The biggest employer in India — the Indian Railways — has signed up fashion designer Ritu Beri to create new uniforms for its employees.
The designer recently presented four themes based on Indian ethos and culture that can be used for the uniforms of members of its staff, which has a strength numbering over a million. She also suggested during a presentation in front of Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu that the ministry could run a competition to get feedback from citizens and staff.
The four options suggested by her are:
Tribal Art: India has a wide variety of tribal art forms, many of which are already used in clothes, upholstery, and home furnishings.
Some popular tribal art include Warli folk painting, Tanjore art, Madhubani painting, Pattachitra painting, Rajasthani miniature painting, and Kalamezhuthu.
We could soon see railway employees, including the station master, loco pilot, train ticket examiner and guards, in clothes with such designs.
Rusty coins and currency of the 'golden period:' The time of the Gupta empire i.e. 4th to 6th century is known as the golden period for India because of the massive progress achieved in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, science, religion and philosophy.
Nawab period: A nawab was a title given to princes by the Mughal emperor. The nawab culture ended in India only after Independence.
Pop art: This theme is expected to include everyday elements of culture, business, music and entertainment. Indian pop art has bloomed in the fashion industry recently with many companies like Chumbak and Tota Myna creating designs that fuse Indian culture and graphic design elements.
The railways minister will carry out consultations with stakeholders, including the unions in the ministry, over the change in uniform. The ministry is also expected to set up a committee to evaluate design, study different options, pricing and suitability, an official statement said in Delhi.
