With the vast number of states in India, numerous cultures and customs have been followed for thousands of years. The cultural diversity is what makes India so colorful and attractive to the people in the west especially.
From Butter chicken to Masala Dosa or a Saari to a Lungi, the west seems to be very fascinated with the Indian traditions recently.
While we, as a country, take pride in their appreciation, there have been times when the west has clearly taken advantage of our culture for their own benefit.
For instance, a few years back, an online post highlighted how an American company has been selling ‘Lungi’ to the white people for an insane amount of $175 which is nearly Rs 13000.
The company, Lungi Project, describes the garment as a ‘Modern Lungi’ which is said to be made of Luxurious fabrics and also comes with buttons and pockets. However modern the lungi may be, it fails to serve the basic purpose of comfort and is not something that one hopes to be that expensive.
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There is no denying that some would appreciate the concept of a back pocket in a lungi, but still, the absurd pricing for a piece of cloth that is worn in India by millions of people daily just seems a little too much.
When a Twitter user shared the expensive lungi online in 2019, people were amazed at how gullible the west can be. People were shocked at the pricing while some agreed to the quality and the designing.
can’t believe made in north america lungis exist that are selling for $175. pic.twitter.com/lJl1V37VtL
— DaBaby Shalini (@nah_im_abdulla) May 12, 2019
This is not the first time that an International brand has sold overpriced Indian wear. Gucci had also been responsible for selling an Indian Kurta as a Kaftan for a whopping Rs 2.5 Lakhs.
While we appreciate the global appreciation and awareness of the Indian culture, we may all agree that this overpricing and exploitation of our culture and tradition needs to be stopped by international brands.
