I have no problem with the praise of mini skirts, but there is something not okay with trying to attribute women’s progress, success, and most importantly – FREEDOM to it. And putting down other attires which women have worn with great pride and ease since generations.
Writer Shinie Antony has written a tribute to the inventor of mini skirts, the late Mary Quant, she writes “Before Mary Quant struck at hemlines with surgical precision, no one knew that women had legs. At least two of the four female limbs had been a matter of conjecture and wishful thinking, covered as they were in billowing gowns, or sari and salwar in India. With one snip of British designer Mary’s scissors in 1964, the mini was born, which made the midi and maxi hide in closets, ashamed of their garrulous length and breadth.”
Her writing makes it sound as if women had no existence till their BARE LEGS from below the thighs were seen through the invention of the mini Skirt, and for the Indian woman her misfortune was caused by the time-tested, forever loved, magnificently and incomparably beautiful attires like sarees, and salwars; simply because they covered our legs!!
She mentions that “For girls barred from wearing short dresses as adults, the memory of childhood frocks brings to them the nostalgia of running unhindered, jumping, climbing trees and an innocent pleasure in seeing one’s own legs browned by the sun.”
No doubt as children we were carefree, and regardless of what we wore, our childhood memories are some of the most beautiful memories that we all carry throughout our lives. But as a young woman myself; I wonder how many of us now as grown up Indian women miss our childhood frock, and consider being modestly dressed as a restriction?? And desire to be free – running and jumping around in a mini skirt??
This article has truly messed with my brain, and I simply can’t make sense out of her statements…her reference to Mary Quant’s belief that “VULGARITY IS LIFE ”…!! And her own so-called ‘highly fashionable’ idea that lessening and lessening the length of the skirt has brought about “freedom and economic independence and autonomy over one’s own body”.
This is our country’s EXTRAORDINARY batch that had “no boards in 10th” lockdown ke beech, online paas hone waale students. They don’t know how to stick stickers of ‘barcode and hologram’ but they know everything about snapchat and Instagram!! As they had given their 10th board exam ONLINE in the comfort of their home…
But this time, they have to leave home and go to their respective exam Centers; we only hope, that they’ll remember to take their- hall-ticket, pen-pencil case and exam board, and not wait for exam link, whatsapp notification or zoom meeting joining code!!
That year (2020-2021)10th percentage of many students, na jaane kaise itna khaas tha?? Kyunki uss saal toh students ka reading-writing main jara bhi practice nahi tha !!
I wonder how it would be if they had to write a note to the authorities of the 12th board requesting them to excuse their spelling mistakes? …it would probably look something like this :
“Deer Madm/Sur pls giv me som grass with my spillings in boad exemption, as i gav full concession in studz even tho my eyes are not working poply due to full 2 ears of using googly. Pls under scam my feers or when result com my pairants, will be ghastlyfascinated and I will be teers.“
(“Dear Madam/Sir please give me some grace with my spellings in the board examination as I gave my full concentration in studies, even though I’m having eye problems due to the usage of mobile during the 2 years of lockdown. Please understand my fears or, when results come my parents will be greatly frustrated and I will be in tears.”)
Nevertheless, wishing all of you, and my younger brother Roshan, all the very best for your 12th Boards.
21st February se boards hain, no doubt sar pe syllabus ka load hain. This time there is no “click and submit option”. You’ll have to take a supplement, says your portion!! Time pe reaching, seat no. list main upar se neeche searching.. be well-prepared, but don’t be scared, before you even know your result will be declared!! And there’s no doubt that at the end you’ll make us all proud.
My dearest 12th Standard students- your Boards are just in a few days, and tomorrow is yet another one of those HOPELESS most awaited FAVORITE days of yours; – Valentine’s Day!
How much of your BRAIN and recharge can you waste on talking to your classmates Dolly and Molly, and roaming around celebrating Valentine’s Day every day?? There are other DAYS and MOMENTS you should be celebrating in your life as well.
For example, when was the last time you said ‘THANK YOU’ to your Mummy and Daddy, for their blessing and gift? Or told your Granny, aaj mandir tak main Aapko dunga lift?
Dairy Milk asks you, “HOW FAR will YOU go for LOVE??” I’m quite sure – you’ll go far enough to send your parents to the hospital BED!! With all of that Dairy Milk’s ‘heart-popping OUT’ of the chocolate in your HEAD!!!
Arey bacho, sharam karo- Bhagwan aur Maa-Baap se daaro! YOU are only 12th ke bache- With no degree, no naukri, future ke plans are KACHE;
So please bacho- sahi kaam main dikhao apni hoshiyari, TOMORROW sit at your desk and Board exam ke liye pure lagan aur mehnat se karo tayari!
What’s even more interesting than these discount sales in themselves, is to see how YOU, ME, TINA, MEENA and DIANA, who are otherwise quite civilized – looking; become into junglee hyenas!! (yes ladies, all of us equally … none of us are dudh ka dhula, once the discount sales are khula!!) : “Gate khulne se pehle tayar, hum ready hotehain bahar; : with the same aim in mind ;- FAST and FURIOUS to be FIRST and FOREMOST to grab all that’s possibly there :uchal – khud ke, chalang laga ke in one go; to scoop up all the cosmetics, dresses, heels and jewelry.
And ofcourse, with the same irresistible thought of “what ALL we’ll get for FREE; how big would be the branded saman ka HEAP?? Pura truck bhar ke lenge since things will be CHEAP”!!
You know, Ladies…. even the devil himself might actually end up making way for us; if he ever happens to see the toofani andaaz in which we ENTER the discount site! Like bulldozers raking our way through, nearly unhinging the gate or the door, and ukhado – fying the tiles from the FLOOR!! ‘Girte, padhte, marte, sabko dhakka- mukka de ke ; baaju karte…Baap re baap… when it comes to discount sales, hum Ladies – log kisi ke baap se nahi darte!
We are all familiar with Baba’s HATKE extravagant dressing sense : kabhi rang birangi chamkila shirt…toh kabhi dheela- dhala skirt. But what kind of fashion sense is this, Baba? posing looking so outrageously ‘behaal’ and showing us your whole body and khaal..You see, even our aadi – manav ancestors during prachin kaal did not cause this kind of LAFDA and made sure they had something like phul- patti, ghas – phus or animal skin as KAPDA.
But there is also a lot of ADMIRATION and APPRECIATION for this Baba’s very same ‘BINA– KAPDA’ wala pose,!! – and this is what caught my attention, I was like, “baap rey, how are these people able to see and NOTICE something so extraordinarily different in this photo? And how come I can’t? I thought to myself “that way, I may not be all that smart but, thoda – bahut art kisamajtoh even I have” ..So I tried again, but this time – chashma laga ke, nazar gadake; ..I stared and glared in the hope; that I too might see what makes this UNATTIRED’ photograph so SPECTACULAR! But unfortunately I must admit; there must be in it – some jabardast ‘kala pradarshan’ samajhne ki highly superior intelligence, wali baat.” For I could STILL not NOTICE anything apart from what is OBVIOUS, that is – photo mein, “ek DARING BANDA hain, LEKIN pura NANGA hain!!”
Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao ande…. that’s old – fashioned. Here’s the modern nuske and funde!! Sunday ho ya Monday, chatpata, masaledaar; food is just a click away. Super – fast order online, RIGHT NOWand feast on garma – garam muh main paani laane wala lazeez, swaadisht khatta meetha thikka .. combo main ya single – one day ho ya full week, jab, jitna aur jitney baar ho mann! Sandwich, burger, maska – bun, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE eating ALL the TIME is so fun!! Earlier it was, “home delivery , safety ke naam pe ( during lockdown)” now it’s din ho ya raat, “ jamm ke khao – online offers ke daam pe”. .. aur phir pade raho sofa pe; bina kisi kaam ke!!
Mere online food ke andhe premiyoaur deewano,Bhaiyo, Behno, School ke bacho, College ke macho, chote chote employees and bade bade CEO… ab online food is our preference rozana, for us; ghar ka khana is ‘uncool’ and purana : cause we’re the ‘technology main full – on, health main full – gone’ FOOLISH NAYA zamana!!
We girls, our further studies and the slight gloom hanging over our heads of “missing out on a probable groom” !!#empowerwomen
Humare Mohale ke Chikni – chupdi Chachiyo ki paltan, ne mujhse kaha : – ” Arey Chhori!! itna mat padho ki single hi reh jaoge!!’Toh maine bhi, unko kaha : ” aap apna dekho aur zarra chai – pakoda ke aage sochna seekho varna – good morning ke guldaste bhej bhej ke sabko satate reh jaoge”But Yes!! We beautiful, young and undoubtedly intelligent girls; do – every now and then get affected by the “ending up remaining single factor” and we often have this crazy conversation and doubt about our further Education.We think ” yaar jab tak humara PhD complete ho jayega… “We’ll be like gone-with-the wind; murjhaya hua flowers “without makeup or GEHNA”-And by then all the handsome HUNKS will have chosen the other girls, and call us their “pyari BEHNA”!!We imagine ourselves as “muh main kum daant, walking stick, jhuriyo and gol frame wale chashmo ke sath” Becoming a FOSSIL at the study table- “Kitabo ke dher main” while other girls roam around with lipstick, Kajal, high Heels style bikher bikher ke!!
Of course- that’s just our imagination…But dear girls, let me tell you : by then we’ll be: strong Women; intellectual, professional, and well- read an edge above the rest…!! When intelligence dresses itself with confidence : Sabki -“Pairo talle zameen khisak jayegi !!Chakra jayenge, takra jayenge, Gir, padh ke collide and collapse ho jayenge!! Slip aur, skid ho jayenge ….!Phighal ke liquid ho jayenge”Even if we just pass by, SIDE se -Samjo dill – o – dimag se completely ghayal ho jayenge- Itne highly Educated Ladki ke SIGHT se!!
Na jaane hum main se kitney – toh dukaan waale ko hii, leke bhaage!!
Mask pehen ke, baat karte hain ese – Baap – re – baap !! maano, hum sab hain ‘paan khao thukdu jaise’ !! Maine kaha, Chachi ; mujhe lagi hain bhuk, signal pe Kuch khilaoge?? Chaachi ne suna:, mujhe hain single hone ka duk!! Meri shaadi kab karaoge???
While eating and drinking – We often forget…..that there’s a ‘rumali roti’ like kapda – between the pakoda and our mouth! And, kids have chewed on it like chewing gum, others – have chabaod it along with their subji … And yet there are THOSE who’ve been EXTRA innovative and – used it as an ‘INSTANT” FILTER while drinking water!!
So dear friends… with all of this ’muh’ – ka – baandi and ‘naakabandhi’ continuing…: – this year; “bada bada” unrealistic goals nai rakhne ka, One fine day “wala pahad ukhaadne” ka soch nai rakne ka, itna sabr rakne ka – Ki everyday life main shiddat se kaam karne ka …..’Life’s NOT about : Running ‘ghode’ jaise koi RACE – It’s the DAILY things that with COURAGE you have to face!! Better than “full speed pe BREAKDOWN” is maintaining a consistent everyday PACE!!’
These are the; COMMANDING and DEMANDING : riotous type of people WHO simply cannot do anything on their own: or go anywhere without creating – a RUCKUS and treating others like animals from a CIRCUS!! ..‘do this , do that, this way – that way, … faster properly !!.. karke logon ka sarr chabaa jaate hain!!
These finicky – panicky sophisticated, bheja eaters !! want everything done in a frightfully RIGID, unrealistically, ‘PERFECT’ manner and will go on ORDERING – and chewing up your brain for the most INSIGNIFICANT thing!!!.. till they’re gasping for BREATH!!! But – baap – rey baap!! – they shall not give up on being the “MALIK” ….who gives everyone HUKKUM and scares everyone to DEATH!!
A Note From Roshni 