American Journal of Art and Design

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Emergence of Cultural and Fashion Uniqueness from Bihar (India) Rooted in Its Distinctive Regional Background

Received: 31 October 2018    Accepted: 16 November 2018    Published: 14 December 2018
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Abstract

This paper studies the state of Bihar, India from the perspective of its distinctive regional background and social cultural milieu. It articulately outlines the emergence of artistic and cultural uniqueness reflected in its people, having common sets of values, social moorings, moral and mythological stand points; styles of adornment through attires, body art, textiles, cosmetics, accessories, which not only gives them a distinctive identity from the rest of the nation and globe at large but also catalyzes the process of shaping the individualistic and divergent regional fashion and aesthetic uniqueness. Not only does this distinctive identity goes on to constitute the language of regional fashion but it transforms the understanding that fashion is not merely western or Euro centric but it also breaks the binary of "west versus the rest". Historically, Bihar had been the place from where the struggle for Indian Independence was initiated by freedom fighters like Gandhi from west Champaran trough the indigo revolution, and thus the symbols of this struggle, like khadi got integrated as a prevalent fabric for dressing up in the region. The paper through the lens of identity, looks into how this nationalistic look related to freedom struggle goes on to becoming the face of a segment of people. The paper also, with a feminist framework, analyses, the married women of Bihar who primarily form the important strata of this state's society and represent it distinctively vis-a-vis other sections of women from other geographical parts of India. The research paper semiotically studies through secondary research method the different symbolism intricately connected to the identity of the Bihari women and men with elements connected to adornment and dressing up. That both khadi and the ethnic Bihari elements of dressing up of men and women is being explored as a raw material by Indian retail brands in a sense to bring culture to the realm of economics and fashion system by challenging the western models of fashion monopoly and Euro centrism.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajad.20180303.11
Published in American Journal of Art and Design (Volume 3, Issue 3, September 2018)
Page(s) 26-32
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This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Identity, Regional Fashion, Socio-cultural Context of Bihar, Khadi, Adornment

References
[1] A. K. Coomaraswamy, "Ornament," The Art Bulletin, vol 21, pp. 375-382, December 1939.
[2] A. Dirlik, "Is their HIstory after Eurocentricism?. Globalism, Postcolonialism, and the Disavowal of History, " Cultural Critique, vol 42, pp. 1-34, Spring 1999.
[3] A. K. Haldar, "Symbolism in Indian Art and culture, " The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism , vol 9, pp. 124-127, 1950.
[4] D. N. Levine, Georg Simmel on Individuality and Social Forms (Heritage of Sociology Series) 1st Edition. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
[5] E. Sapir, Language, An Introduction to the Study of Speech, New York Harcourt, Brace and Company.
[6] E. Tarlo, Clothing Matters, Dress and Identity in India, New York, University of Chicago Press.
[7] F. Davis, In: Fashion culture and identity. New York: University of Chicago Press. 1994, PP. 3-4.
[8] Figure 1 http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/gandhigiri-keeps-a-train-running/article18192515.ece, accessed on 17/09/2017.
[9] Figure 2, http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2016/nov/28/top-rjd-leaders-missing-from-anti-demonetisation-protests-in-bihar-1543488.html, accessed on 17/09/2017.
[10] Figure 3, http://lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.in/2012/12/toe-rings.html, accessed on 17/09/2017.
[11] Figure 4, http://imtamilandiknowit.tumblr.com, accessed on 17/09/2017.
[12] Figure 5, http://infospilledink.blogspot.in/2015/11/celebrating-beauty-of-bihar-chatt-puja.html, accessed on 18/09/2017.
[13] Figure 6, http://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/photo/close-up-of-indian-womans-feet-with-anklet-royalty-free-image/136115437, accessed on 18/09/2017.
[14] Figure 7, https://scroll.in/article/716615/from-marks-of-status-to-a-kind-of-jewellery-tattoos-are-part-of-a-centuries-old-indian-tradition, accessed on 18/09/2017.
[15] Figure 8, http://brindasuri.blogspot.in/2012/12/sujani-stitch-art-of-bihar.html, accessed on 18/09/2017.
[16] M. E. Roach-Higgins, and J. B. Eicher, "Dress and Identity," Clothing and Textile Research Journal, vol 10, pp. 1-8, June 1992.
[17] N, Howe, and W. Strauss, Millenials Rising: The Next Great Generation. New York, Vintage, 3rd Printing Edition. 2000, pp. 4-10.
[18] R. Barnes, and J. B. Eicher, Dress and Gender, Making and Meaning. Paperback ed. New York, Berg Publisher, 1997, pp - 198 - 204.
[19] S. B. Kaiser, Fashion and Cultural Studies, New York. Berg. 1.
[20] S. Jha, Charkha," 'Dear Forgotten Friend' of Widows: Reading the Erasures of a Symbol, " Economic and Political Weekly, vol 39, pp. 3113-3120, July 2004.
[21] V. Bahl, " Shifting boundaries of Nativity and Moernity in South Asian Women's Clothes," Dialectical Anthropology, vol 29, pp. 85-121, March 2005.
Author Information
  • Department of Fashion & Lifestyle Accessories, National Institute of Fashion Technology Patna, Patna, India

  • Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Patna, India

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    Vinayak Yashraj, Priyanka Tripathi. (2018). Emergence of Cultural and Fashion Uniqueness from Bihar (India) Rooted in Its Distinctive Regional Background. American Journal of Art and Design, 3(3), 26-32. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajad.20180303.11

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    Vinayak Yashraj; Priyanka Tripathi. Emergence of Cultural and Fashion Uniqueness from Bihar (India) Rooted in Its Distinctive Regional Background. Am. J. Art Des. 2018, 3(3), 26-32. doi: 10.11648/j.ajad.20180303.11

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    Vinayak Yashraj, Priyanka Tripathi. Emergence of Cultural and Fashion Uniqueness from Bihar (India) Rooted in Its Distinctive Regional Background. Am J Art Des. 2018;3(3):26-32. doi: 10.11648/j.ajad.20180303.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajad.20180303.11,
      author = {Vinayak Yashraj and Priyanka Tripathi},
      title = {Emergence of Cultural and Fashion Uniqueness from Bihar (India) Rooted in Its Distinctive Regional Background},
      journal = {American Journal of Art and Design},
      volume = {3},
      number = {3},
      pages = {26-32},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajad.20180303.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajad.20180303.11},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajad.20180303.11},
      abstract = {This paper studies the state of Bihar, India from the perspective of its distinctive regional background and social cultural milieu. It articulately outlines the emergence of artistic and cultural uniqueness reflected in its people, having common sets of values, social moorings, moral and mythological stand points; styles of adornment through attires, body art, textiles, cosmetics, accessories, which not only gives them a distinctive identity from the rest of the nation and globe at large but also catalyzes the process of shaping the individualistic and divergent regional fashion and aesthetic uniqueness. Not only does this distinctive identity goes on to constitute the language of regional fashion but it transforms the understanding that fashion is not merely western or Euro centric but it also breaks the binary of "west versus the rest". Historically, Bihar had been the place from where the struggle for Indian Independence was initiated by freedom fighters like Gandhi from west Champaran trough the indigo revolution, and thus the symbols of this struggle, like khadi got integrated as a prevalent fabric for dressing up in the region. The paper through the lens of identity, looks into how this nationalistic look related to freedom struggle goes on to becoming the face of a segment of people. The paper also, with a feminist framework, analyses, the married women of Bihar who primarily form the important strata of this state's society and represent it distinctively vis-a-vis other sections of women from other geographical parts of India. The research paper semiotically studies through secondary research method the different symbolism intricately connected to the identity of the Bihari women and men with elements connected to adornment and dressing up. That both khadi and the ethnic Bihari elements of dressing up of men and women is being explored as a raw material by Indian retail brands in a sense to bring culture to the realm of economics and fashion system by challenging the western models of fashion monopoly and Euro centrism.},
     year = {2018}
    }
    

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