Unit 21

Fashion and Simplicity

I PRE-READING EXERCISE

There are several words in the modern jargon which mean a place (often a fashionable one) for eating, meeting and purchase purpose. But almost always there is some difference in meaning. Please match the columns to distinguish between such different places.

1. club : (a) a sitting room in a private house

2. cafeteria : (b) an establishment providing accommodation and food for the travellers and tourists

3. boutique : (c) a small house

4. parlour : (d) the premises of an association  

                      dedicated to particular interest.

5. resort : (e) a minor stopping - place

6. hotel : (f) a restaurant in which customers 

                serve themselves from a counter and 

                pay before eating

7. halt : (g) a night club

8. cottage : (h) a small restaurant selling light meals and drinks

9. boite : (i) a popular destination for holiday-

                makers

10. cafe : (j) a small shop selling fashionable 

                  clothes.

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II READING COMPREHENSION

Read the passage carefully.

In the modern society, we can see not only the youths but also the old ones practising fashions to attract the world.. Fancy shows, beauty contests, etc. are being held in every corner of the world. Hence new and new fashions are being displayed throughout the world. There are so many fashion-designing institutes. It is the tailors' day.

People attend kitty parties, night clubs, etc. to expand their business connections and for that, they wear clothes of new styles or, we can say, they adopt new fashions that may or may not be of their own choice, but that are certainly expected to be appreciated by a large section of society. Hence even through fashions they are surrendering themselves to the materialistic world. Oh God! man has to play what sort of games to get a small room in the luxury compartment of the world!

On the other hand, a simple man who does not waste his time in getting ready for a kitty party or night club, or in other words, who does not surrender himself to materialism, remains bold and contented at every step of life. And here I would like to mention Mahatma Gandhi. He was a man with the simplest possible clothes but he had a courageous mind and had an invincible weapon of truth, candour, and non-violence. Most of the historical figures were the persons who believed in the principle of simplicity.

Simplicity is not just concerned with the outer personality of a person, but it is also related to one's simple and true ideas about certain aspects of life. A teacher can be said to be a totally simple one, when he or she not only wears

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simple clothes but also teaches his or her pupils the real meaning of life in a simple and precise manner.

Simplicity is also something concerned with a eating habits. A simple man takes simple but balanced diet. person's He never eats too much or, we can say, he does not believe in over-eating. Over-eating makes one fall a victim to many diseases. Besides, it may cause food shortage in a poor country like ours, all the vociferous glut notwithstanding

A simple man believes in the principle of sacrifice and he remains ready for that in every walk of life. But what the modern man does, he does it for himself only. He takes rich diet and drinks excessively to remain a part of rich sections of society that can never like to be simple in any aspect of life.

It is a pity that nowadays it is a fashion to wear half or uglily clad in the name of fashion and to be boorish and churlish.