Hyderabad, TELANGANA :
Hyderabad :
While the colourful lungi is fast disappearing giving way to the trendy Bermudas, the casual wear is making a comeback among certain communities in the Pearl City.
Sale of imported Yemeni lungis or Futah (also called Izaar in Saudi Arabia) has more than doubled during the holy month of Ramzan in Barkas, the area where Arab-origin Hy derabadis reside in Old City.
While big shops in the area have recorded a whopping 60-70 per cent rise in the sale of lungis, small-scale textile dealers say that there is a 50 per cent rise in demand for lungis.
“The lungis form part of our identity,” said 23-year-old Khaled Umar, who doesn’t mind shelling out some extra bucks for it.
Young or old, every male in Barkas prefers the Arab lungis along with full or half-sleeved shirts over any other dress. This is said to be the reason for the spurt in sale of the simple casual wear during Ramzan.
“People gift lungis to their relatives in Barkas and elsewhere during Ramzan and Eid, and a customer will order for multiple number of lungis,” said Md Sarfaraz Khan, a dealer.
Though the price range of lungis starts from Rs 350, high-quality Futahs cost up to Rs 7,000.But, one needs to be extremely careful in handling the lungis. “They are not for rough use. They should be cleaned with care and not squeezed too hard, or else small holes may appear,” said the shop-owner, whose great grandfather, like many other residents of Barkas was brought to Hyderabad as soldiers in the Nizam’s Army.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Aishik Chanda / June 20th, 2016