Dear Readers,

We will soon head into our favourite time of the year – the exciting and fun, ‘lagan-and-navjote’ season. Undoubtedly, the most exciting part of these much awaited festivities, (apart from the food, of course!) is that we end up meeting virtually every other community member through these auspicious occasions, renewing and re-strengthening our community’s cultural bonds and camaraderie. And we get ready to flaunt our finest outfits, traditional and otherwise. Maybe this time we could favour our traditional wear – saris with garas for our lovely lasses and daglis for our handsome bawajis.

There is no sight more welcoming and heart-warming than entering a venue where to see the major part of the crowd brandishing our gorgeous, traditional outfits… and even better, blending right in! The sense of pride and belonging that wearing our traditional outfits sprouts, is incomparable. Wouldn’t it be a super fun idea for families or friends attending these functions, to walk in wearing our elegant, traditional ensembles?

It may interest you to know that there is a dedicated line of psychological study, ‘Fashion Psychology’, aimed at analysing the impact of our choice of clothing on us – not just on a personal or professional level, but even cultural/traditional. Founder of ‘Fashion Psychology Institute’ (New York), Fashion Psychologist, Dawnn Karen, believes that our choice of clothing has a strong psychological impact on us as well as those around us – this includes diverse outcomes, right from redefining the ‘beauty’ stereotype, to using the power of fashion to nurture healthy cultural and traditional perceptions and practices.

Culture is not passed down generations by what we say to our youngsters – it is taught in the form of cherished experiences and imbibed via practice. Across all cultures, it is traditional-wear which helps identify one race or tribe from another, and they wear it with the greatest sense of privilege and pride. Us Parsis too should proudly celebrate our unique and exquisite traditional wear, but one doesn’t get to see this often, these day. Let there not come a time, when Parsi ‘Traditional Wear’ gets fashioned into the question, ‘Traditional… where??’

Have a good weekend!

– Anahita