Hindu Identity-Actionable Affirmative Action

Religious Identity

Almost all religions have very distinct symbols to display the identity of its believers. It gives a sense of belonging and a sense regimentation. For instance, Sikhs wear a turban and wear a ‘kada’- a metal bangle like item on the wrist. Muslims wear a skull cap and even the Arabs have a distinct headgear. In Saudi Arabia, wearing the ghutra is a must! It's worn by almost all men, each with their individual little tweaks.


A kippah is a brimless small cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jews (males).Head is the most visible portion of human body and even crown is worn on the head. You can identify a person from a distance with his headgear.

Most of them became popular and remained in vogue till date as they were standardised.

CPR- Culture Politics and Religion- amalgamation.

M.K. Gandhi studied in England and practiced in South Africa and was influenced by the British dress code. But when he came to India he gradually- yes gradually- acquired and created a new identity for himself and his followers during freedom struggle. He used to wear a ‘Pith hat’ OR Sola hat which is light and yet protects you from sun and heat.

He realised that to oppose the British who wore pith hats he had to come up with something different and that is how Gandhi Topi came into being. It had to be Indian and hand crafted so Khadi cloth was used. It was white in colour and stayed that way. Later it was adopted by the entire lot fighting for freedom struggle. And it became a symbol of freedom fight and became synonymous to patriotism. After we got independence, it was shed by common Indians but worn by political leaders- ‘Netas’.

Netas became corrupt so Gandhi Topi was seen as a symbol of corruption. Yet Muslim leaders like Maulana Azad chose to wear a different head gear called Karakuli Topi. Gandhi Topi became a de facto headgear for Hindu Indian Netas. Somehow it did not percolate down to the masses except the rural India- in some states.

Though Indian women political leaders wore saree with pride.

Hindu Identity- flash it with pride and that is the start point

An identity has to be asserted and needs to be regimented within a group of people- religious, cultural or organisational. Armies across the world take pride in the uniform it dons. A lot of time is invested to design and consider various options, colours and texture of cloth to finally take a call to finalise a uniform. And then it is followed in letter and spirit religiously. You have to wear a headgear all the time.

Hinduism is taken as a way of life and is overly democratic. This is a strength and a big weakness too. Some how Hindus do not have a standard ‘must have’ attire. The moment you leave it to the masses it no more remains uniform. Like a Sikh takes his turban as something not only linked to religion but also his honour. You dare not touch his turban- and taking off a turban forcibly is hitting below the belt.

Hindu men are supposed to wear a ‘tilak’ or a wear a ‘jataa’, bodi or ‘shikha’ a bunch of hair like a small tail in the centre of the back of the head. These are not very classy look wise and over a period of time were relegated only to be used by pundits/seers. I don’t know how pony tail type of hairstyle made ordinary mortals into ‘management Gurus’?

I am not going to discuss why most Hindus in India do not symbolise their religion as they say ‘wear it on their sleave’ but yes there is no doubt that this spirit is badly lacking. Be that as it may, this needs to be addressed.
People including Hindus say that Hindus are meek, pushovers and even weak. They don’t raise their voice, forget about putting up a fight. The first step is to demonstrate and display you are a Hindu. Just saying ‘I am a proud Hindu’ is not good enough- wear it on yourself a Hindu symbol-that is the start point. The day a soldier wears his uniform- he is transformed for life. Same flesh and blood gets a different and more assertive mindset with a sense of belonging to a great organisation and he says I am proud be a ‘fauji’. Then how can it be different for your religion which goes from womb to tomb?

Hair styles have to be stylish that is why they are called ‘hair styles’. Women spend a lot of time and money on grooming hair. Hair stylists charge a bomb which they willingly pay. Actresses came up as trendsetters like ‘Sadhana cut’ or a buffe of Mumtaz or Babita or Rajshree or Tanuja. Deva Anand with his iconic puff was a rage and so was Elvis cut. In recent years Mop top, flippies, flow or Justin Bieber haircut are a craze.

Hindu Topi- a style statement- a unity in unitedness

Call it what you like but we need to come up with a stylish cap for the Hindu community to be donned by millions. We must combine tradition with style and comfort. You cannot popularise anything without comfort in place- though beatles came up with crazy drainpipes and youth wore it world over for decades gasping for breath. Rajesh Khanna popularised Guru Kurta you could wear with trousers- style, substance and sustenance.

Army has several headgears to be used for different occasions and tasks. The closest that comes to our traditional Topi is a side cap. It is smart and elegant worn by Army and Airforce both. Watch American war movies and you can fall in love with this head gear. Lee Marvin in the movie ‘Dirty dozen’ with his side cap looks deadly and smart- can’t imagine him in Gandhi Topi though! This cap had two poofs-one in front one at the back. This can be used in combat as well as with ceremonials- Blue or White patrol.

A Gurkha cap ha lapel has become so popular and it has two crossed, khukris as a lapel pin. Why can’t we have on our side cap?’

Every human being has lips, two eyes, a nose, two ears and two eyes, cheeks- yet one girl looks so pretty and the other so ugly- that’s the game. No two look alike.

Creativity

God made four billion women, each one so different- and we have a problem with creating a side cap - country cousin of Gandhi Topi? You can’t be kidding.

Put the youth on the job. Have a fashion designers competition for designing a humble- not so humble- a side cap.

Use much better cloth- away from tradition. Texture, tutelage, elan and panache. Let it look rich and worthy of wearing. Let there be ramp shows, fashion shows and celebrity endorsements- many will come forward to associate with – brand Hindu. Ekbaar kaar ke to dekho.