[landcruiser123]

Dear All,
I want to share this report which is absurd. How can an RTO deny license to a man wearing shorts ?

This is not the first time I've heard of such a thing happening. This happened to a close friend. He was ordered to go home and change into pants.

The agent and the officer had a chat and then the humiliation began. They reportedly asked Srinivas how he could walk into the RTO dressed in shorts.

"They said things like 'this is not a foreign country, it's Karnataka'. They said I should come in pants and claimed it was a central government rule. When I demanded to see where the rule was written, they just reiterated that it was a rule. I was shocked," said Srinivas.

Source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com/banga...w/52195898.cms

I've personally seen people wearing flip-flops or Hawai chappal during the driving test. That is more dangerous.

Why you shouldn't wear flip flops: http://www.metronews.ca/drive/2013/0...lip-flops.html

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...e-station.html

Earlier it was about wearing shorts to a police station. How could RTO be too far behind?

I would never have done anything similar (This shorts culture is beyond my understanding!) but totally agree that it should not have prevented an official work from happening just because the officer thinks it is disrespectful.

[pratyush6]

I don't understand why the hell would you walk into a office wearing shorts? I mean come on! That is not your lounge and this is basic common sense. It is disrespectful to authorities.
And on top of it to have the gumption to ask to show where is the rule? I mean, the person is literally begging for being chided.

P.S. I don't think there might be a rule, as this is really basic common sense.

[Rahulkool]

I will not do something similar. But i dont see why this is wrong, why someone should be denied service because he is wearing shorts. If anything like that is there, then they should put a notice in front of the office.

[Engine_Roars]

Not to sound sexist but replace the guy with a girl and then see this becoming an international news.

He should not have worn shorts out of basic courtesy or common sense but if at all he did, his choice.

A simple question - What if a girl enters wearing shorts? You would still ridicule the girl or call Indian mentality regressive?

[libranof1987]

Whether you like "the shorts culture" or not, it cannot be grounds for humiliation or refusal or service.

Since (at least for now), we are granted the liberty of having an opinion, I am actually slightly alarmed at posts on how the person (wearing the shorts) is undeniably at fault and more so, for questioning such a "rule".

Unless there is a valid reason why shorts shouldn't be worn (safety, technical), the official is in the wrong here.

At the risk of going grossly OT, watch any news channel today and you realize how the general Indian public seems to be having a field day in the guise of protecting/propagating/upholding "our India culture".

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Unless there is a valid reason why shorts shouldn't be worn (safety, technical), the official is in the wrong here.

That's the reason why I put the reference to flip flops. They're a hazard while driving.

Wearing shorts isn't a hazard.

watch any news channel today and you realize how the general Indian public seems to be having a field day in the guise of protecting/propagating/upholding "our India culture".

It's an alarming trend today. I heard the news about a girl in Pune. The incident was sad.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

I don't understand why the hell would you walk into a office wearing shorts? I mean come on! That is not your lounge and this is basic common sense. It is disrespectful to authorities.

P.S. I don't think there might be a rule, as this is really basic common sense.

I think the main issue here is not the attire, but feeling of being powerful. The RTO guy just wants to show that he's some boss who needs respect by wearing full pants only.

Most attires are dependent on weather. You wouldn't wear a 3 piece suit with a tie on a hot summers day right?

And wearing shorts is definitely not showing disrespect. And this maybe just you, but unless specified that wearing shorts is prohibited, I doubt there is a reason to raise hue and cry over it. It's especially not common sense ! RTO of all places with all the rules and regulation should be careful about what its officers say.


While I've personally experienced faster service in RTo when I wore formals, it certainly doesn't mean a person wearing shorts will be sent home.

[Zappo]

Ok, let me stick my neck out and say something which will probably get a few of the Bangalore members riled up. However, after having seen how the things are slowly becoming across KA and Bangalore in specific I am pretty certain that Bangalore specifically is very steadily becoming hostile and intolerant. Your view, my view, my city, your city you name it... Rioting, attacks on people, general hostility and an overall sense of strong-arm tactics being employed by anyone who has some power in some field is very common of late. Everyone is on a short fuse and everyone wants to prove a point out there!

I wonder where this will all eventually lead up to!

[fine69]

A simple case of



I really wonder if some minister's son decided to show up in boxers in his Range Rover, would he still deny him license or instead say, "Sir aapne kyun takleef ki, main khud ghar dene aa jata license."

I say, just another frustrated guy playing his authority card simply because he can.

[sunishsamuel]

This is a problem all across india.

My own experience:

1) On my way to Hyd from Bangalore (shortly after moving to Bangalore from hyd) stopped near the Masab tank signal. Cops want to check DL and papers. I was wearing 3/4th. So when i got down, cop questioned "bangalore se tum chaddi main aata kya ?" I retorted back in Telugu which was like "as long as i wearing dress it should be fine with you, isnt it ? " He sobered down, was like oh "my own state guy"

2) On my flight to USA, at Bangalore airport -- immigration officer checks my passport, forms, then asks if i know kannada - i said yes. he told, when you are traveling international you should not go like as if you are going to a bar (he meant a little more derogatory) this is not how you dress up. I was wearing a full track pant and a plain grey t shirt.

I'd call these kind of attitude nothing but frustration. People do not know how to mind their business. Not that officers outside India are perfect, but i have not been in a situation where i was denied a service/facility just because i was wearing casuals.

Let a celebrity do the same thing (wearing casuals etc.) no one bothers. Just because i am not the "connected" guy, they can do these. Simple !

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by sunishsamuel

This is a problem all across india.

I'd call these kind of attitude nothing but frustration. People do not know how to mind their business. Not that officers outside India are perfect, but i have not been in a situation where i was denied a service/facility just because i was wearing casuals.

Have you ever noticed that cops easily pull guys wearing ear rings, printer t-shirts, weird hair styles etc? Somehow they have linked that if they look different from the crowd, they may not have papers / they may be drunk etc.
Not always true, but such "odd-man out" tactics are something they employ to corner culprits.
We are here in India, so let us behave how the crowd behaves to get an easy way out. Same is everywhere. If we do the other way, we are complicating things for us. Pointless, and a complete waste of time / energy in crying foul afterwards.

[sunishsamuel]

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

Have you ever noticed that cops easily pull guys wearing ear rings, printer t-shirts, weird hair styles etc? Somehow they have linked that if they look different from the crowd, they may not have papers / they may be drunk etc.
Not always true, but such "odd-man out" tactics are something they employ to corner culprits.
We are here in India, so let us behave how the crowd behaves to get an easy way out. Same is everywhere. If we do the other way, we are complicating things for us. Pointless, and a complete waste of time / energy in crying foul afterwards.

cops need to improve their strategy then. These days the bad guys can come in better cars, well groomed so how do they get the culprit by following the odd one out formula ?

Quite interesting. We have dhoti/mundu (the traditional wrap around) worn by people in many places. Some of them even tie them above their knees. if that's not offensive, how can a 3/4th or a knee length short be offensive ?

Of course, there can be a counter argument that MNC's and even pubs got dress code then why can't RTA. Even there i got a problem, if customer or an onsite staff member come there is no dress code. Pubs allow girls wearing short skirts while the guys wearing shorts are not allowed.

Let people wear what they are comfortable. Don't see a reason why there is discrimination based on dress and also not a reason for govt. officials to show/demonstrate their power. I'd more glad to hear the news that RTA made x number of improvements vs x number of citizens denied a license because they were not wearing pants.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

Have you ever noticed that cops easily pull guys wearing ear rings, printer t-shirts, weird hair styles etc? Somehow they have linked that if they look different from the crowd, they may not have papers / they may be drunk etc.......

I'm often picked on by cops, autowallahs, cabbies and even grocery store chaps because I don't look 'local', and most of them are flabbergasted when I respond in the local language.

What should I do? Paint my fair skin a darker shade to 'fit in'? Who decides what Karnataka's official skin tone is?


P.S. Before this degenerates further, let me just say my point is all this hoopla is because some people can't help finding imaginary issues/insults/transgressions where none really exist!

[fine69]

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

We are here in India, so let us behave how the crowd behaves to get an easy way out. Same is everywhere. If we do the other way, we are complicating things for us. Pointless, and a complete waste of time / energy in crying foul afterwards.

I can't imagine I read that, unless you were being sarcastic.

If not, I don't really know what to say.