Dhoti
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The dhoti is a style of Indian men's wear. A rectangular piece of cloth, it is wrapped in a complex manner about the waist and legs and is usually white or cream in color, though black and darker hues are often used to create more vivid ensembles. There are more than 60 different ways of wearing it.
In northern India, it is worn with a Kurta on top, the combination known simply as "Dhoti Kurta".
The dhoti is associated by many with Mahatma Gandhi, who invariably wore one on public occasions. The genteel Bengali man, stereotyped as a "Bengali Babu," is seen in popular culture as wearing expensive perfumes, a light kurta and his prized dhoti whilst feverishly discussing politics and literature.
The dhoti has status as formal wear in most of India, but is less and less popular among men in major metropolises. Indeed, even in Kolkata, where for the past century and a half it has been extremely fashionable, use of the dhoti as an item of daily-wear has decreased substantially. An example is in the posh countryclubs of Calcutta in which certain areas of the institutions require strict formal dresscodes: the two options are a semi-formal grouping shirt and pants or a dhoti-kurta. Nowadays, as opposed to recent decades, for the most part, men will be seen to be dressed in the former. In certain contexts (for many Indians those of a more 'Westernised' nature) it may not even be viewed as suitable for formal wear due to the prevalence of the international 'suit and tie', particularly in corporate business. Thus, the dhoti for many has taken on a more cultural nuance while the ubiquitous suit-and-tie or, in less formal occasions, shirt and pants, is seen as the standard formal and semi-formal wear.
The dhoti is also very prevalent in the southern part of India. In the state of Tamil Nadu it is called 'veshti' and is plainly wrapped around the waist by men. This way of wearing it is also prevalent in the neighbouring states of Kerala and Karnataka. Many politicians of the south, such as H. D. Deve Gowda, are also seen wearing the dhoti, reflecting the gear of the common man. The dhoti is considered to be ideal for the hot tropical summer weather in India. In the south, however, a shirt is worn on the top in combination with the dhoti.
Dhotis are also used by westeners; mainly by followers of the International Society for Krishna Conciousness (ISKCON), also known as the "Hare Krishna's".