A Lucknow Begum in a ġarārā, painted over photograph (1950) by Fatima RizviLucknow Bioscope
A ġarārā is a loose pant that falls elegantly. Its top part (kundā) has panels (kalīs). The lower part (gōṭ) is cut on the cross and gathered at the knee where it joins the kundā.
Ġarārā as a family heirloom
By Zehra Mehdi
Zehra Mehdi in her mother-in-law’s gharara (2022) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope
A pistachio-green ġarārā with kārchōb būṭīs (floral motifs in silver embroidery) was a wedding gift from my mother-in-law.
It had been a part of her wedding trousseau, carefully preserved for over five decades until it reached me two decades ago. It was home-made (as was the custom in those days) by lady courtiers and attendants who were trained and supervised by the ladies of the house.
A brocade gharara, embellished with an older dhanak/chasak (1972) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope
A brocade ġarārā (dated 1972), embellished with an older dhanak/chasak (embellishment at the joint of the upper and lower parts) made of zardōzī banat and embossed gōṭā.
Apart from the personal sentiments and emotions attached to any family heirloom, the ġarārā assumes special cultural and historical significance as an attire that symbolized the transition of a decades old lifestyle to a more “practical” attire. The earlier lifestyle of Awadhi ladies wearing baṛā pāenchas (a variation of the farshī with a narrower gōṭ) for their darī-chāndnī-farsh in rooms was giving way to chair-and-table living. The ġarārā symbolized the redundance of the baṛā pāenchas and farshīs in a changing cultural scenario.
It was the beginning of old customs and traditions succumbing to a modern way of living. Sadly, the elegant ġarārās had to later give way to the shalwārs and cūṛīdārs as more practical everyday attire in the modern age. I belong to the shalwār/cūṛīdār generation but given a choice I would prefer wearing a ġarārā over any other dress, especially for weddings and other ceremonial occasions.
I can only hope and pray that I do justice to this ġarārā in passing it on to my daughter-in-law in the same condition that I received it; with the hope that she wears it and preserves it with the same care, respect and sentiments that such a precious family heirloom invokes.
Garara Construction (2022) by Saman HabibLucknow Bioscope
Seen here is a construction of the ġarārā.
A Lucknow Begum in a ġarārā, painted over photograph (1950) by Fatima RizviLucknow Bioscope
A Lucknow begum in a ġarārā.
Hand- coloured photograph from the 1950s.
A Lucknow Begum in a ġarārā and traditional jewellery (1972) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope
A Lucknow begum in a ġarārā and traditional jewellery in 1972.
Ġarārā as daily wear in Lucknow
These photographs from the collection of Lucknow Bioscope depict the everyday use of ġarārās among Lucknow women during the mid-20th century. Ġarārās were not just reserved for special occasions but were a commonly worn attire.
Chatapati gharara paired with dupatta embellished with gota edging (1900/1999) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope
Seen here is a caṭāpaṭī ġarārā paired with dupatta embellished with a gōṭā work edging.
Seen here is a contemporary caṭāpaṭī ġarārā paired with dupaṭṭā embellished with gōṭā edging from the early 20th century.
Women in cotton ghararas at the Safed Baradari Lucknow, Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow Festival (2020) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope
Women in cotton ġarārās at the Safed Baradari Lucknow, Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow Festival, 2020
Scroll down to see details of some antique ġarārās...
Parts of gharara and dupatta with zardozi banat (1980) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope
Close-up of ġarārā and dupaṭṭa with zardōzi banat. The ġarārā has a caṭāpaṭī gōṭā in a māhīpusht (fish scale) design, from 1980.
These ġarārās are embellished with zardōzi work patterned as trailing vines and are worn on festive occasions.
The āri work buṭis on the blue dupaṭṭa are copied from the weave on the ġarārā, in the picture on the left. Blue, again, is the dominant colour in the caṭāpaṭī patterned ġarārā on the right.
Kurtas in different styles paired with ġarārās ...
Kurtas tailored to perfection in a variety of designs, The pieces also show some influences of western styling.
Ġarārās are back in vogue as wedding and party wear. Cotton and chiffon ġarārās with straight-cut narrower pants are also getting popular as regular wear.
Curation: Noor Khan & Saman Habib
Photography: Ayan Bose, Tasveer Hasan, Apal, Najeeb Aziz
Team: Nasreen Khan, Mariyam Imran
Text, editing and translation: Saman Habib, Noor Khan, Sabiha Anwar, Isha Priya Singh, Waseem Ahmed, Stuti Mishra, Divya Joshi
Gracious contribution by:
Faraz Ali Zaidi--Nawab Jafar Mir Abdullah collection
Fatima Rizvi
Fauzia Yameen
Nuzhat Zaman
