Pakistan Visit (Part 3)

When I narrated some of my experiences in West Punjab, our good old Sharma ji told me that I should leave alone cars, motorbikes and guns and start noticing some girls and perhaps find one to get married to. Well, I realised quite some time ago that girls generally do not like me and life has been much simpler ever since!

For the record though, Pakistani Punjabi girls wear salwar-kameez suits with dupattas draped across their shoulders in the most proper manner, often using the dupatta to cover their heads as well. I must say that it is the most graceful way of dressing. I, for one, have always believed that being 'liberated' and 'advanced' means that girls attain the best possible education and enter noble professions. And the ladies of West Punjab amply demonstrate this by being doctors, lawyers, teachers, police-women and what not and yet being dressed gracefully at all times. Public display of female anatomy, at least to my mind, is essential only to one profession i.e. the oldest profession in the world and has no other purpose than to attract male sexual attention.

The men of West Punjab, I found, offer tough competition to the ladies in terms of being dressed gracefully. Most of them wear the traditional salwar suits and look quite dapper. Those that do not, generally comprise on-duty security or defence personnel besides youngsters in jeans and shirts or T-shirts. But I did not come across any young man wearing a sleeveless or skin-tight T-shirt or shirt. 'Tehzeeb' is perhaps the key word here, for I can not think of appropriate English translation.