Thai Art
Upon entering Arunee, a Thai cuisine restaurant, we were greeted by a waitress with ambient colors and native Thai decorations in the background. All around the restaurant were Thai artwork, namely embroidery, paintings, photos, and attire.
As with other ethnicities, Thailand has a respective belief system. In almost all religions, there are important religious figures, idols, and symbols. In Thailand, one of the main religions that are practiced is Hinduism. In this religion, there many Gods who represent life values and qualities. For example, this cross-stitch embroidery is of Laksmi, the Wife of Vishnu and giver of well-being. Other religious figures that are unique to Thailand are the “Thai Gold Leaf” religious figures.
One of the largest pieces of artwork in the entire restaurant was a picture of an elephant that was dressed in religious garments. For many years, Asian elephants have been a talisman to Thailand because of their past influence on the country. Sangduen Challert, founder of the Elephant Nature Park said, “The elephant has so much importance in Thai history. They saved our kingdom by helping out military to fight wars.” In Thailand, the elephant represented strength, wisdom, and victory.
The “Chada” is a traditional Thai head garment that is usually only used for important events. It is a gold rigid hat with unique designs that is often worn with other traditional attire. Those who wear the “chada” are mostly performers or royalty.
Indian Forms of Art:
Fashion
2 Saris followed by 6 different types of Shalwar Kameez.
Indian attire radiates with such uniqueness, due to the use of bright colors and distinctive designs. Due to the geography of India, the weather in India is very tropical. The mild and tropical weather bears an influence on Indian attire. One of the most traditional Indian attire for females is the Sari. It is a lengthy and versatile drape that has very unique designs and styles. It is worn by wrapping it around the body methodically multiple times. The colors, designs, and materials may vary depending on which area in India it is worn in. The cardigans and shawls that may be worn with saris and other traditional garments are hand-woven from Indians from the North, such as the Punjabis, with their impressive handicraft. Many of the designs on saris include golden zari strips woven onto the individual garments in various patterns and styles.
But even though the sari is the most traditional attire for Indian women, the most popular form of attire that is favored by Indian women is the Shalwar Kameez. This form of attire is made by a simple combination: the shalwar, which is a pair of loose trousers, and the kameez, which is a long and loose shirt. The Shalwar Kameez is usually worn with a dupatta, which is a very long scarf that covers the head or is simply worn around the neck. If you have watched any Bollywood movie, then you have already seen this Indian attire because many Bollywood actresses wear them in movies. The shalwar kameez is usually seen in the Northwestern part of India, but can also be commonly found in Pakistan or Afghanistan.
Shalwar Kameez
The Indian attire for women is not complete without jewelry. Jewelry in India completes the traditional attire for Indian women because the gold and silver colors complement the gold, unique, and artistic designs on saris, shalwar kameezes, etc. In India, a special design called the “lac” is incrusted on various bangles and bracelets, which are two of the most common forms of jewelry worn in India. Other forms of jewelry, such as earrings, nose rings, armlets, necklaces and anklets also add to the unique Indian appearance.
A large collection of Indian jewelry, such as bangles, bracelets, and necklaces.
Special Indian bangles that have the "Lac" design incrusted onto them.
In a similar manner, there are different types of attire for Indian men. The Sherwani is familiar to areas in South Asia. It is a long garment that often looks like a long coat. The sherwani first originated as a formal attire of the Indian royals in the 18th century. It is currently known as the national dress of Pakistan and is commonly associated with the Indian Muslim aristocracy. It is also worn during formal events. Like the shalwar kameez for women, the men also wear a shalwar, the loose trousers, under the sherwani.
While the Sherwani is considered to be more of a formal type of attire, the kurta is more traditional attire worn in India, Paskistan, Bangladesh, and a few other countries. Kurtas are very much similar to the shalwar kameez of women. It is simply a loose shirt that falls right above the knees, which is much shorter than the kameez of women, and is worn with a shalwar. It is made of a lighter material compared to that of the Sherwani and unlike the Sherwani, the Kurta is considered casual attire, but may also be used for formal events.
Music
Bollywood refers to the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry in India. Together with other Indian film industries, they would form the largest industry in the world in terms of the number of films produced and number of tickets sold. The term “Bollywood” comes from the combination of the name Bombay (a city that is now called Mumbai) and Hollywood (the film industry in the United States). Bollywood films are usually musicals that last up to about three hours. In a typical Bollywood movie, there must be at least one song-and-dance number. The plots of Bollywood movies are often melodramatic. Some plots include: star-crossed lovers, corrupt politicians, twins separated at birth, conniving villains, angry parents, courtesans with hearts of gold, dramatic reversals of fortune, and convenient coincidences. 
