23 July,2011 12:36 AM IST | | Amit Roy
As India-England play a historic Test at Lord's, women storm the Lord's bastion with improper attire, resulting in the British pursing the stiff upper lip in disdain. But, in today's modern Britain, old fogeys may be clinging on desperately to outdated notionsu00a0
In 2008, Kapil Dev brought back his class of 1983 to Lord's, thanks to Kingfisher and Vijay Mallya. This was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of India's World Cup win. At the stroke of the midnight hour on June 25, 1983, when almost no one was asleep in India, Kapil held aloft the Prudential Cup. Perhaps over-wrought by the emotion of the occasion, Indians present at the ground and millions back home celebrated as though this was the most important event in the history of the nation since gaining independence in 1947. And in a way, it was, for it gave Indians a sense of self-belief not only in cricket but also in almost every other walk of life.
Look no tie: Sculptor Anish Kapoor (centre) meets Her Majesty at a
recent Buckingham Palace reception. He is not wearing a tie
At the celebration dinner held in the Long Room at Lord's 25 years later, Kapil, by now a mature statesman, went from table to table, shaking hands and making sure the guests were happy. The men wore black tie or gula bundh or, at the least, formal suits. The women came mostly in saris. Indians who live in London are used to dressing formally given the large number of charity balls or gala receptions that are held in the top Park Lane hotels -- indeed, one of these, Grosvenor House, is now Indian owned (by Subroto Roy's Sahara group, sponsors of the Indian cricket team).
Memorial: Indians properly dressed for the celebratory dinner held in
2008 to mark the 25th anniversary of India's World Cup victory in 1983
Dresses
Ahead of the first Test between India and England, now under way, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) issued a reminder about its strict dress code for the Pavilion. "Whilst in the Pavilion gentlemen shall wear ties and tailored coats and acceptable trousers with appropriate shoes," it says. It goes on, "Zip-up golf-style
jackets are not permitted. Gentlemen will not be admitted to the Pavilion, including the Pavilion Concourse unless, on entrance, their dress conforms to the Regulation. However, coats and ties may be removed on the Pavilion Concourse, and outside balconies, but must be replaced for entry to the Pavilion building."
It does not actually say that women should not seek to emulate Mallika Sherawat but that is implied -- please, those so inclined should leave their cleavages at home. "Ladies should wear dresses, or skirts or trousers worn with blouses, and appropriate shoes," the code states.u00a0 "Dresses and blouses may be sleeveless."
Indians
The MCC dates back to 1787 so its rules and regulations were originally aimed at English society but people of Indian origin have become an integral part of modern Britain. Unlike West Indians, who no longer come to cricket matches in significant numbers -- either they cannot afford to or don't want to -- Indians can and do.
Therefore, the dress code needs to be slightly interpreted for Indians. In theory, the hijab (head scarf) is allowed and so is the burkha (covering). But neither may be worn with trainers or chappals. In response to a query, the MCC spokeswoman explained, "Religious, traditional or national dress, or service uniform, is permitted. However, the following items of clothing are prohibited: jeans and their close relations, leggings; jodhpur-style trousers; t-shirts; track suits; training shoes; plimsolls; flip-flop shoes; denim clothing and overalls."
Informal
This does raise the question of whether Lord's is going against the trend of greater informality in British society. These days even BBC newsreaders do not feel the need always to wear a tie when fronting a bulletin -- something that would have been deemed unthinkable even five years ago. Some celebrities make it a point never to wear a tie. This trend towards greater informality was taken to extremes earlier this month when Britain's best-known sculptor, Anish Kapoor -- born in what was then Bombay March 12, 1954 --turned up for a Buckingham Palace reception without a tie.
As an eminent artiste, he probably felt he could set his own rules and ignore the one which stipulates that men should be attired in tie and jacket when meeting Her Majesty the Queen, certainly on a formal occasion. The reception was to mark the awarding of a Japanese arts prize, the Praemium Imperiale, to Anish and to Dame Judi Dench, the famous British actress ("M" in Bond movies).
Wine glass in hand and looking perfectly at ease, Anish chatted to the Queen about the sculpture he was making (with Lakskmi Mittal's Pound16m) for the Olympics. Some Indians later felt that his Pound115,000 prize money may just help Anish to invest in a tie.
Flesh
So, what exactly does the Lord's brand represent? The Daily Mail reported recently that, "women members of the MCC -- the club that owns Lord's -- are said to be exposing too much flesh in the prestigious pavilion enclosure. Just 50 women have been granted membership of the exclusive club since a ban on them was overturned in 1999, but now some of the 18,000 male members are said to be disgruntled." To accompany the article, it had pictures of pretty girls in t-shirts and hot pants serving drinks at the ground (not inside the pavilion).
The paper gave details of the kind of behaviour, which would not be tolerated at Lord's,u00a0 "No betting (unless specifically authorised by the MCC Committee), unnecessary noise, or confusion of any kind is permitted in any part of the Ground. Flags, Banners, Musical Instruments, Klaxons, Rattles, Fireworks and other articles, which may constitute an annoyance to spectators, are also prohibited inside the Ground. The wearing of Fancy Dress costumes and oversized hats inside the Ground is prohibited."
Code
Among those who believe Lord's is absolutely right to enforce a strict dress code is the now retired cricket writer Dicky Rutnagur, who born in Bombay on February 26, 1931, attended St Xavier's College, where he came under the influence of Russi Modi, the former Test player, and arrived in 1966 in England where he has long been settled.u00a0 "We" -- meaning men, "take the trouble to dress properly," he said.
The least women could do was adopt the same code.u00a0 "There was a time when women were not allowed in the Pavilion during the hours of play," he recalled. Given that Britain today has legislation that guarantees equality between the sexes, it would no longer be possible for Lord's to adhere to the rules from another age. In matters of dress code, it is probably fighting a losing battle. But it wants to cling on to what it considers to be best about the old Britain for a while longer.
