Shorts

Based on true events.

I had gone to my relative's home for Pooja. Their teenage boy was supposed to be performing the Pooja. When I reached their home, I witnessed of family argument. The parents were asking their son to wear traditional outfits. But there son only wanted to wear shorts and t-shirt. The parents were explaining how shorts are inappropriate for the Pooja. After a long convincing session, the parents had finally suggeated to wear anything other than shorts. They were okay with him to wear trackpants, jeans, trousers, or any other outfit which are not shots. But the teenager was really stubborn and he had decided that either he will wear shorts or he will not sit for the pooja. Finally the parents had given up. They asked their son not to set for the pooja and they themselves carried out the pooja.

This is reality of today. I have seen this attitude among a lot of people. They want to wear shorts for every occasion. They are not even interested in trying any other type of outfit saying that those outfits would be "uncomfortable". This is not only limited to the teenagers but this attitude is among a lot of other age group as well. When because of their inappropriate attire they are asked to not enter any place or not attend any ritual they get offended and play the victim. However what they do not understand is that the fault is in their outfit which is not appropriate for each and every occasion.

Now don't get me wrong. I am in complete favour of comfortable outfits. However there are more than one type of comfortable outfits. Shorts are extremely comfortable, so are cotton pants, cotton trousers, wide leg jeans, cargoes, Indian traditional dhoti, and the list will go on. Even with women we have even more options as compared with the men. We can wear dresses, skirts, in addition to the Western attire that I had suggested for men. It is all about not restricting yourself to one type of outfit.

Another most important aspect is understanding the occasion and the place. For every occasion or for every place there are some set of rules for outfits. If those rules are not followed then the entry to that place or occasion will be restricted. Hence it is a basic courtesy to respect the place or occasion along with the set rules.

I have also seen a lot of people say that the dress codes restrict their "freedom of expression". Then I would ask a few questions to them: will you wear shorts to a job interview and risk getting rejected? Will you wear shorts to a 5 star hotel and risk being humiliated and thrown out of it? If your answer is no then obviously you did understand the rules of dress code. In that case why does dressing appropriately for religious ceremony and religious places restrict your "freedom of expression"?

A lot of people also claim that the restriction is only in India. This is certainly not true. In a lot of countries which are culturally rich will definitely impose a dress code. If you are not dressed appropriately for that place, your entry would be banned. Hence do not connect the dress code to the Indian society, patriarchy, or orthodox thinking. In fact dress codes indicate sophistication, cultural heritage, and rich traditions.

In the end I would like to say that it is essential to dress up appropriately for the occasion. It is not only the right way but it shows your respect to the culture. If you do not want to respect the culture then do yourself a favour: stay away from any cultural or religious activity.