In Defense of H

``I don`t know what Stuka is talking about because he is from Faridabad ``

Arrey I am not from Faridabad. My parents chose to move there much after I had left for the states. I have lived in Delhi and have gone to school there. Incidentally our ancestral house was in Lajpat Nagar, specifically Link Road. A feww houses from Tiny Tots. So please don`t refer to me as Faridabadi again ``shudder``!!

tahmed (Re #45):

In further pursuit of historical accuracy, it is worth pointing out that the man on big T did claim to be son of god. Correct, not all gospels mention this … but some do. Gospels were written several decades after the crucifixion events. Some gospels not mentioning this does not necessarily prove it incorrect. I know … three negatives in one sentence makes it difficult to read. In other words, it is quite possible that Jesus claimed to be son of god, and that some gospels simply failed to mention this. Closer study of Bible seems to support this viewpoint.

Gospel of John (I think) sheds some light on this, and this is further corroborated by other books Old Testament. When Jesus was accused of blasphemy on grounds that he claimed to be son of god, he replied along the lines that … does it not say in your scripture, that those on whom word of god is revealed, are His sons?

Books of Old Testament lend credence to Jesus’ viewpoint … where is stated that those on whom god’s word is revealed are His sons. Also, in these books, Israelite prophets David and Solomon are referred to as sons of god and god’s firstborn ... if I recall reading correctly. In other places, Israelites and peacemakers are referred to as children of god.

Someone being called son/child of god … is not unusual. It seems to show a person’s closeness to god, which he attains by obeying His commandments.

Re: # 42

I agree some of the fatty men need not be wrapped in shalwar qameez. They ought to stay in their western garbs. Otherwise, they will never know when to lose where. And, this is true for people from our part of the world as well.

hamidm: In the interests of historical accuracy, let me correct your post to say that the guy on the big-T never claimed to be the son of God. Even a couple of the gospels dont refer to him as such. That came later. Just as the concept of the Original Sin came a thousand years later (as I recall), being introduced by that eternal troublemaker St. Augustine.

As for Gandhi - if he was insane, then we need more insane people like him in this world. His undress drove Churchill nuts (who referred to him as the ``half-naked fakir``), and that itself proves that there was a method to Gandhi`s madness in going around in a lungi.

Jesus and Gandhi aside, I agree with you on your learned remarks (despite the level 0 you, and now I, are getting ha!ha!) concerning the vanity of third world rulers in dressing like peacocks. Saddam Hussein, you may recall, had himself portrayed in every possible dress - from english gentleman to arab warrior. mullah fazloo puts on royal robes as if he expects to be nominated khalifa any day. zulfikar bhutto had his own special clown suit - a mixture of achkan and mao-jacket - and posed with it as if he was wearing a Rs 8,000 boski shalwar kameez like shoresahib.

shore sahib,

....... i guess jinnah was okay even though he dropped his pants for a shalwar to win popularity with the unwashed masses, but gandhiji was quite insane .......... no serious person would run around dressed (or undressed) like he did .......... the man was either a prankster, a shyster or a lunatic .......... there is no two ways about it ......... and i don`t care if they made a movie about him that protrayed him as a demi god ........ heck, they made a movie about some pitiful character who claimed to be the son of god but got the holy ghost beaten out of him before they strung him on a big t ...........

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hamidm # 41 writres ``in this case i am deadly serious that those who carry around the dead weight of native cultural bagage are suffering from a deep-rooted malaise which has far reaching implications``

Very poignant! Speaking of dead weight, guys, please take a look at the following picture. I am sure you will agree with me that the person in this picture would be much more comfortable in bedouine robes than in the tight suffocating outfit he is currently wearing. As americans continue to munch their way through 300 lbs, I am quite confident that a fashion designer in not-too-distant future will introduce bedouine robes as a fashion statement for practical reasons.

And when that happens, the likes of hamidm will be the first in line at wal-mart to get a hand on these robes to cover their fat tax-cuts fed bellies.

shore sahib,

......... i don`t mean to be amusing - all my musings (brain farts, as you call them) are profound and full of meaning for those who seek the truth ............ so please don`t laugh them off ..........

.......... in this case i am deadly serious that those who carry around the dead weight of native cultural bagage are suffering from a deep-rooted malaise which has far reaching implications .......... the shalwar kameez and the kurta pajama is indicative of a mind set that has kept our people from digging out of our miserable past .......... the japanese had to dump their kimonos and their silly samurai costumes in order to create sony and toyota ..........the last time i was in tokyo the only women i saw wearing kimonos were the geisha girls pouring saki ....... the last time i was in pakistan i saw more men wearing shalwar kameez than thirty years ago ......... why are we going backwrds ?

......... this obsession with native cultures can be quite ugly - imagine the bushmen, aborigines and the head hunters of papua walking around naked with bones through their nose .......... not a pretty sight, is it?

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Shoresahib #36 you wear SILK shalwar kameez!! costing Rs 8000!! I never bought any shalwar kameez for more than Rs 1500 at most. The fact that it is simple and inexpensive is what makes shalwar kameez so valuable, imho (and if you know what i mean).

I received a few as gifts over the years that may have been more expensive, but certainly no one ever gave me silk shalwar kameez. And if they had, I would never wear it (silk is uncomfortable in hot weather in Pakistan). I assume you are a female, btw, since women tend to ruin the whole concept of shalwar kameez by adding ``karahi`` to it and making it gaudy, expensive and therefore cheap.

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Re: # 33

shalwars and suicide bombers, ebonics and welfare recipients bombers . ..

....... shore sahib, do you see the connection between the above? .......

.............but before i move on to explaining the connection, i do commend you on wearing a shalwar kameez to dance clubs - i am sure it helped you talk some sweet li`l thaing into bed since you were already dressed for it ............ but i call that a strategic use of ethnic behavior to gain advantage in a very competitive market, and it is okay ............ it is quaint, cute and, if it works, it is okay .............

.......... but generally speaking, wearing your ethnicity on your sleeve, or over your legs, belies a deep-rooted insecurity and an inferiority complex which says, `` look i don`t care if i am not white, i might look funny in these clown pants, your people screwed over my people for centuries and i hate you for it, but i am proud of my savage native roots, take it or leave it and, oh by the way, i am better than you because my ancestors invented the decimal system ``.............. how silly can you get !............ next thing you know we will have butt-naked bushmen out of the kalahari desert running down 5th avenue trying to make a fashion statement .............

.......... i will let you draw the connection between ebonics and welfare recipients - i am sure you are smart enough to figure out where i am headed .............

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mehfil garam hai!! with hamidm and shoresahib hotly debating the virtues of the tuxedo vs. shalwar kameez. and urstruly (standing in for YLH no doubt) providing helpful links to the Founder of the Nation. So, I shall add my two mela kurta`s worth:

I think the basic principle of modest (or more accurately, ``appropriate``) dress is as follows: it should (1) be comfortable, and (2) not direct attention to itself (i.e. the dress) or to the wearer.

Thus, shalwar kameez passes both tests with flying colors IF you wear it in Pakistan. As a bonus point, it is inexpensive, and so tends to hide differences in material wealth between men. Outside Pakistan, it flunks test (2).

Re: # 30
I am sorry I dont see your proposed correlation between ethnic clothing and human misery index. The Arab`s jellaba`s and keffia`s are their ethnic dress, and so are the brigthly colored and profusely embroidered robes of African statesmen. Such things make the world an interesting and diverse place.
I will say one thing to you. I truly believe Beauty is in the eye of beholder. If you see ugliness where I see beauty, so be it.
All babies are beautiful to me, and even in the ugliest of people there are things of beauty.
It is easier to put down than to praise.
The only ugliness I see here is the one spewed forth from your words, especially about Jinnah and Gandhi.