Question

On what grounds were traditional feminine clothes criticized? How would reforms of dress change the positions of women?

Answer 1

Hint:
The history of clothing in India can be seen from the Indus Valley Civilization.
The main clothes used at that time were made of cotton as it was the only fabric cultivated at that time.
Many changes took place by the end of the 19th century.

Complete answer:
Women's clothes have always been a matter of discussion in old times and today also there are debates on this topic. The common fabrics used were cotton, flax, silk, wool, linen, leather etc. and India was the first place where cotton was cultivated during 2500 BCE in the Harappan era. The most prominent cloth at that time was turban, dhoti and sari. The dressing style has been greatly influenced by ethnicity, geography, climate and cultural traditions of different regions such as in Assam the main dress is Mekhla Chadar, in Varanasi the most significant is Banarasi silk saree, in South India white saree has its place.
In the traditional period the position of a woman was decided according to the dressing pattern. It was believed that if the clothes are comfortable and convenient then it can serve the purpose of a working woman who can earn her livelihood and be independent.

Traditional clothing of female were being criticized on a number of grounds such as:

> At that time the long skirts were worn which swept the ground and gathered a lot of dirt with them which caused illness in them.
> The skirts used in those days were voluminous enough which made it difficult to handle the whole day.
> This kind of clothing prevented women from working and earning and thus a reform was needed to change the place of women in the society. It led to a convenient and comfortable dressing for the upliftment of females.

Note
Gandhi promoted the use of handspun for promoting the idea of Swadeshi in the nation.
Sarojini Naidu and Kamala Nehru were the prominent women who promoted the tradition of India saree.