Life Style and fashion

Life style and fasion
People are so influenced that they take it over “come what may”

I am talking about way of life in the 1940’s India .
Pardah/veil was a sign of shyness, self respect and that respect of others. Heads, shoulders and down below the hips were always covered by ladies. It also avoided eye to eye contact with others. While going out of house, ladies had to cover their dress with an Overall called burqa which covered head to toe; in white or black, with screen wide enough for the eyes to see through). Ladies who felt discomfort in this dress, used to wrap around a large sheet. Elders used to show love and affection to ladies by patting on heads lowered by ladies.

All women, were observing traditional pardah; muslims in burqa, shalwar, qameez; Hindus in Sarees; Sikh with dupatta, kameez/shirts below knee.

Heads were covered by all muslim men with Turkey-cap, Rumi-cap, fabric cap/topi or turbine, sikhs in turbin and hindus topi.

Men and women - all communities - were communicating with each other very respectfully.

We are now in 2009 and see dresses going shorter and shorter day by day and becoming more and more expensive in the name of fashion of the day. Nobody cares for the other. They say, they are in a free world and like to live and enjoy their lives their way. They say time has changed. They will not listen to the seniors. This is a new world, new environment, and new culture. Forget the old obscure mysterious traditions. They don’t mind side-kicking faith and discipline.

Not very far back in the past, some fashion dressed by one person was widespread and taken over by others. It was in the form of:
- goggles; by name “GoGo” – large size circular classes. This is probably introduced by general Rani in the time of General Yahya Khan.
- Narrow and long-nose toe shoes – probably used by Michael Jackson. Girls and boys had to trim their feet by removing small finger to be comfortable with the shoe.
- Pants tight at the bottom very difficult for foot to go through- don’t remember who introduced but girls and boys adopted this. It was difficult for them to lift up their legs to ride a bus or van.

2009
If someone has seen clips of people moved to camps in fear of militants and for the army to move around freely in chase of militants; they must have seen women in “burqa” and “chadar” and how they communicated with the press.

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