Kurta Stories

Everwel kurta shop, men's collection
The Kurta Has Many Names: Panjabi, Pathani, Lucknowi
Ask for a kurta in Kolkata and you may be handed a panjabi. A short map of the family: the panjabi, the Pathani, the Lucknowi chikan and the rest. Read more...
Pastels collection banner: powder blue, blush pink and mint kurtas on ivory linen
Pyjama Is an Indian Word
Say pyjamas in London or Toronto and you are saying a Persian word that came through Hindustani. How the pajama in your kurta pajama set gave English its word. Read more...
Inside the Everwel kurta shop: wooden shelves of folded kurtas, a counter, and a rack of hanging garments
Eight Things You May Not Know About the Kurta
The word is Persian, the pyjama is Indian, and Bengal calls it a panjabi. Eight small facts about the kurta, each checked against more than one source. Read more...
A grandfather offers his finger to his baby grandson, dressed in his first ivory kurta, on the family's Diwali evening
One Kurta, Every Stage of a Life
From a baby's first Diwali to a grandfather's easy kurta, here is a life told through the kurtas in it, and why the same garment keeps fitting. Read more...
A father and son in cream kurta pajama laughing in a courtyard lit with diyas on Diwali evening
Why the Kurta Never Goes Out of Style in India
From nomadic Central Asian tunics to a Diwali puja, a sangeet and an office festive Friday: a short story of why one simple shape has lasted. Read more...