The sight of these underpants hanging on a reservation display board at New Delhi Station brought back memories of the great importance this piece of garment had in every man's life in parts of India till a couple of decades ago.
Underpants stripped or otherwise is a source of derision amongst the young, but the stripped underpants (shown above) held a crucial place in sartorial landscape of the average Indian male till the seventies. This was long before international brands like Jockey came to the country or even VIP made its mark. At that time home made or tailor stitched male undergarments ruled.
They were boxer length and hence were perhaps the most versatile part of the male attire, at times doubling as a sleeping or work dress for doing manual work. Blue strips the kind shown in the picture were most popular although many preferred plain white colour. I am told that some guys even got pockets stitched on these to keep money and documents save while traveling. It figured in many Bollywood films and songs and could be seen hanging from from many a cloth line fluttering majestically like a flag, while the sun helped dry it. You may also be able to spot it hanging from train windows, getting ready for service in the shortest possible time.
And then came VIP and a host of other brands eventually succeeding in changing men's habits. They started buying branded underwear. This was perhaps the second bit of garment that moved to "fast" clothing after the baniyan (under vest).
But current under garments do not have the same cultural character despite branding by Indian manufacturers and the arrival of International brands. In fact most of the advertising by national brands is very type cast ....a leading male Bollywood star doing some impossible antics.
But nothing come close to the stripped underwear in practicality and character. Hope it survives and live on.
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