Purani Jeans or is it just me?

Who doesn't remember that song by Ali Haider and those evergreen lyrics?
'Purani Jeans Aur Guitar' (My old Jeans and My Guitar) paints a picture of that perfect college bloke in such simple words!

But, hold on. Before we drift off into those pleasant memories of college, here's something to ponder upon for a moment ...

Strolling around almost aimlessly in the mall, as she waits for a friend, Nancy can't help stealing a few glances at some expensive pieces of clothing that are trying to seduce her through the store windows. Among the countless mannequins modelling the latest fashions, Nancy wonders what makes those tattered jeans a signature in fashion. Most big stores, she notices are marketing these ragged, fadded or torn jeans at hundreds of dollars. And they seem to be pretty popular with the teens these days- they are no longer patented for rock stars (they would need the torn jeans as well as the guitar!).

So what is up with these 'custom torn' jeans? Nancy wonders if we are making a mockery of poverty. Or is it just a fashion statement which expresses solidarity with a poor begger in the third world? Sure, only if some of that cash trickled down to those poor souls.

While a savvy teenager proudly tosses a Ben Franklin for a pair of these jeans, the begger on the street is happy to barely own this much cloth for an altogether different purpose; yet a very basic one- to cover his modesty. Mockery or solidarity- which ever way we look at it, it doesn't quite sound right. Does it?

The history of jeans probably points to inspiration drawn from the rugged, oily and shoddy looks of a railroad worker or a mine worker ... So we imitate their appearances? ... Is that the best a man can use his grey cells for? Aren't we capable of better than that? I mean, even if we see this as a tribute to the hard lives of these men- can we with our brilliant minds do no better than this shred of superficiality?

While you ponder ... I guess I would just sneak into my old fadded Hamilton jeans (that almost feel like my second skin) for one last time and hum along- Purani Jeans Aur Guitar ...