How Waterproof Sarees Distributed At Kumbh Mela Are Helping Preserve The Modesty Of Women
Women, wherever you go, you know you unfortunately have to be careful of prying eyes. Especially in India, men all around are almost frothing at the mouth to get a glimpse of any semblance of skin.
It doesn't matter whether it's at a party, while taking public transport, or even at a religious function like Kumbh Mela.
Hamam, a popular soap brand, obviously knows this. Worse, they also know that a simple Google search with the term 'women at Kumbh' will throw up far too many images of women at the Kumbh Mela.
They're simply there trying to purify themselves with a dip in one of the holy rivers, but they're subjected to men trying to photograph them post immersion, when their clothes are dripping wet and clinging to their bodies.
So the soap brand launched #GoSafeOutside. For Kumbh 2019, they began sponsoring changing rooms for women at the ghats, but they realised it wasn't enough. So what they've done is distribute waterproof sarees to women at these events.
They distributed these for the first time earlier in the week at the Basant Panchami holy dip site in Allahabad. In a yellow colour with a green band, the saris have reportedly been treated to make them aquaphobic, in an effort to preserve the dignity of these women at the religious ceremony despite the presence of male predators.
"Through our #GoSafeOutside positioning, we want to help improve the sense of safety people feel when they are outside...," says Harman Dhillon, General Manager of Skin Cleansing India at Unilever.
"The Waterproof Sarees at Kumbh are not just a solution to help preserve the modesty of female pilgrims, they are also a shout out to society to be more respectful and discrete about they view of women. If men have the right to take the Holy Dip without the worry of unsolicited attention, society needs to adjust its mindset to allow women to do the same without being self-conscious."