From a full-throated ‘Garibaldi’ to Kohli’s sleekly cut ‘V’, beards reclaim space on young Indian visages.
The history of the male facial hair, or its falling in and out of favour, is like a pendulum—swinging in a matter of generations to opposite ends. Every Greek worthy of his marble bust sports one— Socrates, Plato, Thucidides, Sophocles, doughty Leonidas and Pericles. As Rome swept into history, its mighty republicans, soldiers and emperors took the razor to their visages with gusto. There they stand, Caesar, Augustus, Cicero, Ovid, Seneca, staring at us with unseeing eyes, cheeks as smooth and glistening as they possibly were in real life. Why, even the tyrants Tiberius and Caligula didn’t feel the need for a bushy outcrop behind which to hide their hideous deeds. Is there a connect with Roman predilections and the ruthlessly efficient style of imperialism that they pioneered?
Thus goes mankind’s brief and lengthy encounters with the beard, waxing and waning in density, regarded through history as not only masculine, but often denoting, in grooming and a variety of new styles, sprigs of nobility from the hoi polloi.
It is, however, plainly apparent to the observer that young India, after a gap of many decades, is conducting a finely manicured, openly narcissistic love affair with the beard, and that is mediated by passionate admiration for the many beards in the Indian cricket team. The hirsute revolution is led, unsurprisingly, by captain Virat Kohli, he of the strong-jawed variety, his clean, V-shaped beard, framing his chiselled face so admirably, shadowing his rasping groundstrokes in the ‘V’. What it has sparked, and fed, in Indian men is a passion for beards, with young sparks open to a new ‘look’ adopting them in hordes—much like how young Germans in the early 20th century copied Kaiser Wilhelm’s moustache.
この記事は Outlook の July 08, 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Outlook の July 08, 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
My Secular Mentor
A rare psychologist of Indian culture, Sudhir Kakar leaves behind seminal works that will have relevance for many generations
Battle of the Bahubalis
Gangsters in Bihar no longer enjoy the kind of dominance that they did in the 90s, but that has not kept them away from politics
Memories of Riots
Have frequent communal tensions changed the social fabric of Bihar?
Didi's Achilles Heel
Mamata Banerjee stays the course but her party, plagued by corruption charges, spins out of control
Memory Metamorphosis
What happened on March 14, 2007 in Nandigram? People still ask this question as they take part in the dance of democracy
Minority Report
He has not lost the Dhubri seat in Assam since 2009. Now he is fighting for political survival as Bengali Muslims look to favour the Congress
THE POWER OF PURPOSE
Doing good is good business as it transcends bottom lines and impacts lives positively, yielding profits that go beyond numbers.
CURRENT FARMING METHODS ARE EXACERBATING CLIMATE CHANGE
Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) project is supporting transition of 850,000 farmers covering 377,801 hectares of land and operating in 3730 villages. \"Natural farming is in harmony with nature. It is a holistic land management practice that leverages the power of photosynthesis in plants\", says Mr. T Vijay Kumar, a retired IAS officer, who is the Executive Vice Chairman of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, a non-profit organization set up by the Andhra Pradesh government in 2014. Since 2016, this platform has been utilized to integrate and promote APCNF activities, aimed at fostering the overall development and empowerment of farmers. Excerpts from an interview with Mr T Vijay Kumar:
IN PURSUIT OF SUSTAINABILITY
Harshavardhana Gourineni, Executive Director, Amara Raja Energy & Mobility Ltd, in an interview shares how through its products and operations the company is helping reduce carbon footprints and meet SDGs. Excerpts:
COOLING NO MORE A LUXURY, BUT A NECESSITY
With the rise in demand of air conditioners due to heat stress, sustainable air conditioning is the way forward to bring relief to people as well as manage emissions