I do not agree with people who think western culture — clothes, food, and so on — is not for Hindus or Indians. The majority of Hindus do not have a problem with it. However, a small fringe of Hindus do not agree, but they are ideologues, and dangerous!
Dangerous? You’re kidding! Why? An ideologue, irrespective the faith that he belongs to, is dangerous, because s/he is not only blinded by the facts but lacks an aesthetic sense, is losing his or her intelligence, and also would like everyone to do so!
Take clothes, for instance. There are a great variety of Hindu clothes (or is it Indian …?). Some of these clothes are indigenous and others have their roots in cultures beyond the political borders of India or Bharat or whatever, as is also the case with food, music, and so on. After centuries, however, we accept them as Indian!
Now here is the problem: some styles in clothes look good on short people, some on tall, some on dark, some on fair, some on fat, and so on. If a particular style looks best on a woman or a man, no matter where it is from, should s/he reject and stop wearing it because its design is not homegrown? Should a woman or a man have to reject what is best for her or him and embrace the second best only because it is Hindu or even Indian?
Now, this is not aesthetics, and the majority of Hindus have rejected it; only a small group which has a fanatical mindset, cannot and will not accept the facts because of a commitment to a particular ideology.
Millions of Indians (Hindus and non-Hindus) simply choose to wear clothes in which they look their best! We are simply being natural and showcasing our aesthetic sense. I do not disagree with fanatics for their narrow ideas of Hindu culture. I disagree with them from the point of view of aesthetics.
When we look at some attire or other, we ask ourselves: Is it beautiful? Will it suit us? Most Indians do so except for ideological fanatics who lack an aesthetic sense and are on a path of destruction, although they are sure to fail as ideology cannot become a substitute for an aesthetic sense!
Take the dhoti as an example. While I like it, will it look good on every Indian male? If every Goan man were to wear it, our state would become the most boring place in the whole world. As noted earlier, people look different in several ways, and clothes which look good on some people don’t look good on others.
People in the army world over have to dress up in the same uniform as regimentation is the norm. Theirs is not to question why, but to do or die. Is this good? And, then, of course, we would all go nuts in the process as Muslim women and Hindu women sometimes wear similar clothes such as the salwar kameez. Add to this the long menu of food, music, art, architecture, and so on. A recipe to drive each and every Indian, and even the most sane guru, insane.
No problem, however; don’t worry needlessly. It is not going to happen. As we Indians and Hindus and all say, variety is the spice of life! Why kill it?
