Colonial mindset.

FIRST impression is the last impression, they say, and I tend to agree. I recently flew a newly launched airline and the uniform of the cabin crew, especially the air hostesses, left me puzzled.

As it turned out, I was not the only one who was put off by the choice of attire. Many of us doctors, while having a cup of tea in our seminar room later in the day, wondered why that airline would have chosen such a uniform for its identification.

Red is my favourite colour, but shirt and trousers for female cabin crew is a clear deviation from cultural values. A dress code of the West has been applied to a South Asian airline; why? Is Pakistani shalwar-kameez-dupatta combo outdated? Are our own traditions and styles outmoded?

It seems that after decades of 'independence', we still want to look like our former colonial masters. Are we a slave nation? Had the name of the airline been 'Western Airline' or something similar, I would never think of that dress as objectionable, but the name was anything but Western. However, choosing a name steeped in patriotism and choosing a staff uniform steeped in Western values is indicative of confusion among the decision-makers.

Fly this new commercial...