Called also by numerous other names, this saree draping style has been seen in several parts of rural Maharashtra and symbolizes in a way one of the foremost in work wear for traditional rural women! When in the eighteenth century, Maharashtra faced a massive drought and famine like situation, there was an emergent need to involve women as a part of the workforce in the fields alongside men, and that is where this pant style of saree draping evolved. It made the pallu drape shorter, often tucked inside the waistline and whose pant like (Kachchh) look became the manner in which sarees came to be worn by women of this region. The saree used in this drape, of course, is called as the Nauvari or the nine-yard saree whose extra yardage is what gives it the amazing look.The Kachcha look therefore is a proud reminder of how women in India have not been just as much a participant in the agricultural community, but have ridden horses to go to war, like Ahilyabai Holkar, Jijabai or even Rani Lakshmi bai.
The very look of the saree is so distinct that one feels like giving its drape a try and considering how fashions have evolved over time, there is a great deal of premium placed on going completely ethnic. It would indeed be a great idea to acquire a nine-yard saree and giving this style a try.
Here are some easy steps to tying the Kachcha or the dhoti style saree which may look rather complicated, but once followed carefully, all those steps fall into place with utter ease.
Take the saree length and tie a knot on the right side of your waist with one end of the saree and the border. The knot has to be rather tight.
Take the other end or the pallu end of the saree and drape it over your back and bring it to the front of your body to see what is the length that you need to leave for the pallu and leave only that much. Now tuck that portion on the left where you feel the saree is to be left adequately for pallu.
Now comes the pleating, begin making pleats from the length that is now in front of you. Remember the pleats ought to be facing left. Do not make short pleats, but around 4 inches wide. There will be plenty or pleats. Once you have taken the whole length that is in front of you, pull the extra fabric from the left and cover the pleats neatly like as if you were making a neat stack and the last pleat being the one that is the extra fabric left which goes on the neatly cover it. It helps in giving a very neat look at the hip.
This is the step in which you would have to take all the pleats right at the top, smoothing them out and make a bolster like roll on the top after rolling them over under the cloth, which is actually the lower layer of the saree that you had wrapped around when you were tying it at the first instance. This means that you do not tuck in the saree at all. It just stays right on top of the pleats, but as a bolster kind of roll.
Here is the step that gets you to make the Kachcha. You have to now spread your legs wide and bend down to take the middle portion of the pleats at the base. Bend down and pick up the central pleats–about three to four pleats should be enough and then holding the borders take it between the legs to the back, and before you tuck in ensure that the two borders form a neat linear pattern at the back. Remember this will be tucked over the pallu drape that you had taken from the back and brought to the front in the second step. In a way, thus securing your pallu and not allowing it to fall to the back.
Now come to the front once again. You will now see that there will be a lovely fall of pleats still at your feet and you will have to take the portion that is the curved end of that and pick it up and tuck it in at the waist on the right. You may cover your head with the pallu or you may not.
In the pictures below you can see how your saree should look from the front and the back.
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