I ADORE that pink … it’s the navy blue of India. – Diana Vreeland, Vogue
My mother and sister recently came to visit me in Mumbai, India. Note to self: there are easier things than dragging one’s 60-something mother around India.
During a weekend trip to the northern, desert state of Rajastan we were struck by the vibrant colors of women’s fashion. In arid places like Rajastan brightly colored clothing and architecture are a natural way to off-set the earthy colors of the desert.
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Photo courtesy of Felix Dance
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Photo courtesy of Carol Markel
We visited the former ‘princely state’ of Jaipur, which is known as The Pink City. All buildings within the old city walls are required to be painted with the city’s trademark salmon pink.
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Photo of Jaipur City Palace by Katrina Markel
Purdah, or the practice of veiling, remains common among Hindu women in the more conservative northern regions. I never see it in cosmopolitan Mumbai.
Our driver, like many Indian drivers, got a small kick-back by routing tourists to a textile factory with a large shop attached. We knew exactly what was going on, but we took the bait anyway. Here a factory manager demonstrates the process of block printing on fabric.
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Photo courtesy of Katrina Markel
The manager claimed that the factory was a co-op for women workers, but we only saw men in the factory.
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Photo courtesy of Carol Markel
The manager also claimed that these kids were playing while waiting for their mothers to finish work. That might be true, but we were skeptical. When I pressed him on the issue and asked if the children helped their mothers at work he said, “No, no, no, they are just playing. They like to come and play after school.” My mom and another American exchanged sideways glances. We still weren’t totally convinced. The kids did seem to be having fun, though.
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Photo courtesy of Katrina Markel
Fun Fact: tie-dye was not invented by hippies in 1968. It’s an ancient textile dyeing technique found around the world.
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Photo courtesy of Katrina Markel
The scarves, known as dupattas, were very beautiful and (despite the unconfirmed suspicion of child labor) we bought a few. My sister, Celine models her peacock blue kurta (tunic) from FabIndia with a new dupatta. As a side note, the peacock is the national bird of India and I saw a number of wild ones in the Rajastan countryside.
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Photo courtesy of Katrina Markel