“In this matter-of-fact age, convenience modified by the influence of example is the only standard (for dress) and there can be no doubt that boots and trousers with the European coat constitute the most convenient dress for moving about briskly. The oriental dress is suited to a life of leisure, indolence and slow locomotion, whereas the western costume indicates an active and self-confident life”.
APRIL 24, 1896
Hindu dress
DOLORES” – EVIDENTLY AN OLD-FASHIONED GENTLEMAN hailing from the western coast, with unbounded admiration for that apology of an apparel called the “Mun-doo” by the people of Malabar – starts a vigorous crusade against the change that is coming over the dress of the educated middle class Hindu. He would apparently be glad to see all Hindus, with or without pretention to culture, go about and attend places of public resort in the primitive costume of the race, with a piece of cloth below the waist and with another thrown across the trunk. He ridicules the Indian who adopts the European system. He dislikes the trousers, the coat and collar and tie, and boots and shoes. To him the cap is the most intolerable abomination. In fact, the Hindu in European costume with the time-honoured turban in the place of the hat, is the most ludicrous figure imaginable. Now, we must say, we do not at all agree with this reactionary writer. It is true that the European costume made of woollen stuff is not quite suited to the climate of India; but with a change in the material it can certainly be made less uncomfortable. A general adoption of a pair of dhotties as the dress outside the home is out of the question. They became obsolete even before Indian manners began to be influenced by European example. The Mahomedans introduced the long coat, we believe, and in Northern India the dhottie, too, as the nether garment, had been proscribed. In many parts of India, however, the dhottie still reigns, but there are indications to show that its days are numbered, at all events among the upper middle class and it will be replaced by trousers. If then the Hindu is to appear in trousers, there is no reason why the trousers should not be of English cut. The long coat has become the universal fashion among Indians in all parts of the country, though there is a tendency to adopt the European coat with collar and tie. That the Hindu looks untidy about the neck is true, but in this respect improvement will come in time, when he learns to use soap and handkerchief more largely. We quite agree with “Dolores” in his condemnation of the cap in the place of the turban; but we are not sure that in the case of children and schoolboys the cap is not as good a head-dress as the turban. The writer would recommend some kind of garment which left the neck and arms bare, something of the Roman toga style, which would be, in his opinion, “comely, inexpensive, and adapted to the climate.” He would tolerate no boots or shoes; he would like us to go about barefooted, with sandals to protect the feet from the heat of the roads. In the dress advocated by “Dolores” the Hindu would look like one of those graduates that march from the hall of the Senate House to the Chancellor on the platform to receive his diploma – a costume by no means the ideal one in these busy times. Whether the old Hindu costume or the new imitation of the European dress is more graceful is a matter of opinion, and those like “Dolores” that dislike the new fashion will, we may predict, cease to do so as they so as they get more familiar with it. In this matter-of-fact age, convenience modified by the influence of example, is the only standard and there can be no doubt that boots and trousers with the European coat constitute the most convenient dress for moving about briskly. The oriental dress is suited to a life of leisure, indolence and slow locomotion, whereas the Western costume indicates an active and self-confident life. Very likely, it will in the long run come to this: the Hindu will be content with the inexpensive and scanty clothing of his ancestors while he is at home, and when he goes out he will adopt the European costume and turban, with a slight modification. Perhaps the use of collar and tie will become a matter of taste. We agree with “Dolores” in thinking that the subject is worth discussion.
Reference:
The First 100
A Selection of Editorials, 1878-1978, THE HINDU, VOLUME I