What does civilization means ? The word Civilization is derived from a Latin word civis which means a city or state. Basically, Civilization refers to the technical or a social development of group or a society.

Civilization

History of clothing :I. What the Hunters and Gatherers wore in Prehistoric times

?II. What people are wearing now ?III. Introduction of Agriculture : leading to settled

communities Beginning of specialized occupations in the Indus Valley Different Types of Natural FabricsI. Different types of Man-Made FabricsII. Use of different Synthetic fabricsIII. How clothing has changed with time Story telling aspect of Kathak Kathak costumes in Different Era’s Shiv Kavitt Mudra’s Shiv Kavitt Positions Shiv Kavitt Bols

Contents

History of Clothing

The study of the history of clothing textiles traces the availability and use of textiles and other materials and development of technology for the making history of clothing over human history the wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of most human societies. It is not known when human began wearing clothes but anthropologists believe that animals skins and vegetation were adapted into coverings as protection from cold, heat and rain especially as humans migrated to new climate. Clothing and textiles have been important in human history and reflects the materials available to a civilization as well as the technologies that had been mastered. The social significance of the finished product reflects their culture.

What the hunters and Gatherers wore in prehistoric times ?

History of Clothing

Traditionally they wore flax skirts and cloaks made from dog fur and features. Bird feathers were used to adorn and sometimes worn in the hair (which may be tied in a bun). The cloaks often represented status and respect and are valued items. Today, Maori wear clothes that most people throughout the world wear - shorts, trousers, t-shirts, singlets, jandals, sneakers and whatever is in fashion or comfortable! Traditional clothing is still worn on special occasions and ceremonies, and in Maori performance groups.

What the People are wearing now-a-days?

Before agriculture people lived in small communities of less than 50 members. They were generally hunters and gatherers, mostly gatherers. When Prehistoric man began to understand the connection between fruit that they eat and the tree that it comes from, they began to plant seeds. This allowed them to have a semi-annual food supply. The domestication of animals provided the necessary protein and fat that could not usually be found in most plant materials. These advances allowed mankind to set up permanent settlements in the areas that were conducive to agriculture and livestock. They had great farms and no problems of food. In this way the mankind led to settled communities. But still in some deserts areas there are still hunting and gathering existing today.

Agriculture: Leading to Settled Communities

Introduction : Specialized labors of the people Indus valley civilization

In the Indus valley civilization the people traded goods, farmed,

made fire bricked houses, they made toys of clay and pottery too.

They made pottery as in the picture shown in the above. Women

were even potters because they couldn’t do anything else due to

sexism in that time period. Back than pottery was not used for

decoration, it was used for storing things like food. Pottery and

Weaving were common jobs for women back then. Women also

worked in trades back then as well. Though in the Indus valley

most women tended to domestic needs, like cleaning the house,

though if the women was educated she could get a better job.

Specialized labors in the Lower Town In the Lower town of Indus Valley the poor people would often

farm, They would grow enough food for themselves and sell the surplus. Farmers would grow wheat, barley, sesames, rice, melon and cotton. The farmers would also be soldiers in times of war because the civilization didn’t value the farmers much and they felt it doesn’t matter if they died. Nobleman and other high class jobs would never go to war because they were considered important to society.

Another job that poor person might be a servant , Servants went around and did anything their masters wanted, so the jobs varied. In exchange the masters would provide food and shelter for the person. It was a good job for a poor person according to them. If people could afford they'd at least have one slave, the wealthy/upper class had more servants though.

Specialized labors in the Citadel

In the cities there were often maintenance problems so there were people who specialized in maintaining things like building, plumbing and more. The would payed by someone to fix things and maintain property.

Another jobs in the Indus Valley Citadel’s were craftsman, artisans, builders, carpenters, metalworkers, leather workers, weavers and potters. All these jobs contributed much to society in different ways. All these jobs were important in for the people at that time because it was just the beginning of the occupations in the Indus Valley Civilization.

Different types of Natural Fabrics Natural fabrics comes from

different sources. Cotton and Linen comes from plants. Both Fabrics are cool and soft to the touch and comfortable. Silk is one of the oldest textiles fibers known to man. We get silk form silkworms. It is highly useful as dress materials and in curtains, pelmets and in cushions. Wool comes from fibers of animal coats, such as sheep, goats, rabbits, alpacas and llamas. Woolen fabrics are warm, have a soft feel, a fuzzy surface and a very little shine.

Different types of Man-Made Fabrics Nylon, Polyester, Rayon, Olefin,

Viscose and Acrylic fabrics are Man-Made fabrics. They are manufactured either as 100% synthetic or are blended with natural fabrics. The blends have a more natural feel to them, are easer to care for and have better fall than the natural ones. The synthetic fabrics are made from two chemicals, adipic acid (AA) and hexamethylene diamine (HMD). The two are mixed in equal proportion and then heated to 2850C. At this temperature, they react with each other to form AA-HMD.

Synthetic Fabrics : Nylon and Rayon

Nylon : It is very strong, elastic and looks good. It is used for indoor and outdoor clothing, for carpets and in furniture. It is also used in Parachutes, ropes, seat belts, tire cords, tarpaulins and hoses.

Rayon : It is beautiful and strong. It is used in clothing, home furnishing, tires and in bandages. It’s durability is so long.

Synthetic Fabrics : Poleyster and Olefin

Polyester : It is strong, wrinkle-resistant, retains heat-set crease, stays crisps and fresh in all weathers. It is used in all forms of clothing, home furnishing, tires, autos, sails and in many industrial tasks that requires fabric of strength and durability.

Olefin : It is strong and used for active and sportswear. It is also used in home furnishing, cars and trucks, ropes and in industrial carpets.

• The record’s of man’s use of Textiles, dates back thousands of years before the birth of Christ. Our knowledge of the early development in textiles is very meager as they are not evident through proper records. Textiles were first developed as a means for carrying food and as mats in shelter. Only in later stages it is used as clothing.

How Clothing

has Changed

With Time

• When early people realized they needed more than their own hair and skin to protect them from the weather, they looked around to see what was available. People lived in a cold climate, saw animals with skins that kept them warm. They hunted these animals for food and used the fur to cover their body.

Introduction to

Clothing

Early Development of Sewing And Fabric Once they started to hunt they used the skin of animals as

clothes. This skin when continuously used becomes harder and made difficult for them to hunt. For this purpose he started to treat the skin to preserve its softness. Later the bones of animals were used as needle and nerves were used as thread to stitch the hides. Ancient people used Grasses, reeds, leaves and stems to cover their body. He also learned to spin the fiber, convert it into yarn and these yarns are interlaced to form a cloth. Flax and wool were the first of the fiber to be used because they were easier to twist into yarn than cotton.

Introduced to More Methods They used the hair of animals as bed, in due

course, these hair tangled with each other and formed as a fabric. This method is only followed while making felt cloth. After thousands of years of wandering, people learned that they could live in one place with other humans and grow what they needed. This is known as an agrarian society. People learned how to spin bits of plants, reeds, horse hair, and bark into one continuous strand, or yarn. Then they discovered how to take these long pieces of yarn and weave them into fabric, just like they wove the grasses. People began to look around for other fibers they could use to make yarn. The cotton, wool, silk, and flax that they found are still the most common natural fibers today. Other fibers, such as alpaca from llamas and angora from rabbits, were discovered, but, even today, these fibers are too scarce and expensive to be widely used.

A Full Development Of Fabrics For thousands of years the four natural fibers used by

men are flax, wool, silk and cotton. Man made fibers were introduced only at the beginning of the 20th century. From ancient times to the middle of the 18th century. Spinning and weaving were-done by hand. Progress in this area culminated in the industrial revolution, which was the start of the Factory system and mars production. From Ancient times colors have been used in fabrics. Dyestuff from plants and insects were used until the synthetic dyes were discovered.

About Story Telling Aspect of Kathak

THE NAME “KATHAK” IS DERIVED FROM THE SANSKRIT WORD “KATHA” WHICH MEANS STORY AND “KATHAKAAR” WHICH MEANS STORY-TELLER. THE NAME “KATHAKAARS” WAS LATER SHORTENED TO “KATHAKS” TO DESCRIBES THESE STORY-TELLERS AND THIS FORM OF STORY-TELLING.

REFERENCES TO “KATHAKS” HAVE BEEN FOUND IN ANCIENT SCRIPTURES DATING AS FAR AS BACK THE 4TH CENTURY BC AND ALSO IN VARIOUS TEXT AND SCRIPTURES THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF HISTORY.

FROM THE ANCIENT ERA TO THE BHAKTI ERA, FROM THE BHAKTI ERA TO MUGHAL ERA, FROM THE MUGHAL ERA TO BRITISH ERA , FROM THE DIFFERENT GHARANAS ERA TO THE MODERN ERA, MODERN ERA IS GOING ON….

Kathak in The Ancient era As the name implies, this dance

originated in the temples of ancient northern India, where the priests would recite and emote out mythological stories and accompany them with hand gestures and facial expressions. This form of story-telling was adopted by the story-tellers in the temples, streets and various gathering and evolved into a earlier version of the dance form that was passed on from generations to generations.

KATHAK IN THE BHAKTI ERA

The Bhakti movement during the medieval age brought new influences of devotion and love to Kathak. Dances to stories of Radha-Krishna and other Hindu Gods were incorporated into dance forms. Bhakti style of music by saints and teachers of that era were also infused into Kathak. While performing the dance they concentrates on Radha-Krishna and other Hindu gods. They wore simple Dresses in Bhakti Era as Compare to Ancient Era.

Kathak in the Mughal era IN MUGHAL ERA, KATHAK

EXPERIENCED A METAMORPHISM AND WAS BROUGHT TO THE COURTS OF THE MUGHAL KINGS. THE PERSIAN INFLUENCE ADDED INTRICATE FOOTWORK, SPECTACULAR SPINS AND EXQUISITE EXPRESSIONS THAT ARE THE MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DANCE FORMS AS WE KNOW IT TODAY. THE MUSIC AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS ACCOMPANY THE DANCERS WERE ALSO INFLUENCED BY THE PERSIAN MUSIC AND CULTURE.

Kathak in Different Gharnas Era

Different Gharanas or schools of Kathak were

formed in the later part of Mughal Era and continue

till Modern times. The most popular ones are

Lucknow Gharanas, Jaipur Gharanas and Banaras

Gharanas. Each have their own distinguishing

styles.

The Lucknow Gharanas was formed by the

descendents Bindadin Maharaja, who was brought

to the Mughal court by Wajid Ali Shah, Nawab of the

Awadh in the early 19th century. This Gharana is

characterized by grace or nazakat, emoting or

abhinaya and elegance and intricacies of movement

and footwork. P.T Birju Maharaja is the seventh

generations of this illustrious Gharana. The Jaipur

Gharana was formed by Rajput courts in Rajasthan

This Gharana sees an increased use of the

Pakhawaj, "parans" that use pakhawaj bols  and

overall more emphasis on "Nritta" or the technical

aspect of Kathak.

Kathak In The Modern Era The post Independence Era

brought a lot of respect and recognition to Kathak. The Indian government promoted and facilitated various classical dance forms and provided sports and opportunities for may classical dancers to practice and propagate their art. Many reputable Kathak schools were establish throughout the India as well as non-resident  Indian communities throughout the world. Each Kathak dancers has lent their own style, identity and newer dimensions to this art form. They have experimented with music, and formats to make Kathak a truly international art… an artistic confluence of modernity and tradition.

Shiv Kavitt Mudras

Shiv Kavitt Positions

Shiv Kavitt Bolso DIMIK DIMIK DIMI

DAMROO BAJEo SHEESH GANG

ARDHANGVIRAJEo UMA RAMA HARI SUR

SAB SAJHEo KAR TRISHUL DAMROO

LIYE NACHEo SHIV CHAM CHAMCHAMo SHIV CHAM CHAMCHAMo SHIV CHAM CHAMCHAM