In earlier times, especially for women’s attire, there was a prevailing custom of sticking to white color which symbolized greatest modesty. But the women were not entirely unmindful to the aspects of beauty in their dressings, altogether.
One could find that the “njori” or folding the dress’s one end in a fan-like arrangement was most common, especially in womens’ dressings, obviously meant as an adornment. The arrangement is commonly called the “njori” (fold, pleat) and could be found in the dress styles of all our communities.
(Photo courtesy Helen Cannon-Brookes who kindly consented to use this image)
Many poems feature “njori’ being an attribute of ladies’ beauty. That includes Malayalam film songs, both old as well as new, containing references in the same vein. Here are two examples that readily come to mind:-
“Kunjalakal, kunjalakal njoRinjututhu
PokanorungukayanO nee?”
(Dressed in the creased outfit that is the waves, are you set to go?)
“pookkila njori vachuduthu nin yauvvanam
puthari ankam kurikkayayo?”
(Dressed in the attire creased like a coconut-flower, is your youthful charm charting its first duel?)
Making a “njori” is an inevitable procedure while wearing the Sari, Mundu and indeed even the Randam Mundu (or Uthareeyam) is to be neatly folded for wearing.
Arrangement of “Njori” was most glaring in Christian woman’s attire, who while wearing their mundu (dhoti) put such a “Njori” appendix at the back.
Invariably one end of the dress shall be left plainly loose on the side. In Mundu, this other end is what the women made use of for a “pocket” in which they carried the ingredients for a betal chew or occasionally even carried cash and valuables.
ഞോറിഞ്ഞുടുക്കല് മറ്റൊരുരാജ്യത്ത് എവിടെയെങ്കിലും ആ ധരിക്കല് ഉണ്ടോ എന്ന് സംസയമാണ് ,നമ്മുടെ ഇടയിലും കുറഞ്ഞില്ലേ ,അതില് ആരായാലും ഉടുതാല് ഉടുക്കുംപോലെ നല്ല രസമാണ് കാണുവാന്
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