PERSONAL NEWS October 2001 - Our trip to India! Page 7
I visited India for the first time for a two week holiday in September of this year. I spent all of this time in the south eastern state of Tamil Nadu.

As I knew that the weather would be very hot I was expecting to wear shorts every day. I had no sooner landed when I was given a present of three white cotton veshtis. The veshti is the traditional dress for men in the area . It is usually four yards (or eight yards when doubled) of white cotton that is worn around the waist. As I had never worn one before I had some fun trying to work out how to put one on. Anyway, I pulled it very tightly across my 32 inch waist and tucked it in on the left hand side. When it became loose I asked my driver to help me out. He had the good sense (and expertise) to roll the top of the veshti down over the folds so that it was more securely held in place.

I wore a veshti on every day of my trip. It took me a little time to confidently tie it securely. I did have the occasional embarrassment of having to hold it together by hand while in a shop until I got outside to adjust its tightness. Almost everywhere I went I was complimented. Men would come up and shake my hand , giving me the diving OK sign with their hand or shouting out ?super?.

My most embarrassing moment came in the grounds of the temple in Tanjore with a family who asked to be photographed with us. We were seated on the grass at the time. The guy taking the photo was waving his hand sideways to me. I assumed that he wanted me to bunch up closer with the group. I was very embarrassed (but a little amused) when he asked me to pull the veshti over my legs as my underwear was about to be photographed in all its glory.

While I prefer the veshti (because of it plain colour and greater flexibility) I did occasionally wear a lungi. It is usually very colourful and is the same length than a veshti but is stitched together at the ends. It feels like you are hopping into a sack . It is deemed to be casual dress. Some temples do not allow visitors to enter if they are wearing lungis.

While the veshti and lungi usually run from the waist to your feet , I really love the flexibility where you can pull the bottom part up and tuck it into your waist . I noticed that most men did this, particularly when they were walking or cycling. It was almost certainly a necessity when walking through a muddy or flooded street or during a very hot day.

By the end of the trip I received about ten veshtis and lungis as presents. I have a beautiful silk veshti which I am looking forward to wearing at a special function. Now that I am back in London I eagerly looking forward to such an occasion where I can surprise my friends in my new ‘dress’.

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