Demystifying turbans

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Pagadi installations at NSD by theatre director Dinesh Yadav

Apart from a faint recollect in a remote village in Rajasthan, just prior to a wedding, loud wails can be heard from the bride’s house. As one glimpses inside the house, one can hear a man pleading to another that he doesn’t have more money for dowry and that his daughter’s life is now at the other’s mercy.

The other man doesn’t care much. Finally, the helpless father takes his pagadi (turban) and puts it down in front of the groom’s father and asks him to go ahead with the wedding.
Evolving through the centuries with a complex of physical, cultural and historical factors, the turban became symbolic of chivalry, honour and brotherhood.
“Belonging to Rajasthan, I have always seen people around me in various kinds of turbans. In addition, I travelled and spent a long time with Manganiyars, who wear turban in a certain manner. Within the state, there are around 35 ways of tying a turban,” says Dinesh Yadav, who directed a contemporary theatrical show, Pagadi on the tradition of turbans in India, with integrated elements of theatre, dance and music, staged at National School of Drama.
With folk tunes of Rajasthan in the background and the bright turbans of various kinds crowding the stage, the eyes were in for a major treat. “A waiter at the Indian Coffee House always wears a red turban to maintain his identity in the place. A dulha’s turban is decorative and tied in a royal manner to attract attention. Similarly, the elders in Rajasthan always wear a white pagadi. A turban has become symbolic of class, caste and status. Therefore, we use ‘pagadi ucchal di’ to denote a blow to the honour of men,” explains Yadav.
In his novel endeavour Yadav, was ably assisted by pagadi designer, Awantilal P. Chawla. “A plain cloth can be manifested to create an array of turbans, all differing in shapes and way it is tied,” smiles Awantilal Chawla.
“My idea of theatre is popularising theatre as a form of entertainment, and the eventual goal is putting all creative forms on an equal platform. This new experimental operatic production is a small step in this direction. Project Pagadi will be a catalyst for the beginning of a whole new movement across the region, aimed towards developing respect for traditions and each other’s faith and cultural beliefs,” concludes Yadav.