Just as the national bird of Kerala is Mosquito, her national dress is Lungi. Pronounced as Lu as in loo and ngi as in mongey, a lungi can be identified by its floral or window-curtain pattern. Mundu is the white variation of lungi and is worn on special occasions like hartal or bandh days, weddings and Onam.
Lungi is simple and down to earth like the mallu wearing it. Lungi is the beginning and the end of evolution in its category. Wearing something on the top half of your body is optional when you are wearing a lungi. Lungi is a strategic dress. Its like a one-size-fits- all bottoms for Keralites.The technique of wearing a lungi/mundu is passed on from generation to generation through word of mouth like the British Constitution. If you think it is an easy task wearing it, just try it once! It requires techniques like breath control and yoga that is a notch higher than sudarshan kriya of AOL. A lungi/mundu when perfectly worn wont come off even in a quake of 8 on the richter scale. A lungi is not attached to the waist using duct tape, staple, rope or velcro. Its a bit of mallu magic whose formula is a closely guarded secret like the Coca Cola chemicals.