From: sarang@saturn.sdsu.edu (Srinath Sarang)
Subject: Re: Curious observation.
Organization: San Diego State University, College of Sciences
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 14:46:00 GMT

susan chacko (susanc@rice.edu) wrote:
: sarang@saturn.sdsu.edu (Srinath Sarang) writes:
: >...(that the clothing options available to women are basically just
: >   variations on a theme, and that men have more clothing-optional
: >   choices...)
: 
: Well, all clothing is really just a variation on covering up the
: regions between the neck and the knees, but male clothing is 
: clearly moving in the direction of *less* diversity; I hear that
: even in Scotland a kilt is considered old-fashioned these days. 
: I suppose the all-or-nothing option of going shirtless makes up 
: in some small way :-). 
: 
: Susan.

Well Susan,
    
1. You have said so yourself that clothing is just to cover up the 
   regions between neck and knees. This was just what I was trying
   to prove too. It doesn't matter whether women's clothes have 
   more diversity or not. The original discussion was regarding
   Indian Males in the US not wearing traditional clothing whereas the
   indian females do. So the discussion regarding "who is better or
   superior" was not important.

2. We don't wear kilts. So the digression to scotland is not understandable.
   If you want to go on on a global scale, well I could bring more points
   in my favour. Again that was not the original discussion.

3. The option of going shirtless or even pantless was in response to your
   "Kurta-pajama" argument which my friend Paul Chemanoor answered quite
    appropriately.

I would like to add that I have moved away from the original topic too
but in response to your comments which I felt must be replied to.

I'd like to add my views on the original discussion. It may not be entirely
true that we indan guys don't wear traditional clothing. For all I know
my traditional clothing has always been pants and shirts. Yes some of my
dear nettors on SCI may get back to me on this that the true taditional
clothes are Kurta, whatever. But tell me, how many people do you
find in India in the major cities wearing clothes other than pants and shirts.
I mean people of our generation and not my parents. ( I would also like
to add here that I am talking about the males). I still wear an occasional
Kurta-pajama to friend's places. It is pretty uncomfortable riding a 
suzuki-1000 motorcycle with a kurta pajama. So to protect myself from freeway
burns in the case of a spill I have to stick to tougher clothing like jeans
and jacket.

I don't find many Indian girls in San Diego wearing traditional Indian clothes
to school. They wear it to Indian parties but not to school as far as I can see.
(Maybe I don't see them often). I have other female friends across the US and 
for a fact I can state that at least these friends of mine rarely wear Indian
clothes to school/work. Its usually a tank top, skirt etc.

Flames welcome to /dev/null
Srinath
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Srinath Sarang
sarang@saturn.sdsu.edu

I Don't believe what I say, and whatever I say is wrong.....
								SS 
My computer is responsible for all typos.
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