Owais Mughal
This notice board is from Food Street, Lahore. It reads:
“Entering the ‘Food Street’ wearing shorts is strictly prohibited: Food Street Administration”
Among other things on this notice board, I enjoyed reading the word sakht (strictly). As if the word forbidden didn’t sound serious enough, the administration had to add a prefix strictly forbidden to make sure people undrestand that administration means business here.
Credits: I found the above photo in rooq‘s collection at Flickr.com.
I think some Pakistani’s think shorts are only meant for kids and sports.
If you wear shorts in pakistan and aren’t playing a sport at the time, people stare. This is especially true if you’re not a kid.
Well, first of all, a club is a private place while the food street is a public place like a park.
Regarding the question of cultural appropriateness, I think these things change with time. In Victorian England even the word ‘legs’ was not used in polite conversation. It was considered obscene. They would refer to legs as limbs.
I am guilty of wearing shorts in Islamabad in the summers ( I am sorry, Tina) when I go for a walk or go trekking, and have never been censured. The only discrimination I think I face sometimes is when I come across the madrassa students during their evening break (I live not too far from Faridia). They would almost always say salamu-alaikum when I am wearing trousers and I would reciprocate, but they would pass by quietly without making an eye contact when I am in shorts. I don’t mind that.
Viqar, which club was it that refused to serve you because you were wearing Kurta Pajama ?
Good suggestion from naked Maja, except my brother and brother in laws wear beards. They will just have to go hungry I guess :)
Where I grew up I never saw adult people wearing shorts, only kids, and when I did see grown people in short pants I just didn’t like it. Never have, never will, end of story.
Wearing shorts in public places looks very indecent. Moreso when there is a mixed crowd of men, women and children. A man in short looks like an ugly ‘gorilla’, a louse, a bully, a tramp. Here in Karachi, men wearing shorts have been barred from entering various parks . They are also discouraged to wear shorts around residential places.,,,simply because it looks so indecent and undignified. Proper dress, proper place, proper time ,,,,,,,,these are the requirements of dressing up. If shorts could be allowed at all places, including the food street, then the proponents of shorts should also not get offended if men flit around their houses and offices in ”Kachha’s , chaddi’s, underwears and swim suits” . Then, if this was allowed, how about equality of men and women? Will the women agree to follow suit? Man, it’s decency which makes a dress. And a person is known by the dress he wears. Why dont you go to clubs and hotels in shorts? Because you know you will be thrown out ! And the club or the hotel managemnet has good reasons for that. Pretty simple, ain’t it??