Burkhas and ice cream
Published by Yazad Jal May 14th, 2005 in Culture and SocietyA few days back I went out for a late night ice cream at Natural’s on Marine Drive. As I was about to enter, the door opened and around ten burkha clad ladies trooped out. The burkhas were the conservative sort, covering more than half the face. But most of the women were young (you can make that out from the gait and other features). I wondered. Has Muslim society in the “posh areas” of South Bombay become that conservative? Always a troubling thought.
Halfway through my scoop of fresh mango ice cream, another contrary thought crossed my mind. What if Muslim society has become less, not more, conservative? What if these women were from ultra conservative families, never allowed to go out and were only now coming out in the open, and that too, unescorted? Earlier these women would only be found in their homes. Now at least there’s some movement. I don’t know which trend is prevalent, but I hope it’s the less conservative one. I base my hope on something similar I’d noticed with vegetarian restaurants.
A few years back, there was a spate of new “only vegetarian” restaurants opening up, in the same oo-la-la areas of south Bombay. Not the fast food idli-dosa-sambhar variety, but fine dining with a variety of new cuisines; Mexican and Italian were the most popular. So, had a lot of people suddenly become more vegetarian? Had PETA done some magic? The answer was a little contrary. Conservative Gujaratis and Jains, they of the strong vegetarian ethos, had started eating out in large numbers. But they would only eat if the restaurant was “pure vegetarian” with no stain of animal blood. With demand growing, the market responded.
The ordinary restaurant goer hadn’t become vegetarian, but newer enthusiasts were eating out, and they were predominantly vegetarian. In the same vein, I hope that it’s not the ordinary Muslim who’s become more conservative, but the traditional ultra-conservatives who are slowly coming out for a late night ice cream.
Burkha clad ladies venturing out on their own to consume ice-cream is indeed a welcome trend
Whether they are moderates-turned-rightwing or ultra-rightwings-turned rightwing, we sadly have no way to know
I can vouch for the second one. I have lived in an area what can be termed as “conservative” Muslim. Even 10 years back, there were girls going out in burkhas (yes, unescorted by their brothers ;-)..having a good time at nearby HajiAli juice center or Chowpatty. Ok, not as frequently & freely as others, but say during Eid, festivals etc. This “escort” thing has been blown out of proportions (thanks to our prejudiced views + Taleban/CNN combi). You only have to go to MdAli Rd, Bhendi Bazaar, or Nakhuda Mohala to discover that.
Plus many of you would be surprised to note that many girls even frm these localities even then didn’t wear Burkha. On the contrary I can see the trends swaying every now and then. Immediately after the riots, many of em -frm all classes - started wearing it, exhibiting a (if I may say, misplaced) “I-am-a-proud-Muslim-do-what-you-can” attitude. Many in the media attributed this to a fear of saffron elements, and that these women were looking for security in numbers. But as an insider, I could clearly see it as exactly opp. case many times. However I can understand why people believe this. I have also held certain ‘popular’ beliefs about other religions/communities for long and only now slowly discovering the opp. Or maybe I hv started closely observing the opp.traits.(I don’t know, my observ’n might be biased)
I have thought about demythifying some notions about Islam/Muslims in Indian context for quite some time now. Thanks for posting this thought-provoking question.
Saket, there is no clear line that says, Burkha=right-wing & viceversa. It’s a blur out there.
In the meantime, anyone interested in visiting my Irani cafe? Pls do something abt them, if you can. I feel very bad abt them.
OT: Yazad, do you have anything to do with a certain Yezdi Mistry (a cool popular bawa) my senior in college. Just wondering, coz the similarities are many - including your “cherubic face” on blogger’s meet pics. Sorry, I just couldn’t resist asking it. But you know, the excitement of breaking into that six-degrees of separation law and cracking the code sitting frm this faraway land, is just too much :)
Yazad:
Ah, the feared vegetarians. It’s a good thing the increase in veg. restaurants was from liberalising Jain (and Gujurati) vegetarians. Otherwise it doesn’t bear thinking–a Bombay overrun by vegetarians. The horror of it, the horror…
Kumar
“Conservative Gujaratis and Jains, they of the strong vegetarian ethos, had started eating out in large numbers.”
Actually I’d quibble with you a tad, here.. Gujaratis (be they Jains or not) have ALWAYS been extremely fond of eating out…that’s not a new phenomenon.
What you’re seeing is the new entrants in the restaurant category(Pizza King, Mexian, Italian joints) recognizing that to attract these Gujjus, a veg-only label is a big plus and taking actions, thereof.
I was wondering how the muslim women eat the ice-cream with the burkha on?. If under the burkha they will have to keep their head titlted forward to avoid eating the burkha instead…tough life.
It is a pity, the writer has not found a more interesting topic.