Elite South Mumbai club bans low-waist jeans from billiards room
Elite South Mumbai club bans low-waist jeans from billiards room
The elite Cricket Club of India (CCI), located at Churchgate, has issued a notice to its members stopping them from wearing, low-waist jeans that reveal underwear in the billiards room of the club. In both billiards and snooker, players bend over the table to play. The notice was put up in November 2008 and continues to be on the board of the elite club.
Says Kekoo Nicholson, vice-president of the Cricket Club of India Billiards Sub-Committee, "The decision was taken when the six-member committee unanimously agreed that some decorum was needed. We do not want to kill the spirit of the younger generation. Some of these kids do not realise that such low waist jeans may be obscene. A couple of complaints had trickled in and so we decided to impose a dress code."
Says young professional Anand A (24), who plays both snooker and billiards at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI), "I think low-waist attire should not be allowed. There are ladies too in the billiards room. Though I do not think they should be fined or suspended, a warning is enough."u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
Nicholson says most youngsters are "very supportive" and adds that the billiards room is part of Cricket Club of India's main clubhouse where there are dress codes for restaurants and other rooms. "The markers (club's employees in the Billiards Room) watch out for inappropriate attire, gently reminding the players to change into more appropriate gear or leave the room," explains Nicholson.
The youngsters endorse Nicholson's view. Dhanraj Minawala (20), ranked fourth in the state at snooker and who plays both games, says, "The dress code is correct. This is a formal sport and some class should be maintained. Even slippers should not be allowed in the room."
What the u00a0champs say
Some lines have to be drawn. Showing skin should not be allowed in the billiards room, and low waist jeans are unacceptable. One's clothing should not look lousy.
- Anuja Thakur
Former women's billiards world champion
Denims should be allowed, but as a player one must be conscious of what one wears. Low-waist jeans and shorts are not a pleasant sight.
- Pankaj Advani
The young billiards world championu00a0u00a0u00a0
Low-rise uproar
Legislator Derrick Shepherd of the state of Louisiana in the USA made an attempt in 2004 to outlaw the fashion of low-rise jeans, particularly to bring a halt to the display of underwear under the pants, claiming that it is disrespectful and obscene.
People spotted with their boxers showing would be fined $500 u00a0(Rs 25,000). The bill was rejected by the Louisiana House of Representatives.
A similar bill was attempted in Hampton Roads, Virginia, USA, charging a $50 u00a0u00a0(Rs 2,500) fine for anyone deliberately showing their underwear. The bill was rejected in February 2005.
