Lungi Madness

---

Yesterday I had an enlightening experience. I was supposed to meet a group of friends at a nice Chinese restaurant by the intersection of Free School and Park street for dinner. The entire day, I had been dressed in the nicest shirt I brought to India and my high quality blue lungi (those who do not know what a lungi is should look it up, it is the traditional attire of the men of West Bengal). As I came up to the door of the restaurant, the doorman stopped me and said "No". I asked why and he pointed to my lungi. At first I thought he was joking, but he was quite serious. I told him I was supposed to meet a party of friends at the restaurant. He asked me where I was from, and seemed initially incredulous when I told him America. He then brought out two men in suits who spoke decent English. They explained to me that I couldn't enter in a lungi, but if I changed into pants they would be happy to let me in. While I was walking the two blocks or so my hotel, I became a bit upset. I was not going to patronize such an establishment. About half of the men in Kolkata wear the lungi. Everyone who pulls a rickshaw wears a lungi. Most construction workers wear a lungi. Most men who live on the streets wear a lungi. Most proprietors of small roadside tea and snack shops wear a lungi. Random groups of teenagers can bee seen in lungis and tee shirts with ridiculous phrases in English ("if you want to come in second, follow me", "sorry ladies, I only date models"). Almost every man on Alimuddin wears lungis, but almost no one on the nice parts of Park street wears a lungi.

I tried to think about the situation from multiple lens of interpretation. Firstly, most nice restaurants and bars in Seattle would have gladly let me enter in the attire I was sporting (granted, Seattle is a bit removed from mainstream America). Secondly, maybe I became angry simply because as a white, educated, tall, (attractive), modest young American male I am unused to being refused entry or service anywhere. But finally, I tried to imagine if the historical, political, and economic situation was flipped around. Imagine that hundreds of years ago Britain had been colonized by Bengal. Imagine if, after 60 years of independence, one could not enter a nice restaurant in Britain unless he was wearing a lungi. Imagine if most of the poor and working class of London wore pants, and the elite and wealthy wore lungis.

Scottish Ben bought a lungi in solidarity. He also said I should go back in pants, but sneak in my contraband lungi, don it in the bathroom, and start chanting slogans. I really don't see what that would accomplish (although it certainly sounds like trouble and fun).

Lungis are comfortable and I hope they make a comeback. I think this song sums it all up (thanks mom!):

When in white, you are my formal wear.
When in design, you are a festival!
What good are those trousers?!

If I wrap you around my head,
you become a turban.
You are a blanket if I am cold.
And a sail when the wind is good.

After I play in the sea,
you become my towel.
A flag when I wave
A trap to catch the mango!

Ready for Cricket when I fold you in half,
Ready for hanging when I twist you as a rope
ready as bed when I'm struck at fairs


You become a shawl when I need modesty
and a carrying bag during a loot.

The trousers are no good!

Inspired by the "Trousers are no Good!" folksong, which in turn is inspired by the classic "Neenarigadeyo Ele Manava" (the humans are no good).
http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/attire/lungi.htm

Today some street kids (probably 2, 5 and 11) sat at a table with me at a cheap restaurant and ordered some food (they payed for themselves). I'm pretty sure there was an unsavory negotiation between the 11 year old girl and a man in his 20s or 30s. I'm not so sure about trousers, but humans are certainly no good. I hope that the future of this land belongs to virtuous lungi and sari wearers.

---

Photos

Calcutta. Note who is or is not wearing a lungi.
We don't need no stinkin' trousers-
We don't need no Western clothes-
My lungi is cool in the summer-
Bouncer, whose dumb rules are those?

Comments

[devin]

a phenomenal post
way to be a rapscallion on two continents. sadly, i think there may be many more restaurants in seattle with more stringent dress codes than you realize, but they're the sort of places america's happily insulated middle class might never even hear about. be careful around temples for a while! and if i eventually understood your facebook post, i wuz woo too.

[ravi]

land of lungi
how about this?