Liberty to Dress, Body & Mind

A random car ride, a casual conversation and voila… I have fodder for my editorial. 

Lata Kare, a 67-year-old sari clad grandmother runs barefoot in marathons because she feels comfortable; Milind Soman promoted a saree run in Mumbai to advocate fitness in women. To quote, We want women to run in whatever they wear and the way they are dressed, be it sarees, salwar kameez or the hijabs… The idea is to inculcate the fitness habit in their comfort wear."

We are a country of diversity – religion, rituals, food, attire etc. But are we a country of tolerant diversity if we are unwilling to accept anyone different from us?

After a good yoga session, I offered to drop a new friend home. As we drove away, she donned a pre-pinned sari in the car and covered her head before reaching home. She looked at me, maybe expecting a surprised look or remark. My lack of surprise or rather, my non reaction surprised her ðŸ˜Š. She had frequently got the look whenever her friends had seen her donning the sari for her in-laws house. Along with the typical reaction. “Why is an emancipated, well-educated, working professional like you adhering to such restrictive practices!!!” How to explain that she was just more comfortable doing so…

Having heard it often, she expects the onslaught but I’m sure is not immune to the pain unwittingly inflicted on her. Since when is a liberated state of mind connected to what we wear?

When I go for my yoga or my walk in my long track pants, is the woman jogging in hot pants or doing yoga in shorts more liberated than me? Or, when we wear our traditional attire to visit our religious places or participate in rituals, are we leaving liberation behind and stepping back into the 18th century? Does this make the 67-year-old, sari clad marathoner a totally repressed woman?

Our nation is witness to millions of women wearing saris to work, whether it’s my house cleaning help or the scientists who put Chandrayaan 2 in orbit to our current Finance Minister! Its only comfort wear and not a reflection of their liberation.

So friends, let’s take off this mask of liberation that we have dressed ourselves with! We’ll be truly liberated when we don’t raise an eyebrow at colleagues wearing a burkha to work, traditionally attired women travelling abroad and yes, at women swimming in full body suit in the pool! It’s their comfort zone. They’re probably more liberated of mind than us as they have shaken off many a shackles to reach where they are.

Au Revoir…

August 2019

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