[Y-Indology] adoption of English measures (Was: How long is "the length of a bow"?)

[Guest guest]

Dear Allen,

 

My interests have been in the anthropology/Indology of

Tantra, with forays into Hindu/Buddhist meditation and

 

visualization systems. So I see Indian culture as

"non-modern"--a la Ashis Nandy: thus bypassing

contemporary modernity/Westernity (sic) discourses.

 

In other words, that's one way of appreciating the

virtuosity of such tailors and others....

 

Warmly,

 

Prem

 

(Dr. Prem Saran, IAS)

 

--- Allen W Thrasher <athr wrote:

 

> "When the refugees from Sindh arrived in our region,

> many Sindhi

> women used to work as seamstresses. They used to

> measure a gaj

> (yard) as the distance between the tip of the nose

> and tip of the

> middle finger of the extended hand, in addition to

> using angul etc.

>

> I don't remember people complaining about the fit."

>

> An American lady who had spent many years in Indian

> remarked on the ability of Indian tailors to do a

> choli that fit perfectly purely by sight of the

> client, without any measurement, however gingerly

> and modest.

>

> Allen

>

>

>

>

> Allen W. Thrasher, Ph.D.

> Senior Reference Librarian

> Southern Asia Section

> Asian Division

> Library of Congress

> Jefferson Building 150

> 101 Independence Ave., S.E.

> Washington, DC 20540-4810

> tel. 202-707-3732

> fax 202-707-1724

> athr

> The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect

> those of the Library of Congress.

>

>

 

 

 

 

 

 

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