Are the Trudeaus' Overdoing it with the Desi Attire Bit?

The Canadian Prime Minister and his family are on a seven-day trip to India, and it appears to be more personal than political in nature. Throughout the trip, the entire family has been spotted cheerfully wearing ethnic Indian clothes. Surprisingly, he is being criticised for the choice of his clothing.

Apparently, Trudeau’s choice of clothes is a hot topic of debate on social media and some think it is too ethnic. Take a look:

Incredible India tourism campaign should hire them https://t.co/mJjhXTKah9

— Shivam Vij (@DilliDurAst) February 21, 2018

Is it just me or is this choreographed cuteness all just a bit much now? Also FYI we Indians don’t dress like this every day sir, not even in Bollywood. pic.twitter.com/xqAqfPnRoZ

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 21, 2018

Bro Golden Temple is not at the airport, have some chill... https://t.co/UIK7hohjJN

— Kabir Taneja (@KabirTaneja) February 21, 2018

Notice how the Indians are wearing suits and you can't help but dress up like a Bollywood extra.

— Interest🍁Only 🇨🇦🇮🇳🇮🇱🇺🇸 (@Interest0nly) February 21, 2018

Though many did appreciate his gesture too.

I'm not sure what's all the fuss about. Obviously, someone else has created their wardrobe. They have trusted that advice and despite some of it being over the top, I think it's nice of them to wear it. In any case, I think they're all looking really good. Get over it.

— Argument8ive Indian (@idayre) February 21, 2018

Absolutely love it. Shows the respect they have for the country they are visiting. We may not dress like this everyday but no harm in them doing this for a few days :)

— Reena 🇮🇳 ❤️ 🇮🇳 (@RinksB) February 21, 2018

Sir if they want to pay respects to the culture of our country why should one be disturbed. It’s a moment they want to enjoy with India and that’s it. https://t.co/BJDeZQAfFm

— Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) February 21, 2018

His sherwani maybe a bit of an overkill, but are people seriously put off by the choice of airy kurtas by the Trudeau clan in the sweltering Indian heat? Also, Trudeau is accompanied by his young children and wife, and it looks like the intention is to give them a full-on experience of India and its heritage.

This is what the Desi experience is all about

The best way to experience any culture is through its entertainment, food and attire.

Though the stomach may want a break from the food part, it is the attire that feels most exotic to most western visitors to our country. We are known worldwide for our rich culture. We display the world our sarees and sherwanis, our eating habits, and our Bollywood films. However, when foreigners come to our country and want to experience what we have projected, suddenly we have a problem.

Their enthusiasm to experience our culture comes across as overdone. But then if seeing them dance on cheesy Bollywood songs, wearing blingy clothes makes you cringe, then it’s time to change the signals we are sending out to the world.

People from around the globe don’t come to see our IT parks and shopping malls.

They come here to the see where and how Gandhi lived. To visit our gurudwaras and temples, and eat our traditional food. They are fascinated with our traditions and ethnic attires. We might have given up on going fully ethnic on a day-to-day basis for the sake of convenience, fashion and modernisation, but don’t we go back to ethnicity during festivals, or on auspicious occasions?

For Trudeaus, the India visit is one such occasion. The one which calls for decking up in all the finery provided to them by their stylists and advisers. So we should appreciate their enthusiasm and attempt. Yet, if you still feel the need to criticise someone, then blame it on their stylists and advisers. They sure could have notched the Indian-ness down.

Picture Credit:  HT

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Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is a writer with the SheThePeople team, in the Opinions section.  The views expressed are the author’s own