TAMIL NADU, INDIA, December 27, 2002: South India is the treasure trove of silk saris with gold embroidery — the six yards of fabric has been draped in styles seen today for centuries. However, today many younger women feel it’s too cumbersome for daily wear. Younger girls for centuries have worn the half sari (pavadai thavani) consisting of a skirt and half a sari draped around the body. It is very elegant and something that mothers and grandmothers wanted their daughters to wear, especially at weddings. But the thavani is no longer popular, not even the pattu pavadai or silk long skirt. A sure indicator is that new malls coming up all across Tamil Nadu no longer display saris or thavanis on their mannequins. An entire generation of teenagers have taken to Western and north Indian attire. On college campuses, jeans and salwar kameez can be seen everywhere.
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