Sadhu's fashion statements

You see the sadhus all around in India, they are the ascetics, have taken a fully spiritual path and they've given up any material possession and live maybe in a cave or go around travelling or I don't know. Buddha was actually a sadhu. Besides it is supposed to be the last stage of the live of every brahmin (higher cast). Anyhow, in particular in holy places, you see lots of them, e.g. like in Haridwar where I am now, (Uttaranchal) - bathed by the river Ganga, same as Varanasi.

I was having a tea at the (holy) promenade by the river, taking a look at the scenes. A guy came and asked for a chai. He was telling off a sadhu that sat down with him and shared the chai. I did not understand a word, but it was obvious the guy was upset. It seems some sadhus are not so genuine and try to cheat people in different ways, maybe this was one of them, anyhow the sadhu eventually stood up, said his last words, and left on his own.

Sadhus are poor since they've renounced to everything, they're dirty since they've given up soap. Their hair is a mess how knows if they ever wash it, or themselves, (except in holy rivers and lakes). They spend a lot of time in the open so their skin is really dark and some of the hair looses color; some of them look as if they've been to the hairdresser and had it done rasta style. But then, I realised that this sadhu possibly a cheater who was leaving had actually a perfect rasta hair, which could not be just the effect of dust and dirt, wind and sun, but had to be the work of a professional!!. Besides, he had several necklaces and his loincloth was shinny orange.

I started looking around at the sadhus with my new eyes, and indeed, this one had bracelets at his forearm, the other one was wearing his shabby pieces of cloth with lots of style, and most of them used that kind of bags that the westerns half mystics like so much (see previous posts, and by the way I have one of those bags myself), they all painted their faces a bit... I went for a short walk around the Ganga and yes it was confirmed, every one of them had a peculiarity, something nice even if humble, bracelets or necklaces or the hair vogue or the smartness of the rags or sunglasses.


The western half mystics don't look like indians nor western, the sadhus are actually the only indians that dress in the same wave as the half mystics. (However, of course, it has to be the other way around).


I don't know if the indians manufacturing clothes for the half mystics (there is already a kind of industry around it) have realised this fact. They should come to the shores of the Ganga as if the sadhus were on display in their catwalk and take ideas and create fashion.