Sometimes you read a political news story which at the very first look, doesn’t make you cry (most of them do). First you read it, then you feel like laughing out loud (which you do), but as you think more deeply about it, you feel frustrated and become angry when you realise how the hard-earned money you pay as taxes is wasted on frivolous grounds.
Well, I just read such a news report two days ago. DNA reports,
Chappals have often been the cause of controversies at five-star hotels. Now, the Deputy Chairman of the State Legislative Council Vasant Davkhare wants a committee to study why sandals are not allowed in pubs.
Davkhare on Monday asked the state government to constitute an all-party committee to study the rules and regulations laid by the restaurants, pubs and discos in the city.
Last year, a few Marathi actors were stopped from entering a suburban five-star hotel’s pub because they were wearing Kolhapuri chappals.
Speechless, I read. An all-party committee to study why chappals aren’t allowed in pubs? Heck, even I (a naive Indian) can tell you that. It’s because chappals ain’t the ‘in’ thing. They ain’t hip, they ain’t fashionable.
And no, the story doesn’t end there. You didn’t read the reply of Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil to that demand, did you?
He replied,
The rules are set by the hotel management taking into account the safety of consumers. Chappals are not allowed since they are unsafe for the consumers as well as others on the floor of the pub. The actors were offered the shoes, but they refused them.
Honestly, do we really need to discuss all that in the State Legislative Council? Aren’t there far more pressing and important issues that need to be discussed? Please end this farce, dear politicos!
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Not only chappals but also rotten eggs,rotten tomatoes,microphones are often thrown in political meetings by their rivals. It is not a surprise to know that they have time to discuss about chappals in pubs.
Shoes are an attempt by the West to pollute our culture, just like Valentine’s day. I am relieved to see somebody noticed this subtle invasion of Western Culture eroding our Indian traditions.
I think this committee should ban shoes from government aided schools and offices. All Gujratis should wear only mojhdis, Maharshtrians should wear Kolhapuris, Punjabis only jutties and so on. We should all do our bit to help the chappal making industry…but only of our own states. To help this industry we should also make chappal-garlands for the above mentioned rulers…err..representatives of the people, elected by the people.
@ OldSailor
I guess it’s time they graduate to fisticuffs now. Throwing stuff at each other is now passe
@ Indian Homemaker
Hail our rulers…err..representatives of the people, elected by the people! Yes, shoes should be banned
What if you went bare-foot? Surely it will cause no harm?
(A majority of us are poor to buy a foot wear.)
@ Ottayan
Errr…Good question. That one merits another national level all-party study group
Reminded of “Ab Tak Chappals ” ..sorry “Ab Tak Chappan”…lines from Nana Patekar…
” When we get information, we kill criminals, When we dont have information, we kill time”…
“To allow or not to allow chappals in Pub”…”What an idea sarji”
Nothing wrong with Chappals in pubs. I am all for allowing them. But then, setting up a committee to ‘look into it’ is taking it a bit too far. :p
@ jai
If only that were the case. But the truth is that there are plenty of issues that deserve more attention than chappals in pubs
@ lazybug
Yep, a bit tooooo far
Its nothing to do with Bombay itself. Most of the pubs in other countries too dont allow anyone wearing chappals / slippers / sandals. Its something like a dress code. You dont wear slippers to school or a bikini to a religious place. Its something similar.
We are to blame for electing these angootha chaps to power. No wonder they got no sense of priorities in life.
@ Liju Philip
Enough! You’re rupturing the funny bone!
Would the research group all kinds and brands of chappals into one category, or would there be separate researches conducted for each kind and brand of chappal there is?
@ Roop Rai
Yes, that’s how it should be. One research group for each brand so that the maximum number of angootha chaps have something to do.
;pp