4 ms·

A lot of people in India, more so poor people, and people in rural areas, don't wear any kind of footwear, much of the time. They might just wear shoes or slipp

by vram22 8y ago

A lot of people in India, more so poor people, and people in rural areas, don't wear any kind of footwear, much of the time. They might just wear shoes or slippers (chappals) when going to a town or city. I see this even today. Even though I know they can get used to it, I always marvel at how they can handle all the potential issues, like heat (gets very high in large parts of India for much of the year), cold, bumpy/sharp surfaces, even glass or nails (although rarer) on the roads. I've seen workers in houses of relatives, which I have visited, who did their work inside and around the house, barefoot.

quantummkv 8y ago
In rural areas, there are very few concrete or asphalt surfaces. The dirt roads don't absorb heat so it rarely affects anything. You also don't find glass or nails scattered around in random places in villages. And you get used to those bumpy surfaces so they don't bother you much
- vram22 8y ago
  I agree with you except for a few points. There are concrete and asphalt (I suppose you mean what we call tar roads in India) in villages in India. 50-100 years ago there might not have been, but modernization (of some things) has happened, and we have that now - some. Also glass at least, if not nails, can occur at a non-trivial level, due to littering. I see it a fair amount.
lozf 8y ago
Thanks for mentioning "chappals" - In my experience (currently month 21 in India over the last 14 years) this term usually refers to a generic type of open-ish, often plastic or rubber, shoe - anything between a "flip-flop" ("thong" for Aussies), "slides", "sandals", or more like "crocs", etc whereas (to a Brit) at least, a "slipper" is quite different (usually softer materials, though some might be similar in style to slides or crocs or moccasins), and intended for indoor use only.
- vram22 8y ago
  NP. Good points about the different terms / usages. Just as in other former colonies or areas where English influence existed, India has adapted English somewhat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_English https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_English
- vram22 8y ago
  >this term usually refers to a generic type of open-ish, often plastic or rubber, shoe I don't know if it can be called a shoe, unless you were using the term loosely - I saw that you mentioned slides, sandals, etc. The open-ish part is right, it is an open item of footwear, see below. Google "bata chappals images" and "hawaiian chappals images" to see two common kinds of footwear that are both informally called "chappals" in India. The former includes ones made out of leather or synthetic materials (what is called PU here, maybe polyurethane, not sure), at least for the cheaper brands (or non-brands). I dislike and never buy the PU or similar type. Feels slimy/slippery and wrong to the skin, and causes more perspiration than either rubber or leather, IME, although rubber and leather cause some too, in higher temperatures during summer.

by vram22 8y ago

quantummkv 8y ago

In rural areas, there are very few concrete or asphalt surfaces. The dirt roads don't absorb heat so it rarely affects anything. You also don't find glass or nails scattered around in random places in villages. And you get used to those bumpy surfaces so they don't bother you much

vram22 8y ago
I agree with you except for a few points. There are concrete and asphalt (I suppose you mean what we call tar roads in India) in villages in India. 50-100 years ago there might not have been, but modernization (of some things) has happened, and we have that now - some. Also glass at least, if not nails, can occur at a non-trivial level, due to littering. I see it a fair amount.

lozf 8y ago

Thanks for mentioning "chappals" - In my experience (currently month 21 in India over the last 14 years) this term usually refers to a generic type of open-ish, often plastic or rubber, shoe - anything between a "flip-flop" ("thong" for Aussies), "slides", "sandals", or more like "crocs", etc whereas (to a Brit) at least, a "slipper" is quite different (usually softer materials, though some might be similar in style to slides or crocs or moccasins), and intended for indoor use only.

vram22 8y ago
NP. Good points about the different terms / usages. Just as in other former colonies or areas where English influence existed, India has adapted English somewhat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_English https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_English
vram22 8y ago
>this term usually refers to a generic type of open-ish, often plastic or rubber, shoe I don't know if it can be called a shoe, unless you were using the term loosely - I saw that you mentioned slides, sandals, etc. The open-ish part is right, it is an open item of footwear, see below. Google "bata chappals images" and "hawaiian chappals images" to see two common kinds of footwear that are both informally called "chappals" in India. The former includes ones made out of leather or synthetic materials (what is called PU here, maybe polyurethane, not sure), at least for the cheaper brands (or non-brands). I dislike and never buy the PU or similar type. Feels slimy/slippery and wrong to the skin, and causes more perspiration than either rubber or leather, IME, although rubber and leather cause some too, in higher temperatures during summer.