On the beach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The resort I stayed at a recent holiday in Kuala Lumpur seemed to be very popular with visitors from the Middle East. We found scores of families from various areas there, staying at the hotel. Apart from us Indian's of course :) !

The Sunway resort where we stayed had a man-made beach and lagoon. It had a lot of adventure theme parks and a water park with fun stuff to do for everyone. The day we spent there was memorable with the many rides and adventures we had. However, what struck me and cut me deep was a young woman in a Burqua on the beach.

By her body language I could make out she was quite young, and she was accompanied by her husband and two young chilren. The latter three were appropriately dressed in shorts and swimming gear for a day at the water park. The former, however, was covered from top to toe in a burqua and a veil for her face. The only visible area at the eyes was covered by sunglasses. In short, apart from her hands, there was no visible skin anywhere. This lady stood on that beach watching her family frolic in the water for a good three to four hours, at least till the time we were there.

Watching her in the searing heat, surrounded by other women of all shapes and sizes, in varying swimming gear, from bikinis, one peieces, tankinis, cycling shorts to burkinis even, felt odd. In that heat, her ensemble choice did seem out of place. Watching her somewhere sent a shiver down my spine, and perhaps left me thankful of being born in a more liberal country in more liberal times.

While leaving I wondered if she had ever felt tempted to throw off the restrictions and jump into the water. Sometimes the smallest things in life you take for granted make you pause and ponder.