Thotchanmung Jamang
Wungram Colony
A couple of years ago, a dozen of men were arrested by the security forces for wearing Indian army uniforms and impersonating them. This is not just a huge offence but the impersonators are also liable to be punished under the law whereby they may be fined, but jail for certain. Although I couldn’t follow the incident or the story thoroughly, I’m sure they did receive penalties for the wrongs they committed. In regard to this, my point of focus is on the clothing which we wear. Ever since our society came into existence, the thought of a woman with loose moral character have always been implanted in our minds either by our parents or elders. Aside from the behavior, clothing is where all the focus befalls on. We’ve been taught to believe that any woman who wears short pants, skirts or dress of any sort is either a p********e or an individual with no moral values or discipline. Yes, some women may wear clothes that are revealing in order to entice and attract the opposite gender. However, it is time to remind ourselves that we are living in the 21st century and the year is almost 2025. Sometimes, Indian society tends to be comical and behaves to be really narrow minded. If the democracy which we highly cherish and exalt stating that ours is the largest democracy, why can’t we be one with it? Expressing consciously of our own society, we are generally very silent but too quick to judge and gossip in threes or more. I’ve overheard a lot of gossipers gossiping about a certain woman or a group of female friends because of the way they choose to dress. What if she had an authentic sense in fashion? What if she couldn’t bear the brunt of the summer heat? What if she sweats profusely and clothes with proper ventilation makes her body cooler and sweat free? Or what if she just wants comfort and those types of clothes showers her with it? Our clothes may or may not define us but with certainty I can assure that we are all unique individuals. Women are not to be objectified just because they dress to their likings or comfort. And there are a rare breed of men who cannot take their bulging eyes off of any women that passes their way. Even if she wears jeans, they will stare and even if she wears a skirt, they will stare. This only goes to show that it is the mindset that defines and soils an individual.
Also, there is no need to generalize a certain gender because it isn’t the gender; it is the individual that is either good or bad. But this doesn’t suggest that we should aim to accept immoralities or sexual misconducts. If we are really keen about our image and our society’s, then it is best to ask someone who isn’t from our state. Ask them how they perceive our people and what their initial thoughts about our culture and society are. We just might receive an unbiased yet clear representational answer from them. And the most vital and important thing of all is to educate and keep ourselves updates with anything and everything for if we are, then we’d know when and where to speak and to be a silent observant.
Nobody likes to live in an objectifying or a judgmental society. If somebody judges and gossips about you because you bought three cars, or they judge you because you like to drink on occasions or they judge you because you married somebody from a different community, or they judge you because you didn’t opt for government jobs or they judge you because you are too straightforward and honest with your preaching etc. All of these can either break or make a person our of you and I. This is why it is crucial for us to act and behave accordingly with people so that the same would be meted unto us as we desire. There are certain things which we cannot change but there are plenty of things which we can, so why don’t we focus on the things that need imminent change? This isn’t just about clothing because from a broader sense things are being viewed stereotypically and it must change to not exist. And just as it has been implanted in our minds without proper knowledge on how things ought to be by our orthodox elders, the upcoming generation deserves a refresher course. Educating our children on the basics of humanity and how respect must be given either to a man or a woman can bring everlasting optimistic progress and changes. To every man who believes in the ethics of change, ‘Always be a man’s man’.
