Dress maketh a man

I am used to wearing my Veshti (dhoti) for Vedic chantings that we do regularly at the temple, and elsewhere.  Not the usual casual way, but as Panchakacham ( 5 yards), that traditional form of wearing , that is disappearing faster than the MLAs of AAP. You can safely consider me as one of those "shameless morons" , who does not bat an eyelid, walking out in Panchakacham on the roads of Singapore, and in buses. (How dare I!)

Today being a Sunday, we had Suryanamaskara Mantram chantings at a friend's place. I got up late, as usual, and rushed in my hastily clad panchakacham. I  must admit I do a decent job of it, in less than 2 minutes, no mean achievement, if you know what I mean. Most of us men, who venture into Panchakacham, will appreciate the nuances involved in wearing one. The proportions to the right and left of the fabric have to be right. And on top of it, even if you know how to wear one, the pleats will have to be laid out as meticulously as in wearing a saree, otherwise, the zari tends to get hidden away, and you could easily end up looking like an elephant who has entered a circus tent by mistake!

Back to today morning. I hopped on to a taxi, and rushed to complete what I had set out - which is, some exhilarating moments of divine Vedic chanting. As soon as I was done, I decided something that I have never done - to ride the Metro ( MRT), for my return trip back home. Just for the heck of it. I wanted to see people's reactions, on spotting " the odd one out" on the rails. Call it my own curiosity, or my answer to Arvind Kejriwal's attention grabbing antics, or what have you.

I was not disappointed. The local people scanned me from head to toe. Though none uttered a word, I could see the reactions in their eyes. Ranging from curiosity to amusement. For the fellow Indian riders, as expected, reactions ranged from happiness for some oldies ( their eyes seem to say " wow! Here comes a guy who dares to flaunt our tradition in public!"), to amusement, to sheer indignation (" desi ka izzat uthaarne aaya hai saala!"- which essentially means " he is out to discredit Indians, by wearing such outdated dresses in public. What a Shame!"). Some even looked at me as if I was a creature from another planet! An ET in a Panchakacham, as it were. ;)

I had wanted it just this way. A quiet but perverse enjoyment of the situation was running inside me. I wanted to be the cynosure, right or wrong, and I had clearly succeeded.

I stepped out of the train, and started walking in the hot sun. The kind of feeling that a Panchakacham gives, has to be felt. The only portion where you realize that there is a piece of clothing on you, is the waist. Below that, you would end up feeling as if there is no cloth on you at all. I mean, it gets as cool as that - quite literally. The more I wear, the more I realize how right our ancestors were, with the Panchakacham, at a time there were no ACs or fans to cool the body. Panchakacham, to me, is the perfect answer to keeping the body airy and ventilated, in the hot Indian summers. At this point, I am tempted to add " I guess it feels the same when the ladies wear the madisaar", but I am mindful of the " how do you know? Have you ever worn a madisaar? Do you have any idea of the difficulties we ladies face when wearing one?" type of torrential rantings, so I am staying away from that.

As I ambled towards home, an elderly couple walked passed me. The man must have been at least a couple of decades elder to me. But as he neared me, he folded his hands in a Namaste posture, and greeted me " Namaskaram, Panthulugaaru!"   In Telugu, that means " salutations, Panditji!". I smiled back at him with a return "Namaste!", and got back home, before the sun could get the better of me.

Wow! In an instant, I had been "elevated" to a Pandtiji! I know very clearly in my mind, that I am not one. Nor do I deserve that respect, matter-of-factly. However, today's escapade reminded me of some time-tested tenets:

1. As the proverb goes,  " ஆள் பாதி , ஆடை பாதி".  Dress maketh a man. Whether one likes it or not, the first impression of the individual gets formed from the form factor, and that includes the dress.
2. It is very easy to misjudge people by prejudices arising from the dress that they wear. It is easy to misplace respect and adulation on people, merely because of their dress. In the same manner, it is easy to ignore, condemn or deride "ill-dressed" people. The worst scoundrel can be dressed nicely in a suit. (Or even in a Panchakacham!). Conversely, a gem of a person can be hidden in a simple kurta or cotton saree from Khadi. In either cases, the wrong opinion and prejudice can be formed in no time, merely based on external appearance. And the dress one wears, contributes. In a big way. And that includes the Panchakacham.  

Photo: courtesy, the Internet