Manpriya Singh
Unfortunately, once again the debate is not over terrorism, poverty or climate change. None of that; we have issues far more important. For instance, the outfits worn to the Parliament and the selfies taken outside it!
Yes, under the spotlight are newly elected MP’s of Trinamool Congress, Mimi Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan, for wearing western outfit to the Parliament of India. Not the first ones to do so though, as the debate immediately ferried us back to 2008 when Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wore trousers and white shirt to Parliament to hear her brother Rahul Gandhi’s speech during the trust vote debate.
What’s the fuss?
While those from the design fraternity applauded, many back then gave a thumbs-down to the outfit in context of the occasion. It’s no different this time. Film and theatre actress Aahana Kumra, who has herself essayed the role of Priyanka Gandhi in The Accidental Prime Minister, feels while there should definitely be a protocol, there should be no brouhaha over the issue. “Protocol is a good thing and one must follow it too. But I’m not very sure about making Indian outfits compulsory. Because the big question is does wearing Indian clothes make you Indian and not wearing them un-Indian? One can totally be dressed in ethnic or traditional wear and still be un-Indian at the core.”
In support
While the trollers have judged them on a very public platform, many netizens jumped to the defense too, including the ladies themselves. With Chakraborty saying in an interview, “I represent the youth and they would be proud that I wear what they do.”
“Wear saree in Parliament. You look like a tourist there,” one wrote on Nusrat’s image wherein she can be seen wearing a peplum top and trousers in wine colour. Another was quick to defend, “Young millennial women dress just like Nusrat and Mimi did.”
Silent code
We know how The Indian Parliament is a sartorially conservative place to be, where unsaid rules apply, especially when it comes to dress codes. Almost all of the women MP’s have officially adopted saree or salwar kameez. For men, the debate never arose though; safari suit, kurta pyjama, and, of course, dhoti and lungi have been seen around and accepted with both arms.
Prim & proper
It must also be noted that it was in 2013 that Turkey lifted the ban over women wearing trousers to its Parliament. May be the incident lifts the ban completely for Indian Parliament or puts one in place!
Ritu Kochhar, corporate director, INIFD, feels the debate should be more about appropriate versus inappropriate, rather than Indian vs Western. “One should be able to wear whatever they want to wear as long as one follows the rules and does not breech propriety. For instance, we all dress differently to office, to a coffee date or to a corporate meeting. One can be indecent in any outfit and at the same time decent in Western outfit as well.”
Personally speaking, she’d like to wear something that suits the place, the people, the gathering and the gentry. Factor in the era too. The times that are changing and the social media that is ever so watchful…trolls ever so cruel!
From across the world
In 2017, British Parliament dropped ties, as a form of concession to modernity. Is it essential that a member wear a tie, asked the speaker John Bercow, further adding how members needed to dress in a business-like attire, but that’s about it. Thereby making way for debates by male members, but now without the precondition of a tie. That’s business causal, officially.
Elsewhere in the United States, Donald Trump on coming to power, obsessed about dress code at instances more than one. Starting with his female staff being asked to dress like women and in the Parliament, well, we all remember the noise that media across the world made when US’ House of Representatives barred several people from entering the Speaker’s Lobby because of outfits “inappropriate” for Parliament. Summer temperatures, changing times, of course, unwritten dress codes were all cited in defence. But outfits have always made more news than agendas. Ask Hina Rabbani whose sartorial choices made more headlines than the purpose of her visit as a Pakistan Minister!
manpriya@tribunemail.com
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2Xep48N
via Today’s News Headlines
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