How do we foresee death so that we can dress appropriately for the Funeral?

On a Sunday usually a weekend for most of us, we generally devote our holiday time towards leisure

Darshan Deokule

activities. I and my wife tend to use the available time on Sundays apart from other family activities towards reading articles appearing in various Daily Newspapers. Sometimes the articles are good or sometimes they are really bad. However, today my Wife came across a weird article titled ‘Clothes and Conventions’ in the ‘EYE’ supplement of INDIAN EXPRESS written by Nonita Kalra .

Link to the article:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/clothes-and-conventions/841051/0

The writer happens to be some top notch media person and I do not want to say anything more on her as really I do not know her.

I really wonder how one can write such an article and more over that a highly reputed National Daily prints it. Indian Express has always published really value based articles. However, since recent times they have started publishing such bizarre articles that can get on ones nerves. The publication in process of competition seems to have lost its traditional values. What can I say? They also have printing mistakes in their Crosswords section.

Anyways, I will not concentrate your thoughts on the mentioned article.

Funny references are given. There is a mention of celebrities dress and make up well to visit a Mall, or about people in general wearing apt clothing for parties or business meetings.

Well!!! All these are planned events.

So do I need to foresee that some one close to me is going to die soon and need to have a prepared set of clothing to attend his or her funeral or does the writer want me to have a wardrobe of clothes always ready for such a sad occasion?

Also the writer touches on traditional ceremonial dresses such as a Wedding where in she has not seen a Bride draped in black. Now, with due respects to all religions, Christian brides usually wear White and bridegrooms wears black suit during their marriages. During a funeral we see them wearing black. Whilst, during a Hindu wedding a bride is dressed in red and the bridegroom is dressed up like a Maharaja (as glamorized by our Hindi films). I am not aware of other traditional religious practices but then does the writer emphasize that I need to have separate set of clothing for a funeral for every religion?

She writes about how outraged she was while watching the funeral proceedings of our beloved actor Mr Shammi Kapoor and how disrespectful were our film fraternity towards him during that time.

Mostly the male actors were unshaven and seemed to have just rolled off their bed to attend the event. She mentions that most of the women folk were appropriately dressed than the males and also makes a passing comment on the yester year stars setting trends of funeral dressings. Does she mean that those who could at all be present for such a sad happening in their inapt clothing (as the writer thinks is inapt) had no respect for Mr Shammi Kapoor?

Film Stars are very busy people and can rake in loads of money by just their mere presence.

However, whoever could have managed to attend they did.

There might have been a strong possibility that they might have been busy shooting, attending  an event somewhere or just being away from the cameras with their families. Did they predict that the renowned actor was to pass away? No, however they did their bit of paying respects by attending his funeral in whatever dress they were in.

Her narration takes me back to the Hindi film aptly titled Page 3

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443708/

Wherein, the happening people of Mumbai call for dress designers to design their attire for a funeral.

I think her references and showcasing how people should have been dressed only points out to a total disrespect towards the legendary actor.

The writer draws comparisons between two young highly politically connected young celebrity figures of India. The two ‘Rahul’s’ aka the Mahajan and the Gandhi. Everyone creates their own destiny. I am no judge but would like to point out if Mr Rahul Mahajan’s actions are seen negatively then attention should also be given to our in writers  ‘GOLDEN BOY’ – Mr Rahul Gandhi. He  is a projected prospective Prime Ministerial candidate but his  recent comments on various National issues are being criticized by most of the Indian public.

“Rahul Gandhi on Terror Attacks”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/26/anna-hazare-hunger-strike-gandhi

To sum up the issue…Does the writer imply that if I do not have clothes that suits to the funeral, I should not attend it?

What would the dead and his family respect more?

 As to what I wear during the funeral or me being with them during their time of grief?