SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024
DUBAI, APRIL 7
It may be the traditional drape of millions of Indians but the ‘humble lungi’ has attracted the wrath of authorities in Sharjah as the police is reportedly cracking down on men wearing the dress in public places.
There has, however, been no official communication to this effect.
Local reports said an Asian man was arrested and interrogated by police patrols in Sharjah a few days ago for wearing lungi in public.
He was told not to wear the dress in public.
The news has had mixed reactions from Indians in the United Arab Emirates even from those who rarely venture out in the traditional wear.
“I never wear it outside my home and never would,” Srikumar, a Keralite in Dubai said.
“But I still don’t understand what’s the problem as long as a lungi properly covers the body. Probably this person was wearing a lungi that did not have its two ends stitched together,” he said.
It is largely believed that indecent and revealing clothes are generally discouraged and this is an extension of the same.
‘The decency law was implemented in Sharjah 10 years ago,” an officer told Gulf News.
He said people were expected to wear decent clothes in public, but did not explain if there was a ban on wearing the lungi in public.
The lungi, also known as a sarong or dhoti, is a garment worn around the waist in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Horn of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. It is particularly popular in regions where the heat and humidity create an unpleasant climate for trousers.
In India, the customs behind wearing lungis varies by state.
In Kerala, the lungi, generally colourful, and available in varying designs, is worn by both men and women. Physical laborers use it as a working dress. A lungi in plain white, known as mundu, often bears a golden embroidery, especially in the border length, known as kasavu, which is worn on ceremonial occasions like weddings, festive occasions, etc.
