Sherwani

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Painting of last Nizam of Hyderabad with various people wearing different types of Sherwani.
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Sherwani (also known as Shairwani and less commonly as Serwani) is a long coat-like garment worn in Central and South Asia.[1] It is very similar to a Western frock coat or a Polish and Lithuanian żupan. Sherwani is worn over a kameez with the combination of shalwar as the lower-body clothing. It can be distinguished from the achkan by the fact that it is longer than achkan in length, is often made from heavier suiting fabrics, and by the presence of a lining. Sherwani is worn on many Muslim occasions, weddings and festivals such as Eid.[2]

Etymology[]

The name of attire is possibly derived from Sherwan, a region of present-day Azerbaijan due to the folk dress of that area (Chokha) which resembles Sherwani in its outlook.[citation needed]

History[]

The founders of Aligarh movement wearing sherwani, Nawab Mohsin ul Mulk (left), Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (centre), Justice Syed Mahmood (right).

Sherwani originated in the 18th century in South Asia, before being more generally adopted in the late 19th century. It is originally associated with Muslim aristocracy during the period of British rule.[3] According to Emma Tarlo, the sherwani evolved from a Persian cape (balaba or chapkan), which was gradually given a more Indian form (angarkha), and finally developed into the sherwani, with buttons down the front, following European fashion.[4] It originated in the 19th century British India as the European style court dress of regional Mughal nobles and royals of northern India,[3] before being more generally adopted in the late 19th century. It appeared first at Lucknow in the 1820s.[5] It was gradually adopted by rest of the royalty and aristocracy of Indian Subcontinent, and later by the general population, as a more evolved form of occasional traditional attire. The name of attire is possibly derived from Shirvan or Sherwan, a region of present-day Azerbaijan due to the folk dress of that area (Chokha) which resembles Sherwani in its outlook. Therefore, the garment may also be an Indianized derivative of the Caucasian dress due to ethnic and cultural linkages of Indo-Persian during Middle Ages.[citation needed]

Description[]

Nawab of Bahawalpur in various styles of sherwani

Sherwani evolved from a Persian cape (balaba or chapkan) and was developed into the sherwani, with buttons down the front, following European fashion.[4][5]

Use[]

Sherwani is now famous as a wedding outfit and it has always been popular as an outfit which can be worn on formal events.[2] The sherwani signified dignity and etiquette of the nobility and it used to be the court dress of the nobles of Turkish and Persian origin. It is the national dress of Pakistan for men. A sherwani carries a regal feel.[6]

India[]

Main article: Achkan

In India, the achkan has been generally worn, which is a much shorter than sherwani. The achkan was worn on formal occasions in winter, especially by those from Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi, Jammu, Uttar Pradesh and Hyderabad.[7] The achkan is generally associated with the Hindus while the sherwani was historically and is favored by Muslims.[8] The two garments have significant similarities, though sherwanis typically are more flared at the hips and achkans are lengthier than simple sherwanis. The achkan later evolved into the Nehru Jacket, which is now popular in India.[9] In India, the achkan or sherwani is generally worn with the combination of Churidar as the lower garment.[10]

  • Jawaharlal Nehru (left) wearing an achkan with churidar.[11]

  • Achkan sherwani and churidar (lower body) worn by Arvind Singh Mewar and his kin during a Hindu wedding in Rajasthan, India.

In Bangladesh[]

In Bangladesh, the sherwani is worn by people on formal occasions such as weddings and Eid.[citation needed]

Pakistan[]

Jinnah (right) addressing the Constituent Assembly on 14 August 1947, wearing a sherwani.

After the independence of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah frequently wore the sherwani.[12] Following him, most people and government officials in Pakistan such as the President and Prime Minister started to wear the formal black sherwani over the shalwar kameez on state occasions and national holidays.[1] General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq made it compulsory for all officers to wear sherwani on state occasions and national holidays.[13]

  • Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, is sitting on the Chair of Governor General, sometimes referred as Pakistan's Throne, wearing Sherwani.

  • Muhammad Ali Jinnah (right), standing with his sister Fatima Jinnah (left), Leading member of Pakistan Movement. Muhammad Ali Jinnah is wearing a Sherwani and Fatima Jinnah is also wearing a female Sherwani.

  • Nawaz Sharif, longest-serving Prime Minister of Pakistan, wearing Sherwani in Washington in 1998

In Sri Lanka[]

In Sri Lanka, Sherwani was generally worn as the formal uniform of Mudaliyars and early Tamil legislators during the British colonial period. It is now no longer worn in Sri Lanka.[citation needed]

Modern sherwanis[]

Sherwanis are mostly worn in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.[14]: 571  These garments usually feature detailed embroidery or patterns. One major difference between sherwani wearing habits is the choice of lower garment, while in India, the dress is distinguished by their preference for churidars or pyjamas, in Pakistan and Bangladesh, it is mainly worn with shalwar instead.

Pakistani journalist, filmmaker and activist, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy appeared in sherwani to receive Academy Award in 2012 and 2015.[15][16][17][18][19]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Traditional Dress: Sherwani". RiciMelion. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Traditional Dress: Sherwani". RiciMelion. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Jhala, Angma Dey (6 October 2015). Royal Patronage, Power and Aesthetics in Princely India. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-31657-2.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Tarlo, Emma (1996). Clothing Matters: Dress and Identity in India. Hurst. ISBN 978-1-85065-176-5.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective. Cambridge University Press. 29 January 1988. ISBN 978-1-107-39297-7.
  6. ^ "What is a Sherwani?". www.bhangrakids.com. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Shifting Sands: Costume in Rajasthan".
  8. ^ Langkjær, Michael Alexander. "From Cool to Un-cool to Re-cool: Nehru and Mao tunics in the sixties and post-sixties West". Global Textile Encounters, ed. Marie-Louise Nosch, Zhao Feng, and Lotika Varadarajan. Ancient Textiles Series, Vol. 20, Pp. 227-236 – via www.academia.edu.
  9. ^ "Nehru's style statement".
  10. ^ Altogether book. ISBN 978-93-259-7971-0.
  11. ^ "Nehru's style statement".
  12. ^ Ahmed, Akbar S. (1997). Jinnah, Pakistan and Islamic Identity: The Search for Saladin. Psychology Press. pp. 99–. ISBN 978-0-415-14966-2.
  13. ^ www.coursehero.com https://www.coursehero.com/file/89809687/A-little-bit-background-of-Sherwanidocx/. Retrieved 8 August 2021. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ^ Marcus, Lauren (1 December 2013). "Sources: Encyclopedia of National Dress: Traditional Clothing Around the World". Reference & User Services Quarterly. 53 (2): 197–198. doi:10.5860/rusq.53n2.197c. ISSN 1094-9054.
  15. ^ "Pakistan's Oscar triumph for acid attack film Saving Face". BBC News. Nosheen Abbas. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  16. ^ "Oscar-winning Pakistani Filmmaker Inspired by Canada".
  17. ^ Clark, Alex (14 February 2016). "The case of Saba Qaiser and the film-maker determined to put an end to 'honour' killings". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  18. ^ "Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is Pakistan's First Oscar Nominee". 24 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  19. ^ "Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy fights to end honour killings with her film A Girl in the River". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
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