Letters to the Editor
View(s):Draped in six yards of ‘nationalism’: Is it worth the effort?
I expect you would have come across the recent news article on how a lady faced her death because her saree got caught up in the motorcycle wheel, on her way to work. This generated some discussion on some social media platforms and some people were quick to point out that she should have been more mindful. Well, to those people I say, they should try wearing a saree to work.
A saree is not the safest dress to wear on a motorcycle, or public transport for that matter or on the usual pot-holed streets of the country or going up and down a staircase or even simply walking along the office floor. You cannot expect someone to be focused on their work if they also have to be mindful of where the pieces of their dress are at all times. It is counter-productive and exhausting. The lady on the bike was not the first one to pay for wearing something that parts of the society ‘think’ she should be wearing to work and she definitely won’t be the last one.
Safety
If you’ve used public transport you would have experienced women getting off crowded buses holding on to their belongings while their saree train is still squeezing through the footboard crowd after they’ve gotten off. And there have been incidents where this has led to women being dragged along as the bus took off. If you are like me and have to work with equipment, even if it’s just a photocopy machine, then again the saree is not designed for that. Nor is it designed to be worn while carrying things may it be our belongings, bags, files, paperwork, boxes or laptops because you only get to use one hand (along with your chest or chin) to carry them, since you need the other to hang on to the loose ends of the saree.
Economy
Sarees are expensive! Buying a saree also requires you to buy more cloth for the jacket, lining and skirt. Which you then have to wash, dry, iron and then pay a visit to your seamstress which could cost as much as the saree itself. Perhaps a fit-on and a collection trip all of which costs you extra. If you’ve ever paid a visit to a saree shop in Chennai you would know whose industries you are promoting. On the other hand if you want to be patriotic and buy Sri Lankan, six yards of cotton or handloom could easily triple your cost. Those who do not have to wear sarees to work could afford a whole week’s supply of outfits for the same price.
Decency
Our common perception of the saree is that of a ‘decent dress’ so much so that most schools strictly enforce their own laws on parents to wear it, just in case the young boys find it hard to contain themselves.
Shouldn’t we be teaching boys some decency and not to disrespect people based on their attire?
It reflects our culture
Does it really? Just because the trouser/skirt & blouse combination is purely western, doesn’t make the saree any more nationalistic, it’s still foreign. And it doesn’t suit our hot and humid climate, again it’s counter-productive for the workforce. You want people to be reasonably comfortable when they are at work, so that they can do their jobs properly, instead of fanning themselves and checking up and straightening parts of their wayward clothing.
So what’s the alternative?
The alternative has to be something that is safe to wear (no dangling bits), economical, climate-friendly and promotes our own industries. I’m sure we can come up with a simple, elegant and decent design that suits our cultural values and serves the country in on all counts. We have some excellent products based on cotton, linen, handloom and batik industries. Isn’t that worth a thought? After all, the government circular regulating the attire of government sector employees dates back to 1989, and outlines that men and women need to wear the national dress, but goes on to give several other options for men such as the western shirt, trouser and tie and also some obscure dress codes such as jodhpur and dhoti. However, for women it’s only the foreign born ‘national dress’.
Dr S. Jayawardhana Via email