“‘Waisty’ problem?” exclaimed Prabhu Deva in an advertisement of TVS motorbikes when he finds our popular cricket ex-captain M S Dhoni hesitating to get on to a motorcycle because of his veshti that had rolled down to his feet. On account of Prabhu Deva’s south-Indian heritage and familiarity with the methods of managing a veshti, Prabhu Deva demonstrates a way of getting on to the motorcycle by lifting his veshti to a little above knee level, tucking it at the waist and then mounting the motorcycle.
Dhoni imitates, mounts the motorcycle and off he is. Though I am a Tamilian I was brought up largely in Delhi, Punjab and Jammu. What intrigues me is the way my fellow-Tamilians tie the veshti better known as ‘dhoti’ in other parts —without it ever coming off.
At my cousin’s wedding in the late 60s, my relatives felt that I looked out of place in a crowd of veshti-wearing guests. An hour or so was spent by my cousins trying to tie the veshti around
my waist.
After the veshti was in place, I would take a few steps very cautiously and soon I would be stripped to the shorts that I wore inside. The veshti would get entangled around my legs and would leave poor me standing embarrassed among my relatives. Several attempts proved futile. Ultimately, I had to manage with my trousers.
What intrigues me to this day is the fact that most ministers in South India proudly wear the veshti and move around attending functions and office and of course the Assemblies.
In Tamil movies, the action scenes are just amazing. The hero and the villains just bend their knees, hold the ends at the ankle, fold the veshti above their knees, tug it to their waists and proceed to bash each other up– kicking, jumping, somersaulting, rolling over and what not —and the veshti would still be in place as the hero dusted off his clothes after the fight.
There are enough lessons to be learnt by the models whose tops tend to loosen at the crucial moment while on the ramp walk. No complicated hooks or pins to hold the garment in place. The veshti is a marvel beyond my understanding.