure 1.--This Kerala boy in 1965 wears a solid-colored "lungi" or wrapped skirt which he had folded and wraped from inexpensive "khadi" cloth. This boy was from an influential and affluent family. So it is not a question of poverty as to whether a person wears traditional or Western clothing. This boy has wraped his lungi to half length with a typical loosely wound knot. Notice the home-made toy that the younger boy has.

The most common garment worn by boys in Kerala is the "dhoti" or a kind of short skirt, although men might wear longer lengths. Another skirt like garment is a "lungi". Both dhoti and lungi are made by folding a plain piece of "khadi"--a thin cotton fabric. One does not but a dhoti or lungi. One buys khadi and then simply wraps and folds it to create a dhoti or lungi in the length desired. This makes them extremely expensive garments to wear. So it is not a question of poverty as to whether a person wears traditional or Western clothing Some boys in the past wore home woven khandi fabric. It was once associated with the poor, but Mahatma Ghandi in the 1930s promoted the weaving of cloth in the home as part of a boycott of English products during the independence movement. Today most of the favric for dhoti is produced in factories, but now domestic Indian mills and not imported. Khadi comes in a wide range of colors and prints. Most appaer to have patterns, but we have seen solid colored khadi as well. Many boys in Kerala go without shirts in the warm tropical climate, except for school and special events such as religious services and festivals. Many boys wear short plants if not wearing a dhoti. Going barefoot is common.

Traditional Clothing

The most common garment worn by boys in Kerala is the "dhoti" or a kind of short skirt, although men might wear longer lengths. Another skirt like garment is a "lungi". Both dhoti and lungi are made by folding a plain piece of "khadi". One does not but a dhoti or lungi. One buys khadi and then simply wraps and folds it to create a dhoti or lungi in the length desired. This makes them extremely inexpensive garments to wear. Many boys from relatively affluent families wear these traditional garments. This means that it clearly is not a question of poverty as to whether a person wears traditional or Western clothing. The boy seen here has wraped his lungi to half length with a typical loosely wound knot (figure 1). This is typical in many parts of India, especially the southern states for both men and boys as casual wear. While walking they often loosen the knot and wave the end of the cloth as a fan to get alittle breeze and then retie it. This is particularly common in Kerala.

Cloth

Khadi is a thin cotton fabric. Some boys in the past wore home woven khandi fabric. It was once associated with the poor, but Mahatma Ghandi in the 1930s promoted the weaving of cloth in the home as part of a boycott of English products during the independence movement. Today most of the favric for dhoti is produced in factories, but now domestic Indian mills and not imported. Khadi comes in a wide range of colors and prints. Most appaer to have patterns, but we have seen solid colored khadi as well. wearing a dhoti or lungi is cheaper than buying a piece of fabric and cut it into the proper length. Khadi is less often used than factory made cotton - white or patterned (Madras type: checked patterns) - mostly you buy a lungi or dhoti fitting to the size of the person.

Western Clothing

Some boys wear Western-styled casual shirts. Many boys in Kerala, however, go without shirts in the warm tropical climate, except for school and special events such as religious services and festivals. Many boys wear short plants if not wearing a dhoti. As mentioned above, dhoti and lungi are very inexpensive to wear. It is, however, not just the low cost that caused boys to wear traditional clothes. Small boys might be more likely to wear shorts as they are easier to wear. The correct wrapping procedure and making the correct folds is a bit tricky for a younger boy. This is especilly true when the boy is involved with active play. While boys from affluent families might wear tradutional clothes, it is much less likely for boys from poor families to wear Western clothes beyond the very basics.

Shirts ("bush shirts") have become very common since some time, but short pants not so much. Often short pants have been handed down from more affluent families. This is a common Indian habit: worn out clothes are handed down to a little less affluent people - and so on. I believe that for most boys it is not a question whether something is Western or anything.

Western clothing is gradually becoming more common in Kerala, but traditional clothing is still widely worn.

Footware

It was very common for children in Kerala to go barefoot. The warm climate allows children to go barefoot year round. It is especially common for younger children to go barefoot. A great many children in the 1960s went barefoot, even children from realtively affluent families. This included boys in both traditional and western clothes. This may have changed in recent years, but I believe that most poor children still go barefoot.

Festivals

For festivals, the dhoti is anyway the best thing they can wear, and often pants (long of short) are considered to be less elegant or even unreligious looking. This is mainly true for hindu and christian families, moslems more often prefer Madras type lungis, even during festivals.

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Created: August 30, 2002
Last updated: September 2, 2002