Dress and People Watching

I've been watching how people dress and thought I would report...

Shoes: I would say 60% of people wear some sort of sandals. A few
"flip-flops", the rubber pad with a rubber stake coming between two toes
like we wear to the beach. Mostly much more substantial things. And if
60% of all people wear sandals, I'd say that 95% of all women do so.
Men not wearing sandals will be wearing what appear to be leather shoes
(though they are probably not) with a few sneakers (trainers) mixed in.
I don't think I have seen any completely bare feet.

Probably 95% of women wear some sort of non-western-looking dress.
There are a few burkas (or chador?...I don't know if that is what they
are called here; I mean the Muslim full-body-including-head cover).
Most women wear either a sari or salwar kameez. Both are very very
colorful clothes. The sari (or saree) is a long length of cloth wrapped
around the body (over a bodice called a choli and probably some other
stuff). The salwar kameez is more like a pant suit...colorful pants
with matching jacket-like piece. In either case, there is frequently a
length of shimmering cloth draping off one shoulder or loosely around
the neck. In many ways these day-to-day outfits have some of the
characteristics of a ball gown, but without the slightest bit of
immodesty (i.e. everything is covered up thoroughly). The interesting
thing to me about these long sarees and s-k's is that they don't seem to
be restrictive. The cleaning woman at work here, who regularly cleans
the pantry floor on her hands and knees wears a sari. I've seen women
walking through muddy streets in a sari and they don't seem to get
dirty! By the way, the other 5% of women would be wearing pants/jeans
and a shirt. I don't think I have seen any western dresses except on
westerners.

Maybe 90% of men wear something that could be called western-seeming.
I.e. pants and a shirt, often long-sleeved. They are generally NOT
bright colored. You very seldom (but not never) see t-shirts. Those
who do not wear pants/shirt wear a dhotti, kind of a length of light
cloth wrapped around the waist and upper legs. Lower legs bare. These
seem to be more often on older men. And finally there is kind of shirt
that does not stand out, but I think is not western. It is a
long-sleeved and very straight sided button up that is worn outside of
the pants. There is something about the cut or the material or
something that makes it stand out as being unfamiliar.

Few people wear anything on their heads except when travelling by
motorbike. Sari's have enough cloth to cover the head when necessary
(entering a temple etc, it says in Wikipedia). There are a few Sikh men
around who wear their uncut hair in turbans. And the traffic police
uniform includes a Texas-ranger-type hat (not the ball-team, the
troopers!)

============================

Peoples behavior: There seem to be far more cell phones in use here
than in any city in the US. Not surprising...they are inexpensive!
Call anywhere in India for Rs.1 per minute (i.e. 2 cents). A large
number of people have them and use them while out on the street. People
are not *friendly* to strangers (like the US South), but they are not
hostile by any means. Pretty neutral. There are no PDAs (not Personal
Digital Assistant...Public Displays of Affection) between men and women.
No holding hands; certainly no kissing to be seen. The interesting
thing is that is common for male friends to hold hands or drape a
hand/arm over their friend's shoulder etc. Women don't seem to do this.
And yet for all this modesty, it was perfectly ok for me to walk around
and have dinner with a woman friend who was showing me the city.

Begging and hawking: This is one of the things that I think well-off
westerners have the hardest time getting used to. There is no big issue
in the residential section where I live. However, as you approach M.G.
Road, the big commercial area nearby, you see more and more people
sitting on the side of the road looking for alms. What I find difficult
is the desire to help, while still understanding that some (many?) are
sent out to beg on behalf of someone else who collects the money (at
least that is what I have heard). Plus the question of when to stop
giving if you start. I have been ignoring them. They have generally
not been aggressive, although they might follow along a few steps or
touch your clothes. Heartstrings are definitely pulled here.

Hawkers are another thing altogether. They have not been terribly
aggressive but more so than the beggers. One guy took up step with me
and started a pleasant conversation telling me that the stores were not
open yet, which led to the fact that he was drives a tuk-tuk (as he
said...means a rickshaw) and for Rs 20 would take me anywhere, take me
sight-seeing, to an area where stores were open, anything! I guess I'm
old enough to find this amusing rather than intimidating. I said no.
He said, "no maybe or really no"? Really no. (In this society No is
sometimes the start of a negotiation, as is walking away. Best not to
get involved in what the other person may see as a possible transaction
if possible.) In this case it was not clear what was going on until a
few words into the conversation.

==================================

Although it took a long time, and a hospitalization, I am finally
feeling very comfortable walking around, and able to appreciate this
place better than when I first came a couple weeks ago. Finding my way
to the park and the grocery store last week was really the turning
point, I guess. I am really starting to remember the mixture of
familiarity, strangeness, and excitement that I found so attractive when
I was here (well a lot north of here) 20 years ago.