From A Nightie Ban To An Entrance Exam For Grooms, Things You'll See Only In India
In 2018, we witnessed some bizarre incidents in India which we are unlikely to encounter elsewhere. Take a look!
In November, reports started pouring in that women of Thokalapalli in Andhra Pradesh had been issued a diktat by village elders prohibiting them from wearing nighties outside their homes between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The rule, implemented a few months ago, stated that violators would have to pay a fine of ₹2,000!
The sarpanch denied imposing the ban. The village council had apparently raised the issue with some women’s groups after men complained about being uncomfortable with their spouses stepping out in nighties. The council said that women were observing the ban faithfully.
Activists have, of course, pointed out no such restriction has been imposed on men. But who’s interested in such minor detail?
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Only in India do we protest if made to follow safety rules. Pune citizens came together in November to protest against police commissioner K. Venkatesham’s mandate on the use of helmets from 1 January 2019—even forming a group called the Anti-Helmet Compulsion Action Committee.
Their logic? Helmets aren’t needed in a city like Pune, which faces chronic traffic jams. They also claimed helmets caused spondylitis and affected people’s hearing! What’s next, we wonder?
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In the recent elections, politicians pulled out all the stops to connect with their voters—hoping their last minute sops work.
In Telangana, which went to polls in November last year, a few netas from
In November, reports started pouring in that women of Thokalapalli in Andhra Pradesh had been issued a diktat by village elders prohibiting them from wearing nighties outside their homes between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The rule, implemented a few months ago, stated that violators would have to pay a fine of ₹2,000!
The sarpanch denied imposing the ban. The village council had apparently raised the issue with some women’s groups after men complained about being uncomfortable with their spouses stepping out in nighties. The council said that women were observing the ban faithfully.
Activists have, of course, pointed out no such restriction has been imposed on men. But who’s interested in such minor detail?
***
Only in India do we protest if made to follow safety rules. Pune citizens came together in November to protest against police commissioner K. Venkatesham’s mandate on the use of helmets from 1 January 2019—even forming a group called the Anti-Helmet Compulsion Action Committee.
Their logic? Helmets aren’t needed in a city like Pune, which faces chronic traffic jams. They also claimed helmets caused spondylitis and affected people’s hearing! What’s next, we wonder?
***
In the recent elections, politicians pulled out all the stops to connect with their voters—hoping their last minute sops work.
In Telangana, which went to polls in November last year, a few netas from Telangana Rashtriya Samiti and Congress offered free baths and shaves to the locals. Others lent a hand at construction sites. Some took up sewing duties alongside women and helped them carry pots of water. From feeding the elderly to performing cooking duties at local eateries, they’ve done it all for their voters!
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On the night of 23 November 2018, traffic police stopped an inebriated motorist near Delhi’s Connaught Place and asked him to blow into the breathalyzer. The scale on the meter flying off the charts, the policeman asked him to pull aside. The suspect pretended to park his car, then he snatched the device and sped off. Even though the police traced him to his residence in Noida, he had already left for a professional tour to London—but not before throwing the confounded meter along the way. Now that’s what we call a breathtaking escape!
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There's pretty much an entrance exam for everything in India, but have you ever heard of one to find life partners? No kidding—this truly happened in Uttar Pradesh last year!
Applications were invited by the state-run shelter home for girls in Lucknow for suitable grooms. Due to the sheer number of applicants (a whopping 250!), a test and an interview were conducted by the local administration to screen the candidates. The results were declared, out of which 31 were eligible. The 31 ‘happy couples’ were then married on 15 October in a communal ceremony.
With weddings taking new forms every year, one wonders: are prenup ‘entrance exams’ the new trend to look out for?