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| Sunday, 12 March 2006 |
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The Sarama Saga by Rikaza HASSAN THE 'sarama', as it is known in Sri Lanka, is a rectangular piece of cloth with two of its ends stitched together. It comes in various designs from simple checks, geometrical shapes, animal motifs, and in a wide array of colours.
For as long as I can remember and much, much more longer than that, Sri Lankan men have worn sarongs. My dad wears it, my grand father wore it, so did my great grand father, my great, great grandfather, his father, his father, ... The sarong is also our national dress and is seen worn by many a politician trying to project an image of patriotism. It is seen worn at parties- party sarong, at home and some people wear it daily to their work. Nowadays though the sarong does not make as quite an appearance as the old days among the younger generation. Is the sarong being eliminated from our young men's closets? The Sunday Observer spoke to a couple of youths to find out.
"I wear the sarong when I'm at home because I find it extremely comfortable," says Aftab, a 21-year-old marketing executive. "Wearing has nothing to it and it's probably the most suited garment for relaxing at home. You can even wear party sarongs for a dressy event." Adds Aftab with a sly smile that the sarong is, "not so easy to get out of though when you are in a hurry." 18-year-old student Indika agrees with Aftab. "I love wearing the sarong at home but don't wear it when I go out unless it is to the near-by shop." He believes that sarong wearing depends on one's culture. "Whether you wear a sarong or not depends on your culture. As a kid I felt grown up to be told to start wearing a sarong, though people from other cultures don't even ask their kids if they would like to try one out." Says Mahesh, 19, "I find sarongs cosy for home wear and would probably introduce it to my kid, but I am not going to force it on him like my father tried to do with my brother. You wear only what you want and not what someone else wants." His brother Nalaka says that he does like the sarong. "When I was about 12 my father started to demand that I deck my self in a sarong, but I refused. I prefer to wear shorts to just about anywhere, including home. I find them comfortable and have no inclination of substituting them with sarongs."
Another non-sarong wearer is 16-year old Tristan. "My dad and uncles and the rest of my elder male relatives wear sarongs but I don't. I've worn a party sarong once but that was it. I find it almost feminine. There's a bit of draping involved and I think it's ridiculous. I most definitely have no idea of wearing it." The guys had their say, so we asked a few girls what they thought of the boys in their sarongs. "I don't mind it if they wore sarongs when they are just relaxing at home, but I most certainly expect my guy friends to change when we hang out at their place," says Hiranthi, 16. "I don't find guys at parties in sarongs attractive. I'd always prefer a guy in pants," she adds. Sarah, 17 wholeheartedly agrees. "They can wear sarongs when they are with their male friends, but in our presence they have to change in to something more decent. I just don't like guys in sarongs, even if it is at some party." The fate of the sarong is still not sealed, it seems. We shall simply have to bide our time to find out if the 'sarama' continues to survive the coming generations. |
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