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Monday, February 04, 2008

guthra, kifaya... sexy by any other name

some guys make it pansy-ish, some make it sexy... guys who wear a baseball cap for instance. or hair falling over their face... or just the way they wear a smile.
Out here, that one thing is the kifaya or guthra... the long flowing headscarf. A really common site at traffic signals, malls, near any shiny/reflective surface -- arab men adjusting their kifaya. there is a precision to making it look casual. right above the forehead, there maybe 2-3 light pleats. the scarf is also casually thrown over the head on one side. older, more distinguished men, let it just flow, but are particular about the crease above the forehead.
in some countries, they tie it like a turban... on Omani men, it just looks, sexy, sexy, sexy...
but my personal favourite is when one end is casually tossed over the head, the other end rests behind the shoulder... a perfect fit is a day old stubble, twinkling eyes, a sweet smile, and a gentlemanly gesture that says, 'yes you are welcome to cut in, and cross the lane... go ahead'
oooh, the guthra, with some traffic etiquette, can go a long way!

1 comment:

Teesu (very very Indian, very very good) said...

I have no idea what guthra means but whatever u described sounds interesting!