Monday 30 January 2012

Dress code for shopping in Old Delhi/ Shahjahanabad?

Formally there is no dress code, but when you visit Old Delhi/ Shahjahanabad there is an informal code which people follow, especially if you are a woman, going on a shopping trip. You can wear anything as long as it is not revealing if you want to avoid extra attention or strangers staring at you. 
 A friend wanted to buy a few traditional sarees and jewellery from Old Delhi markets. I told her that if you want good bargains you should dress as an 'insider'. So, she dressed in a shalwar- kurta. We went saree hunting and got good bargains. She wanted to buy some more stuff and came back again after a few days. This time she dressed in a short top and low rise jeans. She told me that last time from metro station to the  market she had paid fifteen rupees and now no rickshaw was willing to go for less than thirty rupees,i.e. almost the double.  
 I told her that in Rome do as the Romans do, I gave her a big shawl to cover herself up. And then we went shopping again.
In traditional markets of Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid etc. people still see their women covered up. If you go for shopping dressed in modern attire they automatically assume that you have enough money to buy modern cloths so, you can also pay more for goods. And somehow your character also comes in question, that somebody who wears revealing clothes cannot be a nice person/ has a loose moral character.
This theory goes completely reverse when you go for shopping in malls, or to South Delhi markets like GK, South Extension, etc. Here, the sales man/woman will not pay attention to you unless you are dressed properly (not like a jhola wala/ behanji in a oversized cotton suit). Your clothes should say that you can buy or have the capacity to buy expensive goods. Here, the less you wear the better, counts. It is amazing to observe how these time eras exist in a same city. Delhi is going through a period of transition in every arena, every field. It is interesting to note the clash of old and new ideas, the clash of generations. So, the best advice is to just blend in with the crowd, and do not stick out like a sore thumb. But do, and dress with whatever you are comfortable with. The diversity makes it more interesting, less boring. Democracy gives us the right to be who we are, no apologies. (Only,  you should be willing to pay extra for goods!)

Thursday 19 January 2012

kuch ishq kiya kuch kaam kiya- faiz

wo log bahut khush qismat the
jo ishq ko kaam samajhte the
ya kaam se aashiqui karte the
hum jeete ji masruf rahe
kuch ishq kiya kuch kaam kiya
kaam ishq k aare aata raha
aur ishq se kaam ulajhta raha
phir akhir tang akar ham ne
donon ko adhura chhod diya!!

Friday 6 January 2012

The 'Thursday' Traditions

 Most of the religions have a special day fixed in the week for special worshiping. Christians have Sunday, when they attend Church in the morning. Due to this tradition western world started observing holidays on Sunday, a feature which found worldwide acceptance. And everybody started observing off from business/ jobs, etc. on Sunday, Christians and non- Christians. Jews have their Sabbath on Saturdays, Muslims observe special Friday afternoon prayers,due to which Friday is a holiday in the Middle East. 
 Thursday the middle day of the week, inching towards weekend, it is interesting to see many cultures having different superstitions/ traditions attached to this day, without any reason per se.
  In India, Muslims call it 'Jumme-raat' in Urdu, Jumma being Friday, (as though in itself it has no identity except that it is the day that precedes Friday, most important prayer day). Probably, it helps them to get in the mood for Friday. They also do a lot of charity on Thursdays. I remember in my Old Delhi home, there used to be a line of beggars who used to come from morning till late in the night asking for alms. As kids, my grandmother used to ask (or rather order!) us to burn incense sticks evening onwards in the house . We also used to get some money to distribute sweets to kids and beggars like kheelen (sweetened puffed rice), or nukti dana (small sweet balls, of which laddus are made). Thursdays are also days for visits to Sufi Dargahs. Most of the big and small Dargahs in Delhi and elsewhere witness special crowds on Thursdays.
A lot of Djinn stories are also associated with Thursdays,  the days of Djinns.
 The Tablighi Jamaat members visit Nizamuddin headquarters of Jamaat on Thursday evenings in Delhi for 'Deeni bayan' or religious preachings.
 Oriyas, believe that money should not be given/ paid on Thursdays (unless absolutely necessary), or you would lose money. They do not eat meat/ onion/ garlic and some also fast on Thursdays. (Muslims also believe Thursdays are good for fasting).
  Punjabis believe that cloths should not be washed on Thursdays. 
  A lot of these myths have no logic or reasoning behind them. I  would keep updating this, as I stumble on interesting Thursday special superstitions/ traditions.





Wednesday 4 January 2012

Shrinking Space for the 'Moderates'

I remember discussing this with a friend, she was narrating about an incident in her own family. She is a lawyer and like me comes from a conservative family. We were having a conversation about how times have changed for Muslims and how two broad groups have formed. One of Conservatives,who follow all the tenets of Islam with a zeal, the 'practicing'Muslims (i.e. praying five times, etc.) , women doing purdah and men also dressing according to Shariah (beard, skull cap, etc.), and the other the 'Liberals'. Liberals follow religion loosely, are not practicing  and can be addressed as 'Modern' (in their thinking, approach and dressing).
  These two groups of people can be found in most religions, but there is also a third group which helps maintain the balance between the two, i..e. the Moderates.
 Since, Islam is itself going through a phase of transition, the numbers of Moderates are dwindling. There is pressure from both the Conservatives and Liberals, to choose sides. If you are not a Conservative, then you are not a 'good Muslim', and if you are not a Liberal, then probably you are not smart enough, or not well read, and can not think rationally, etc.
  We both get sermons on how we should dress as women, although we do try to be regular in our prayers, but it is difficult to please Conservatives.  But, it also raises the issue that, should we always look for a certificate of being a 'good/ proper' Muslim. Where is the spirituality in all this? Religion is an individual's relationship with God, and Quran addresses the Believer on an individual level. There is no Pope in Islam to take the confession, everything is between Banda (Believer) and Khuda (God).
   The stress on how much 'Sawab' and 'Gunah' every act of worship would get, the rigidity of rituals by Conservatives, kills the spirit of the act. The Allah that they seem to believe in is All Powerful and has wrath of which one should be always be afraid.
 The idea of Allah that Sufis believed in, All forgiving, Kind and Merciful seems to have gone to the background along with the easy-going Sufi tradition of 'sab chalta hai'(everything goes)! 
 I have many friends, who face their own struggles to find their space within this spectrum. To just be themselves as Muslims and as human-beings, without any pressure from any side. To follow their own hearts when it comes to religion. As Quran also says, that Allah will turn the heart of the Believer to His way, if He wills.

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