terra firma

There was this one time I was travelling to work (as usual) on the metro train from home to the city.

My work place got relocated and I moved to the northern edge of the CBD. I started taking the train to work/study as driving each morning and evening from and to work/study (ok, I will simply say ‘study’) was becoming a pain. I love driving. Period. However, the experience of driving to the city for my studies day after day put me off considerably from my love of driving. And that is how I started taking the train to work.

It has been a unique experience to say the least.

One of the first things that struck me was how each had walled themselves off from the world around them with an armamentarium of gizmo stuff – the ipad, ipod, iphone, sundry other smart phones and tablets, the ubiquitous ear plugs and of course, the good old books – yes, there were many who were reading, nah, devouring books by the dozens. It struck me as amazing because, on one hand we harp about our personal space and time and privacy; on the other, we reveal all in facebook and twitter and I was left wondering, why this distaste and fear of face to face communication – the good old interaction with people?

A few days back I read in the news paper that a couple of young men who take the bus to the city everyday ended up calling the people who travel with them everyday to tea on a saturday afternoon – how refreshing is that?

The fact that we have this connundrum is a good thing – it shows we are struggling between what we would like to do and what we do as a matter of fact at this time – and like all good stories, we will find a middle path. We don’t even have to wait for 10, 15, 20 years for social change to happen and for its effects to trickle down anymore. Things happen quickly and the results are there for all to see now a days, courtesy the fast paced life we all live now a days.

As an aside, the train travel improved my book reading as well and have gone through a couple of novels since I started travelling by train. However, like a rigid, uncompromising representative of the old gaurd, I struggle with adapting to the Amazon kindle or a tablet to read my books. Maan, let me tell you, it IS a struggle!

I recently learnt a lesson about gender equality. A lesson, I am surprised I learnt, because, the fact that I learnt this lesson also means that the feminismmovement is not making such a mark anymore. Or am I exaggerating?

I never realised that women actually have no control over what they wear. It is actually determined by the designers and money managers sitting in the comfort of their air conditioned offices in high rises of this world. Well, designers design stuff – that is what they do. However, it is creepy to realise that someone sitting in their leather upholstered chairs could actually play around with the minds of women, young and old alike, in terms of what fits them and what would they be comfortable wearing.

I learnt a lesson about how some people control how a woman thinks about herself: I went shopping for a pair of jeans with my wife. How innocuous was that?!

For no fault of hers, my wife loves jeans – as do several millions including myself. She loves jeans because they are the greatest invention of human kind after sliced bread. She loves jeans because she thinks they are a very comfortable piece of clothing she loves to be in. She loves jeans because it covers all that she wants covered and shows all that she would allow to be shown. But, slowly but surely, without anyone noticing, suddenly, the jeans started showing pieces of anatomy I am not sure how comfortable men and women really feel OK about showing! I mean, not a day passes without someone showing off their crack (“natal cleft’ would have been decent, but heck!) in all its glory when they bend or kneel?! I am not sure people intentionally do it; and I am not sure how many actually like the idea of baring their nethers in public – if they can help it. The key word is ‘help’.

In todays world, a woman has all the choice possible in terms of how she wants to clothe herself. Right?

WRONG!

As we found out over the past few years, not one jeans manufacturer worth their salt managed to put out a much loved variety of jeans: the regular fit jeans for women. (I was lucky to find regular fits for men).

Shelf after shelf, aisle after aisle, city after city, Slim or not so slim fits, skinny or not so skinny legs, but the rise was always low. We could not find a single store (trust me, we actually climbed up and down a million stores) which stocked a regular rise jean for women! My jaw almost hit the floor in surprise! Which brings me to think that the jeans makers are completely out of touch with those who actually wear the jeans. Or perhaps, the whole things is so seeped in hubris that humpty dumpty is close to taking a huge tumble. I simply cannot believe my eyes to find out how the jeans makers are sterotyping women – “this is how you should be. You must fit into the slim fit, you must fit into skinny leg and you shall only have access to low rise or mid rise – no ‘high rise’ or ‘jeans as we know it’, because we are the fashionistas, we know all about fashion and you shall do as you are told – lest you be labeled as a complete nit-wit who is so out of touch with reality, with no sense of fashion that you shall be banished from all social media and life as you simply do not deserve to exist”!

Before you dismiss me as an old fart with nothing else to whinge about, let me tell you that I do have lots to do with jeans – scores of women in my family – from elderly seniors to my 3 year old daughter wear jeans. I do accept that young women love to wear skinny leg tight legged jeans, ‘jeggings’ etc. Good on them, they should of course experiment with what they want to wear and how they want to wear it and find their own nirvana. That’s were we hit a stumbling block. How does a woman find her own jeans nirvana when some designs have been shafted away from the shelves with no consultation with her and her ilk?I have nothing against anyone wanting to wear a skinny leg, slip fit, low rise jeans. All I want is for women to have a choice to wear a regular rise, comfort fit, regular leg jeans if they want to. Let a few sit calmly in a corner – those that want to find them will find them. Others will merely walk past. We are not talking about an ‘occupy jeans retailers’ movement here.

I am hoping that women all over the world will realize how they have been led these last 10 years in terms of the jeans industry and stand up and demand for things they want to wear to be available.

The Hindu : States / Tamil Nadu : Rescue operations in full swing.

My heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those that lost lives and wishes for a speedy recovery and kind and peaceful start to the new year for others.

Photo courtesy: http://in.yahoo.com

To see more photos, go to: Yahoo India.