Wednesday, March 4, 2015

SOME INDIAN-ORIGIN WOMEN DRESS INAPPROPRIATELY WHEN ATTENDING FUNERALS


"WE HAVE LOST OUR CULTURAL VALUES"


By Subry Govender
Have some women of Indian-origin lost their cultures and values when attending funerals of their families, friends or neighbours?
This is the question many funeral goers posed when attending the funeral of a five-year-old girl in Phoenix on Wednesday, March 4. The child died tragically after falling into a pool while on a visit to Johannesburg at the weekend.
Hundreds of people of all faiths attended the funeral  as the father of the child is of the Hindu faith and the mother of the Christian faith.
Religious tolerance was evident during the ceremonies when prayers were offered both by Hindu and Christian priests.
But what clearly appeared to be shocking and unacceptable was that some of the women, both young and not-so-young, attended the funeral in very tight pants, short dresses and dungarees.
In one case the young women's pants was so tight that it caused stirs all-round. One women, who had a red string tied in one of her hands, wore tight dungarees. Her blouse did not cover much.

                                                 "WE HAVE LOST IT"

One of the religious leaders who spoke at the funeral, Mr Lesly Benjamin, did not pull any punches when I asked him why do some women dress in such an inappropriate ways at funerals.

"We have lost it," he said.
He added: "Some of our people have lost their cultures and moral values. They are aping the western world. That is why we are faced with all the social problems today."



                                                      "SERIOUS PROBLEM"


A local leader who spoke at the funeral, Mr John Reddy, said inappropriate dress by some women was not only a problem at funerals but also at religious functions and other occasions.
"We promote our cultural values and principles but unfortunately some of the women don't show any respect whatsoever. When we try to speak to these women,  they question us and say it's none of our business and we must not interfere.
"We have a serious problem. It seems that some of the women have lost their cultural values and morals," said Mr Reddy.
Another religious leader who attended the funeral, Mr Mannie Reddy, said they try to lay down the rules at his religious institution and show the door to those who go astray.
"But of course it's all about how these women are brought up by their parents and how they co-operate with their husbands.

                                             
"It's very very sad that we have reached this state of affairs in our communities," he said.


                                           "NO RESPECT FOR GOD"

                                                           
Mrs Sugamani Govender, who attended the funeral, said the women who dressed inappropriately at funerals showed no respect for "God" and for those who had passed on.
"I am shocked that some women can dress in tight pants and short dresses for funerals. What respect do they show for the person who has passed on?," she asked.
"It seems to me that these women have aped western values and have lost their cultures."
Another mourner, Mr Jackson Naidoo, said some women who dressed inappropriately for funerals and religious occasions clearly demonstrated that they had no respect.
"If they want to dress in such a manner then they should not attend funerals or religious functions. These women must learn to show respect," he said.

2 comments:

  1. Dear Mr Govender
    While I agree that we should wear appropriate attire to different events and functions I find that your commentary does not include the men who attended this funeral and what they wore. By this omission I would then conclude that they were all appropriately dressed? None of the men wore dungarees and t shirts? They also didn't wear skinny jeans or shorts and t shirts? They in fact all came dressed in suits and dhotis?

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  2. Dear Mr Govender
    Is it only now that you have woken up to the fact that some Indian people dress inappropriately to religious functions or is it because you found that this funeral was an apt opportunity for people to hear your voice?
    Although I also agree that people should dress appropriately, the funeral was definitely not a place for you and others to judge people who attended the funeral. Each of them present was there to pay their respects to the child that had passed on, just like you was.
    Why don't we all leave the judging to God and go about our lives and try and become citizens that others can look up to. The article you wrote is an embarrassment to all Indian women around the world. I am one of the women who definitely pride herself in dressing according to our culture and take offence that you judge people so harshly. You should have also considered the fact that many presented themselves at the funeral directly from work. I would also like to point out that, had you been a mourner at this funeral, you would not have had much time to notice how other people were dressed.
    Having said that, I must say well written response Kubeshini Reddy
    To Mr Mannie Govender, I say to you "don’t criticize parents for the mistakes of their children and just maybe you should help those that go astray rather than showing them the door, after all you are not without mistakes.
    To all the other people that have given their opinions in the article I just want to say "The dead don't judge you but the living does." Look in your own back yard before you point fingers at people you don't know.
    The bereaved parents are feeling upset that this article was written using their baby’s funeral as an example and degrading the women that attended the funeral to pay their respects.
    “The child died tragically after falling into a pool while on a visit to Johannesburg at the weekend”
    This statement is not a true reflection of the incident and maybe you should have ensured that you got the correct information before publishing this article. Also it would have been appropriate if you actually asked the parents their opinion about posting such an article.

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