Indian : Fashion & Science -1

Indian Culture is so simple to understand and scientific too. Weather it is festival or a relegious function or daily and routine events ( upacharas ), Vedic approach keeps everything in a systematic, civilized and healthy order. In this blog, let me share the reasons behind the fashion of a married women in India. Women here, are easily recognized as married based on their make-over ( Alankara ). A few illustrations are explained in the following paragraphs.

Indian Married Women Wear Toe Rings

Wearing toe rings does not just signify the status of a married women, but there is science behind it. Normally toe rings made of silver are worn on the second toe, keeping in mind the characteristics of Silver metal. A particular nerve from the second toe connects to the uterus and goes to the heart. Wearing toe rings strengthens the uterus by regulating the blood flow, thus keeping it healthy. By wearing toe rings on both feet, the menstrual cycle is regularized, enhancing the possibilities of conception in married women. As silver is a good conductor, it also absorbs polar energies from the earth and passes them to the body, thus rejuvenating the entire system.

For detailed understanding go through my another blogpost : Brain-Uterus-Foot-Toes-”Toe-Ring”

Why Are Silk Clothes Preferred While Doing Pooja?

Out of all fabrics, why would our ancient scholars opted for Silk fabric? Silk was the regular clothing then. It is only in recent times, due to cost and availability, Silk has become ethnical wear, only worn on auspicious events in Hindu families. More saddening is, in todays westernized India, many men dont even know how to wear Silk Dhoti even during religious functions and women are very much uncomfortable in sarees.

Coming to the point, let me pen down the features of Silk which will easily convince anyone, why Silk has to be used, atleast while doing pooja. The features are listed as under :

Strength: Silk as a fibre, has good tensile strength, which allows it to withstand great pulling pressure. Silk is the strongest natural fibre and has moderate abrasion resistance. The strength of the thrown yarns is mainly due to the continuous length of the fibre. Spun silk yarn though strong is weaker than thrown silk filament yarns.

Elasticity: Silk fibre is an elastic fibre and may be stretched from 1/7 to 1/5 of its original length before breaking. It tends to return to its original size but gradually loses little of its elasticity. This would mean that the fabric would be less sagging and less binding resulting in the wearers comfort.

Resilience: Silk fabrics retain their shape and have moderate resistance to wrinkling. Fabrics that are made from short – staple spun silk have less resilience. Drapability: Silk has a liability and suppleness that, aided by its elasticity and resilience, gives it excellent drapability.

Heat Conductivity: Silk is a protein fibre and is a non-conductor of heat similar to that of wool. This makes silk suitable for winter apparel. Absorbency: Silk fabrics being protein in nature have good absorbency. The absorptive capacity of the silk fabric makes comfortable apparel even for warmer atmosphere. Fabrics made from silk are comfortable in the summer and warm in the winter. Silk fibre can generally absorb about 11 percent of its weight in moisture, but the range varies from 10 percent to as much as 30 percent. This property is also a major factor in silk’s ability to be printed and dyed easily. Cleanliness and Washability: Silk fabric does not attract dirt because of its smooth surface. Therefore, washing is not required as frequently as for other fabric. The dirt, which gathers can be easily removed by washing or dry cleaning. It is often recommended for the silk garments to be dry-cleaned. Silk water – spot easily, but subsequent washing or dry cleaning will restore the appearance of the fabric.

Resistance to Mildew: Silks will not mildew unless left for sometime in a damp state or under the extreme conditions of tropical dampness. Reaction to Acids: Organic acids do not harm silk.

With these many features of this special fabric Silk, why would anyone not use Silk, especially during relegious events?