Early in the morning, a woman was roaming in the airport wearing a night suit. I thought, poor girl is late, so I left the house in a hurry. Didn’t get time to change clothes. But then I saw that not just one, but many women were roaming around in night suits. Then my light flashed – is this some new fashion? ‘Hut Pagli’, my friend said, ‘It’s not called a night suit, it’s called a ‘cord suit’. It is called co-ordinated in English, that is, similar, so in short it is co-ord and in the desi style people started calling it ‘cord suit’. That’s it, the name stuck and now women are crazy about it. ‘But why’, I asked my friend? ‘The woman who gives ten instructions to the tailor that the fitting of the blouse should be perfect, is she now roaming around in such loose clothes?’ The friend said, ‘Yes, this is the specialty of the cord suit. Just as you feel in a dress at home, you can feel the same outside by wearing a cord suit. Although this is a global trend, it is also a familiar look for the countrymen. You might remember those days when it was common to have 4-6 children in a house, even then only cord sets were used. Meaning, three brothers from one house used to buy cloth from the same place and make identical shirts. Now there can be two reasons for this. Either it would be cheaper, or the parents thought that if they wore the same thing, there would be less fighting among the children. Well, in olden times, photographs were taken only on special occasions, and in those rare photographs, children sitting cross-legged on the ground, dressed in the same dress, look very cute. Then as the era of ‘we two, our two’ went on, and then ‘we two, our one’, the children went out of our hands. After the age of four, everything of the parents’ choice is rejected. Even the parents themselves. No problem Simran, live your life- buy branded clothes of your choice! But how will the clothes be sold now? Let’s take out a new item – the Cord Suit. Good idea, but the shape is like a night suit, it needs to be given a different identity. Just like homemade curd is ‘curd’ and shop curd is ‘yogurt’, similarly, when a homemade pajama shows attitude and goes out for a walk, it is called a cord suit. How is a trend formed? First a photo of some celebrities is published, in a new dress. Then the same thing starts selling in every online shop like a virus. Ever since Anushka Sharma and Kiara Advani got married in a light pink lehenga, brides across the country have started donning pastel shade lehengas. Grandmother thought in her mind – Are you getting married in white clothes? Oh God, in our times it was considered a bad omen. But, it’s the children’s choice, who are we to stop it? Anyway, whatever be the color of the lehenga, after the noise and bustle of the marriage, the boy and the girl should get married – this is the prayer to God. Well, in the age of social media, viral trends spread not by sneeze but by reel. Everyone is posting their photos from Bali, so why should we go to Shimla-Manali? And spending holidays at grandparents’ house? Oh my god, our child will get a bad rap in school. So, joining the herd is what we call ‘trend’. Everyone is drinking matcha, we will also drink it. We will also live with the dignity with which they are living. Don’t know what’s behind the curtain. It’s just drama, we don’t agree. Because we do not know how to live with our heart, with our mind. In the end I would like to say that it is not bad to be a follower, but the one who follows his own path is a leader. Be it fashion of clothes or of life, do not follow the fashion blindly. In your own style, with tune and music, achieve a perfect Jahan. Indulging in sheep-herder is what we call ‘trend’. Whatever everyone else is eating and drinking, we will also eat and drink. We will also live with the dignity with which they are living. Don’t know what’s behind the curtain. Because we do not know how to live with our heart, with our mind. (These are the author’s own views)
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Rashmi Bansal’s column: It is not bad to be a follower, but one who follows his own path is the leader.
