Mimi Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan seemed to have stirred a fresh war of the trolls on twitter in particular and Social Media in general. Now, who is Mimi and who is Nusrat? Bengali actresses of repute in their own right. Freshly minted members of parliament from West Bengal. And both winners from the TMC in the Battle of Bengal just concluded. And why the controversy? Very simply because both of them seemed to have entered Parliament in western attire. In fact very sober western attire for sure, if you look at the visuals they tweeted out on their first day in parliament. What’s the Kolaveri all about then?
As Mimi tweeted their pics tagging Nusrat, the world of twitter cleaved into two. One big sized piece said this was not Indian attire and not appropriate for parliament. This very same piece of the digital audience said that the premises of Parliament were sacred and that this was not a movie set to be clad in Western attire. The other smaller sized piece of the digital audience leapt in support, saying there was nothing wrong in the way the two dressed.
This sure is unnecessary debate. Even a waste of precious newsprint as we discuss it. However, the issue needs to be addressed and hopefully set to rest once and for all.
Five key points to address on this debate this is not:
1. The way you dress is a point of personal choice:
Just as long as you are decently clothed, decent enough not to cause a riot, must people object? Just as long as the clothes you wear are clothes you feel comfortable in, must people intrude into your personal space of what you wear? And must they even comment at all?
2. Where does personal space stop and public space start?:
Now, you are a member of Parliament. Where does personal space stop and public space commence? For a MP at large, is the confines of his or her home “private space”, and everything outside of it “public space”? And does this mean that you will be a Jekyll and Hyde in your dressing? Must we really grudge our MPs in what they wear or what they don’t? Must we change them into being people they are not?
Is the public prying a bit too much. Tomorrow, will we peek at the neck of a lady MP and criticize her for not wearing a Mangalsutra, when she must? Or comment on too big a ‘bindi’ on the forehead of one of our MPs? Is this fair to all concerned?
3. Is there a dress code in parliament? If so, what is it? Must there be one?
We see our men MP’s in khadi and linen, of hues close to white. Maybe pastel cousin-colors even. We see them in shirts, short kurtas, long-kurtas and more. We see them in color, Mostly kurtas. But then the variety of men’s attire are by and large restricted and boring. Must we try to impose the definition of dress sense in parliament basis what men wear and have worn over decades? What of the women? What of the new generation of young politicians who just might want to turn up in denim and silk and more?
4. If there is a dress code, must there be a color code as well?
Must what is worn in Parliament be in shades that are sober and dull only? What about the new generation of politicians who might want to show up in color that will shock and awe? Is there a color police around? Or will there be one? And must twitteratis be that? Who gives them the right to be and do that?
5. The digital audience is a bit too intrusive, isn’t it now?
Every Tom, Dick and Harish tweets. And as they do, the digital user-audience must act a wee bit less jingoistic than they do. A wee bit less chauvinistic than they do even. There is just too much of jingoism and chauvinism in our lives. No point in adding one more to that long dhobhi list of likes and dislikes.
In sum, I would say, let Mimi and Nusrat wear what they want to. And let our digital warriors Tom, Dick and Harish mind their own business
— The author is a Brand Guru & Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.
