Why do women suffer wearing Sarees when men wear half pants?
A Girl devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare krsna. I am a 22 doing my bachelor of education degree staying abroad from home. I have a question related to girl and women dressing outfit. Now a days there is huge heat wave in Indian so male as well as female all feel severe heat. During day time male member at home come to lungi or half pant but at the same time women have to wear saree with inner especially in rural area. As a girl I think it is tourcher towards women on the name of culture. It is not that women wear western seductive dress but little sleeveless should be allowed or one piece dress like Nighty I never wear saree as I stay at mess I wear pant and t shirt at hostel and class time in proper uniform. I raise question on the behalf of my mom she sometimes become suffocated. After cooking her saree totally wet in sweet.”
REPLY:
See, actual male dress in India is Dhothi.
Do you know the difficulty of wearing dhothi?
It will take atleast 3-5 minutes to wear that long 4-5 meters long dhothi.
(How to control mind seeing women in glamorous dress publicly? READ HERE!)
It is worn in Northern, western and eastern states of India more.
In South India, most of the males wear dhoti as a single fold, not as five fold Pancha kacha.
See, dress codes are same for both males and females. Both of them should wear the full dress closing full body.
However, males have relaxed their dress codes and many of them remain without closing the top portion at home.
Since the women have been given milk feeding essential organ at the top, they hide that as a mark of decency.
So, they have to wear a cloth closing the whole body.
This may cause more sweat for them.
However, they can definitely consider wearing Free size cotton Salwars without tight fit that is the best and safe alternative for sarees.
Many women in southern states wear Salwars before marriage. After marriage, many of them wear sarees and stop wearing Salwars.
They believe that wearing sarees gives a respectable look.
That is true also.
However, wearing decent free size salwars are also equally respectabe nowadays.
(Why the dress codes for women when the men walk half open publicly? READ HERE!)
The temperature is increasing year after year.
When I was in West bengal, last fortnight, ie in May, particularly in Kolkotta city, I could not bear the heat of 110 degree Farenheit there when I walked there. My body showed severe opposition to take the shelter of any building there. But in the evening severe rain followed, but the next day again 110 degrees heat.
Rain could not lower the temperature next day.
In Northern India like Delhi, Agra, Madura, Vrindavan, Bihar, etc., I have experienced the heat of even 120 degrees that makes us unfit to walk on roads during noon times.
During those hot periods, I have felt as if Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka, etc are heavens in India that have bearable heat comparable to northern India. Particularly Kerala truly is a heaven that has moderate heat and cold.
So, the people in North, east and western parts of India are used to such an extreme heat during summer and extreme cold during winter.
That is why, most of the women avoikd wearing Sarees that cause more sweating during summer.
My mother, being a traditional brahmana lady, being the wife of a vedic brahmana was forced to wear very long 8.22 meters long Saree that weights more than 2 kilograms.
She was wearing till 1 year before her death.
Even in her age 89, she was wearing that long saree herself without the help of anyone else.
(Scientific reasons to wear Saffron Colour dress by the renounced sanyasis? READ HERE!)
But, when she was affected by Dehydration one year before death, she could not wear such a long saree every day. She did not have strength to wear that long saree herself properly.
So, my brother practiced her to wear Nightie. With no other way, she wore Nightie as it was comfortable for her to use toilet and bathroom.
Thus, situation decides which dress we should wear.
But, any dress we wear should not be exposing sensitive portions of our body costing our dignity.
A woman can just avoid any dress that is tight and that exposes the sensitive portions of her body. Above the knee and below the head are the sensitive parts.
Males too should follow similar standard of decent dresses.
On my part, no one of my friends or relatives have seen me with half dress publicly and I have never passed urine publicly on roadsides. I avoid spitting on roads.
(Colours of clothes to wear in temples as followed in India! READ HERE!)
One day when I was walking in the Mount Road (Anna Salai) in Chennai, I could not control my urination. So, I went into a very big hotel, ordered milk there and used the toilet there. I ordered milk for 50 rupees just to pass urine in the hotel toilet. Because I avoid passing urine at roadsides as a mark of decency and respect to the image of the nation.
Some males use the public places as toilets making the roads nasty. It affects the image of our country and also cause some diseases.
Males use roads as toilets. What will the women do when they have nature’s call? No women is seen using roads as toilets like the men do.
So, men too should follow decency in public places.
Let it be.
Your mother seems to be a very dignified women. Feel proud of her.
However, practice her to wear free size cotton salwars/ chuditars all the time.
There is no restriction for women to wear Nightie in bed room. It is only for bedroom.
Nowadays I have been seeing many women coming to collect water, vegetables, milk, etc wearing nightie dress. It is not advisable though they may claim it is their right.
Nightie is not a safe dress. It is suitable only in privacy at night time.
In my area, a girl was cycling. When that cycle fell once, she too fell down ina busy shopping area and her body exposed since she was cycling wearing nightie. She felt shy since her area people would have seen her exposed body. She committed suicide same evening.
So, wearing a decent dress is always safe. Even if we die at a point of unexpected time, we will die with dignity of we wear safe dresses all the time. That is why, we are advised not to even bath without dress. If we die while bathing we will lose our dignity.
Another example from my circle. Too many examples in this Post from my personal experiences. My grandmother (Mother’s mother) died. When the women bathed her body, they found three inner clothes closing her body. That woman expected death at any time and to avoid exposing duyring bathing after death, she was wearing three layer of dresses at the waist region. Such a dignified lady my grandma was.
Thus, it is the pride of woman to wear such a decent clothes. The Lord gives them strength and patience to bear the inconveniences caused by those dresses. Because such women consider their dignity as their priority in life.
So, don’t pressurize your mother to wear nightie and similar dresses. If she finds saree comfprtable for her, let her wear that. You just advise her to wear free size cotton Salwars/ Chuditars. Let her experience wering that when you and she alone are there at house. Then she will practice it and prefer it.
Women’s respect increases when she wears a decent non exposing dress.
It is the Pride of India.
(DRESSING & BEHAVIOUR OF VAISHNAVA IN PUBLIC PLACES! READ HERE!)