Well it's raining again and the locals are up in arms. Funny thing is they keep asking me if I like this weather and are surprised when I say 'No!'. There have been fantastic thunderstorms for the last two days because there is no real drainage though the puddles quickly form. there is a picture of our front gate below. As one wears open flat soled sandals, walking is not much fun and you just know you are going to have wet muddy feet all day. It does bring out the fashion disasters though! Today I have seen:
1. A man with a carrier bag on his head.
2. A man with a hanky (wet!) on his head.
3. A man wearing a woolly hat.
4. A man wearing a yellow, flowery, plastic raincoat.
5. A man holding a tray over his head while riding his motor scooter.
6. A child being carried with a crash helmet on her head... they were walking along the road at the time.
Singing in the rain! The garden gate.
On the subject of dress, it does seem unfair that women have to be covered up in Sarees or Salwar suits at all times. (except in their own homes when they can change into a nightie... which is common day wear here and not a sign of slovenliness or of having slept in). men however seem to wear as much or as little as they wish. I have seen three piece suits (must be unbearably hot), slacks and open necked short sleeved shirts, open short sleeved shirts with lungis, t-shirts with shorts (which look more like boxer shorts at times), lungi only... I presume there are underpants underneath but have not checked! Lungis can be worn full length, when they resemble an ankle length skirt, they can also be worn folded in half (up the way so that they can be easily dropped again)to about knee length which is more practical for wandering around, riding a bike/motorbike or working. They are used for day or night wear and are usually checked or patterned including floral patterns!
Older men often wear dhotis which are usually white, and silk or cotton with a border around the bottom edge, often in gold thread. White is also the colour for formal wear for weddings, (you can wear a dhoti formally, but not a lungi) functions etc. The picture of the youth festival has a reasonable selection if you look closely. )If you click on any picture, a larger version will open in case you didn't know).
Dhotis and Lungis- long and short.
When it comes to shoes, people wear them or not, you will see people walking around town with no shoes on also cycling bikes, driving autos and motor bikes. It is customary to take them off when entering a church or temple and in some cases especially Hindu temples, this is compulsory. It is courtesy to take them off on entering someone's house to avoid trailing dust everywhere - polite but not compulsory - this is also the case in some shops. Women are expected to cover their heads when praying with the tail of their saree or the scarf of their salwar. Men do not cover their heads. Most people remove their shoes when praying, quite subtly without any fuss, just slipping out of them, one advantage of slip on shoes.
By the way, the wee bird I've been watching (see yesterday's post) is a purple rumped sunbird! Can't say I've noticed the purple rump but apparently it's not its most distinguishing feature unless you happen to be another purple rumped sunbird!