Author Khurshed Batliwala allegedly denied entry to Calcutta Swimming Club for 'wearing kurta-pyjama'

Author and Art of Living teacher Khurshed Batliwala took to Facebook to bash the Calcutta Swimming Club for denying them entry. He alleged that the reason for this denial was that he and his acquaintances, Dinesh and Shiv, were dressed in kurta-pyjama.

Khurshed (R) Batliwala with his colleagues. Facebook@khurshedbatliwala

The post on social media, which now has over 600 shares and 2,000 thousand reactions, shows an image of Batliwala and his colleagues in the said attire and documents the "discrimination" that they faced in Kolkata.

"Dinesh, me and Shiv were not allowed into the club because we were wearing Kurta Pyjama. Kurta Pyjama is considered to be a formal dress code of India," Batliwala said on Facebook.

"This is such nonsense because people with t-shirts were allowed in... Jeans are fine. Just kurtas are not. What horrible discrimination against something that is completely Indian," Batliwala said.

He said that the club's logic for the denial was also absurd, especially considering how it was a swimming club. "What possible difference can it make what you wear to the locker rooms? Unless, of course, they expect you to swim wearing a tuxedo," he quipped.

"They sadly still have not got independence from the British Raj," Batliwala said, adding that these kinds of institutions should be shut down for the disrespect they have for Indian culture. He urged people to take to social media if they have also faced similar treatment.

Batliwala told ANI that while the club allowed people dressed in dhotis, they dismissed people wearing pyjamas.

We were wearing kurta-pajamas. They said you can't enter wearing this, said you can wear dhoti but not pajama. I can wear kurta-pajama to a wedding. I'm sure it's good enough for any club: Khurshed Batliwala,Art of Living teacher who was denied entry in a swimming club in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/jB9WSqcpHa

— ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2017

He slammed this distinction, saying kurta-pyjama was the formal dress code of India. "I can wear kurta-pyjama to a wedding. I'm sure it's good enough for any club," he said to ANI.