'No lungis or nighties, please': AOA in Greater Noida's Sector Phi 2 advises dress code for its residents

NOIDA: An apartment owners' association of a condominium in Greater Noida's Sector Phi 2 has urged its residents to be mindful of their attire while in the common area or park.
The circular, which was issued by the Himsagar Apartment AOA on June 10 and specifically asks residents not to venture outside their flats "wearing lungis and nighties", has been welcomed by some but criticised sharply by others for gross overreach by an AOA into the most personal of domains -- of one's sartorial preferences.
AOA president CK Kalra told TOI on Tuesday said they did not discriminate against anyone but only requested residents to follow guidelines after receiving some complaints about people wearing "loose clothes" while doing yoga every day on the compound, which apparently made the complainants uncomfortable.
"A few days back, some women complained about a senior citizen doing yoga wearing a lungi. At first, we requested people verbally. Later, the association decided to put out a circular," Kalra said.
The circular reads: "Residents are requested that whenever you roam in the society at any time, you should pay special attention to your conduct and dress so that you do not give any chance to anyone to object to your behaviour. Your children also learn from you. Therefore, everyone is requested not to roam around wearing lungi and nighty, which are home wear." TOI has a copy of the circular.
Lungis and nighties are common casual or night wear and are preferred by many during summer months when heat and humidity can make wearing fitted clothes uncomfortable.
Dr Yash Veer Singh, a resident of Himsagar, did not see a problem with the circular. "They are not imposing any fine on us. I have never seen anyone roaming in the common area wearing a lungi, but maybe it was someone's guest. Residents here are mostly disciplined," he said.
Another resident, Pankaj, said he was not aware of the circular but did not find it intrusive. "As a parent, I think it is good for my children. The AOA has not asked for anything wrong and I guess we should consider it," Pankaj said.
But among RWA federations, opinion was sharply split. GB Nagar district development RWA endorsed the move. Its president NP Singh said there should be "some decorum" followed in public places. "Wearing ill-fitted loose clothes, like a lungi or a nighty, in public places, including common areas, parks, etc of the society or a sector does not look appropriate," he said.
KK Jain, secretary general of the Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Associations (FONRWA), which has over 140 RWAs as members, maintained that while certain decency should be maintained, "we are of the view that it should be the freedom of an individual what to wear what he or she wants. The dress should be according to an individual's choice".
Alok Singh of Active Citizens' Group in Greater Noida said, "Everyone should be free to wear his/her dress of liking. But as a member of society, the social acceptability of the immediate environs should be kept in mind. "
Rajiva Singh, president of the Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Association (NOFAA), which has over 60 AOAs as members, said residents' associations cannot make such rules on their own. "Defining dress codes in civil society has roots in a colonial mindset. We cannot define or restrict any particular type of clothing for people to wear. Rather, we need to respect people's choices. Care, however, can be taken that it does not harm the religious or cultural sentiments of any particular community. Welfare associations cannot make such rules on their own. In a civilized world, we need to respect the people's sentiment and their choices," he said.