The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill that slaps a one-year jail term and Rs 25,000 fine on people who prevent dhoti-wearing men from entering malls, clubs, stadiums and public places.
The introduction of the Tamil Nadu Entry into Public Places (Removal of Restriction of Dress) Act, 2014, followed an incident last month when Madras High Court Justice D Hariparanthaman was turned away from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Club Association for being dressed in traditional attire.
But despite the southern state's legal move to protect the rights of men wearing dhotis, spending on the garment is in decline in Tamil Nadu – as it is in most parts of the country except for Kerala. That's obvious from the National Sample Survey Organisation report on spending patterns on clothing (2011-'12).
Uniformly, the expenditure on dhotis is rapidly declining as India's males have taken a fancy to trousers and shorts.
As the map shows, dhoti expenditure has largely declined. Most parts of the country spend close to nothing per capita on dhotis. NSSO data shows that trousers became more popular than dhotis in 2007.
The two states showing significant expenditure on dhotis are Kerala and Tamil Nadu, but Malayalis trump their neighbours in their use of the dhoti, which they call the mundu.
In Kerala, there is an interesting divergence of attitudes to dress between men and women. While men prefer the traditional mundu, women have taken to the modern kurta-pyjama (also known as the Punjabi suit).
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The introduction of the Tamil Nadu Entry into Public Places (Removal of Restriction of Dress) Act, 2014, followed an incident last month when Madras High Court Justice D Hariparanthaman was turned away from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Club Association for being dressed in traditional attire.
But despite the southern state's legal move to protect the rights of men wearing dhotis, spending on the garment is in decline in Tamil Nadu – as it is in most parts of the country except for Kerala. That's obvious from the National Sample Survey Organisation report on spending patterns on clothing (2011-'12).
Uniformly, the expenditure on dhotis is rapidly declining as India's males have taken a fancy to trousers and shorts.
As the map shows, dhoti expenditure has largely declined. Most parts of the country spend close to nothing per capita on dhotis. NSSO data shows that trousers became more popular than dhotis in 2007.
The two states showing significant expenditure on dhotis are Kerala and Tamil Nadu, but Malayalis trump their neighbours in their use of the dhoti, which they call the mundu.
In Kerala, there is an interesting divergence of attitudes to dress between men and women. While men prefer the traditional mundu, women have taken to the modern kurta-pyjama (also known as the Punjabi suit).
