Chattakari

Me in Chatta Mundu :)

This Sunday after service the Vicar of the church made some general announcements – As usual venues of prayer meetings , some Sunday school announcements and then after a pause he said that there was one particular topic which he wanted to discuss but was not too comfortable – but now when the topic of discussion has come on newspaper , its time for him to talk about it – it was being decently/modestly dressed in church for regular service or weddings :) The concern was raised after a high profile wedding in the church which happened a month back where the Bride was dressed in a wedding Gown which was not a fully covered and the bride’s mate and ushers were also wearing very short and not completely covered dresses . Btw wearing gown is still not common Syrian Orthodox Churches in Kerala  Vicar went on to say that hedoes not expect Brides to wear “Chatta Mundu” the traditional Christian dress worn by women, but wearing revealing gowns as sign of changing time is also not acceptable. Well after the service we all had good topic to discuss while waiting for Sunday school to get over ..”Chatta Mundu – Chatakari !” :)

Coincidentally I was wearing “Set Mundu” the traditional Hindu dress for women and I guess not many women wear it to church – I wore because that’s one of the most convenient and comfortable dress to wear in Kerala – and believe it or not Trivandrum these days is as Hot as Summer in North India , and Set Mundu is perfect wear for the sweaty summer in Kerala . Seeing me our friend Manoj said “ Looks like Simmi knew that Achan (Vicar) is going to talk about Chatta Mundu today ! “ 2 other Ladies told me that the dress suits me and its nice to see I (who is often seen in Jeans and Ts) wearing it , with Ezekiel in the sling hanging to me :) and then one lady asked don’t I feel uncomfortable wearing saree/set mundu while taking care of the little one ..I smiled and replied – got used to it :D and I believe its all there in your mind – being comfortable or uncomfortable for wearing what you wear :)

Coming back to the Chatta Mundu – when I hear the word “Chatta Mundu” pictures of my Grandmother (both mom’s and dad’s ) and my Valiyamma’s (Badi Mausi – Elder Sister again both my mom and my mom in law’s) the gone generation come to my mind) .. these days nobody wears Chatta Mundu – we have hardly 2 Ammachis (ladies in their 80s)wearing the dress – but I always wanted and still want to wear this traditional dress whenever possible .. infact after my Shaadi – when we went to meet MIL’s elder sister – Ammachi - I asked Miriamma Ammachi to teach me to wear the Mundu (the tricky part is the fan like Tail which I still don’t know how to wear) ; she` was way too happy to show me and made me wear her Chatta and Kavani .. think I was the only Daughter in law in the family who showed interest to wear the dress - and I had gone to visit her wearing T Shirt and Tracks – My point was and still is , I am modern but I would like to carry forward some of the traditions also – let it be about dressing , cooking, living style .. my drawback is the language – I just cant speak good Malayalam and yes I do feel ashamed about it .. but otherwise I can be a Pakka Nasarani Lady ! :D – am sure if more ladies show interest in wearing the Chatta Mundu , the dress form will evolve in terms of design and style the way it happened for Set Mundu and other traditional dresses in other parts of the country . Though I don’t agree to many things Vicar said on sudnay and I do feel Syrian Orthodox Church in Kerala needs lots of reforms and am not very comfortable with all the traditions , but I do feel proud to be part of the family – Chatta Mundu Kari or Chattakari !!

Update: Asianet News channel broadcast a special programme on this dress as part of their Christmas Special programmes on December 25, 2012