No lungis, nighties: Greater Noida RWA sets dress code, sparks criticism

A Greater Noida society’s residents’ welfare association (RWA) has sent out a notice to its members requesting them to “not to wear lungis and nighties in the society premises”, sparking criticism on social media.

The notice, which was sent by Himsagar Apartments via social media on June 10, is aimed at requesting residents to consider their attire while using common premises and parks in the society. The notice drew criticism from the residents of neighbouring societies over the RWA’s attempt to control individuals’ clothing preferences.

As reported by the Hindustan Times, the notice stated, “It is expected from all of you that whenever you roam in the society at any time, you should pay special attention to your conduct and dress so that you do not give any chance to someone to object to your behaviour… Therefore, everyone is requested not to roam around wearing lungi and nightie which are home wear.”

According to a report by The Times Of India, the Himsagar Apartment Owner’s Association’s notice was welcomed by a few residents while others criticised the decision.

While speaking to TOI, C K Kalra, president of the association on Tuesday insisted that they did not discriminate against anyone but only requested the residents to follow guidelines, after receiving some complaints about people wearing “loose clothes” while performing yoga in the compound, which made the complainant uncomfortable.

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“A few days back, some women complained about a senior citizen doing yoga wearing a lungi. At first, we requested verbally. Later, the association decided to put it on a circular,” Kalra was quoted as saying.

While the news of the notice sparked ridicule and criticism on social media, some residents expressed their support for it.

Dr Yash Veer Singh, a resident of Himsagar Apartments, told TOI that he had no problems with the circular as it had not imposed any fines. He added that people in the society were largely disciplined and that he had personally never seen anyone wear lungis in the common areas.

Another resident, Pankaj, told the publication that he wasn’t aware of the circular, but felt that the direction to be conscious about clothing choices would be good for his kids.

However, the notice left RWA federations split: while the GB Nagar district development RWA backed the move, the Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Association (FONRWA), which has over 140 member RWAs, stressed that dressing choices should be left to individuals.

The Active Citizens’ Group in Greater Noida also stressed on the importance of individual freedom in dressing choices, while the Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Association (NOFAA), which has over 60 Apartment Owners Associations (AOAs) as members, said that the move to define dress codes reeked of a “colonial mindset”.