I love the "veshti"
(traditional Indian garment for male, also known as dhoti in the
northern parts of the country). I have always looked forward to
occasions, where I could adorn myself with this wonderful garment.
One such opportunity presented itself few weeks ago in the form of my
porandanaal ayushhomam (pooja performed on birthday as per the Hindu
lunar calendar). The whole house was up early and was in a frenzy to
get things ready before the priests arrived for the ceremony. Though
I had taken the morning off, I still had to attend an important
client call. As the call came to its end, attired in my favorite veshti, I started wondering, why I could not wear this dress everyday
to my workplace. As I had still not fully come out of
the software world after my call, it suddenly struck me that
veshti would be the perfect office dress for the IT/Software
corporate world, as it embodies so many features that software
applications are designed for.
Think
that is weird.. Read Ahead.
1. Small Footprint:
Though in its full splendour it spreads far and wide, it can easily
be folded to occupy a very small area. It is a traveller's delight to
pack.
2. Easily portable:
Portable software that run on different platforms are difficult to
write. Perriappa (father's elder brother) visiting your house and has
forgotten to pack his veshti. No problem. Appa's (father's) clean
veshti from the cupboard comes to his rescue.
3. Auto Customization:
It automatically fits anybody regardless of their anatomical
construction, whether it be ollikutchi mama (thin uncle) next door or
the gigantic rowdy on the movie screen. It is a perfect gift as you
don’t have to worry about the size factor so much.
4. Re
usability: The humble veshti also doubles up as
bed sheet, blanket and even a bag in case of emergency. It's use is
only limited by one's imagination.
5. Mature Design:
Having been successfully used by millions of people for hundreds of
years, maturity of its design is something beyond what today's
software applications can even dream of. It's basic form today still
dates back to its origin.
6. Easy to spot
"bugs": Ask any programmer, what his worst
nightmare is ? The answer is often likely presence of undetected bugs
in the code. No such worry with the veshti as the smallest spot is
visible against its white background nudging the wearer gently to
keep it and himself clean.
7. Configurable at run
time: One of the most fascinating facets of the veshti is
that it has interchangeable and
versatile style , unlike the modern dresses. We can alter our
style even after we wear it. Don't like the full length look, you can
always fold it and use it in the half "pant" configuration.
If you are the type that fusses over small details(my wife has a term
for this -- OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)), then you can enjoy
carefully folding it along the crease before you tuck one end along
your waist, or if you are in hurry, you can just wrap it around. It
can be made to portray your mood and sense of style at that
particular point of time.
8. Protects the
"processor" from overheating:
Though this is more of a hardware feature than a software one, I
added it here, as I felt it would blend in. Its practical design
provides good ventilation for parts underneath, thereby keep them
cool and dry. A blessing I would say in a hot and humid place like
Chennai. Good bye Itch Guard.
9.
Easy to deploy: This is the best part. Wearing a veshti
hardly takes a few seconds, though keeping it up there requires some
skill and practice.
10.
Easy to add features: Going out for shopping ? Just pull the
inner fold and you can store money there. (Note: You might
want to be little careful here when doing it publicly, since if done
incorrectly may lead to a free show for the onlookers).
I
am bit pained by the gender bias that the veshti is subjected to as a
result of which its usage is decreasing, even though its female
counterpart the “saree” is quite commonplace.
But
I am an optimist and eagerly await the "Return of the
Veshtis"...
