The East India Vade-Mecum, Volume 1 (of 2): or, complete guide to gentlemen intended for the civil, military, or naval service of the East India Company.Williamson, Thomas
History
The East India Vade-Mecum, Volume 1 (of 2): or, complete guide to gentlemen intended for the civil, military, or naval service of the East India Company.
Williamson, Thomas
India -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
‘The present fashionable dress of our fair country-women, having had for
its object the imitation of the Hindostanee, might be supposed to
preclude the necessity of a particular description, did not the same
inconstancy equally pervade their taste. Within these few years, the
shoes with the long-turned-up tops have been introduced and abolished,
in consequence (as the story goes,) of a lady in Asoph ud Doulah’s
_haram_ being thrown down by the entanglement of the string of a kite
round the curvature of her shoe. The _n’hut_, or large ring, worn at the
nose, is also going out of fashion: indeed, considering the
inconvenience that must have been experienced from this ornament, it is
strange it should so long have continued in use. The disuse of it is
accounted for in the following manner. On the death of a married woman,
or of her husband, (for no widows wear it,) this ornament, according to
long-established usage, becomes the property of the _meeraseens_, a
particular kind of _nautch_ women. A lady of Oude, of a delicate way of
thinking, being in possession of a _n’hut_ of great value and elegance,
thought she observed the longing eye of the _meeraseens_ continually
fixed on this jewel; and, dreading the effects of their envy on her own
life, or on that of her husband, took off the _n’hut_ and threw it away;
a circumstance that created much consternation in the family, and
astonishment in the husband, as it had hitherto been deemed a necessary
part of a married woman’s dress, and was guarded with as much
superstitious care as the marriage-ring among us. However, the
explanation of her motives set all to rights again; the husband
applauded her prudence, and the neighbouring families, taking up the
same idea, the long-established rights of the _meeraseens_ in that part
of the country suffered almost total abolishment.
‘The dress of the ladies of rank has become comparatively simple, and
seems to evince a considerable improvement in the national taste.
Instead of both ears being weighed down, as was formerly the case, they
now only wear a slight ornamented ring in the left ear, in general. The
having both ears ornamented they consider as the height of vulgarity. A
pearl necklace, slight golden rings at the wrists and ancles, termed
_zewaree ichanjeeree_, include all the ornaments worn by a lady of
fashion. For the wrists they prefer silken bracelets, decorated with
jewels. The hair, which was brought down over the brow in two
semi-circles, so as almost to bear on the eye, is divided as before, but
not permitted to conceal any part of the forehead.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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