Wrap it around in style

Just as the Indian bride is incomplete without the traditional bridal attire and jewellery, the Indian groom’s ensemble is incomplete without the traditional pagdi. The pagdi is the prominent headgear that lends the groom the quintessential bridal look and has been an inherent part of our culture and tradition for centuries now.

Different parts of India have different types of pagdis ranging from the Topor in West Bengal to the Pheta of Maharashtra. Whatever the colour or form- the pagdi is the most distinguishing feature of a groom’s outfit in India which adds an element of royalty to the ensemble. But, wait! It is no more only a groom’s thing now. Even youngsters are flaunting this headgear quite often – in their friend’s weddings, college events, etc.

Vandy Mehra, group director of Study By Janak, said, “Youngsters are ready to experiment by going back to their roots and adopting it in their style and that’s how pagdis have got the attention. Indian weddings call for pagdis and saafas where elders put them on in order to make the attire more interesting and colourful.”
“Pagdis have been a part of the ancient India, like Hazari, Panhazari, Senapati, Jahagidar, etc.

Mostly they are worn with kurta payjamas, nehru jackets with dhotis’, dogri sets or sherwanis. In terms of fabrics, cotton and mix of satin looks nice and graceful. Tissue and organza are also good options for pagdis as well,” said Vandy.

Pagdis are differently tied in different parts of the country. For instance, in Jodhpur, Rajputs wear pagdis with five different colours called the Pancharangi turban. In West Bengal, the groom wears a topor which has a conical shape and is made out of sholapith and is white in colour.

The other pagdi styles includes Kolhapuri pagdi, the Puneri pagdi and the Mawali Magadi. Another popular style of pagdi is the Mahatma Phule pagdi which gets its name from the Maharashtrian reformer. Another very different style is the Mysore pagdi which is worn in Kodagu and Mysore.

Another designer Anuradha Raman, said, “Nowadays, youngsters are really inspired by the traditional attires. They find it ‘cool’ to inherit their traditions. Like girls wear saree to show their traditional side ad to get maximum compliments, boys too don this headgear to look ‘cool’ and show the world that they too care about the culture. Also, pagdis make them ‘feel’ like the Maharajas.”

“The most common way to wear a pagdi is to just wear it and let its trail fall till the hip or one can also pull it onto the left shoulder. The only thing to be kept in mind is to use a very thin fabric otherwise the pagdi will become quite huge. One can also wear a pagdi just like a topi without trail,” added Anuradha.