A photograph of a group of girls wearing colourful "lungi" (traditional garment worn around the waist by men), reportedly after a college in Kerala banned jeans, has been doing the rounds on social media since Sunday, June 5. Although the photo is real, the news regarding the jeans ban has turned out to be fake as the same image had hit the cyberspace a few years ago.
The photo is said to have hit the cyberspace again last year and was carried by various news portals after Mahesh Babu's superhit movie "Srimanthudu" was released, in which the actor surprised fans with his "lungi"-clad avatar. The movie was accepted well by the audience in the U.S., and reports had it that Indian-origin girls settled abroad posed for the viral photo after Mahesh became a trendsetter in the country.
The veracity of these reports has been questioned, as the origin of the photo cannot be ascertained as of now. A recent rumour states it was a step taken by the students against the banning of jeans in a college in Kerala, but that can be confirmed as a fake piece of information.
However, without verifying the origin of the photo, a few celebrities, including hair stylist Sapna Moti Bhavnani and anchor Archana Vijaya, shared it on social media. "After they banned girls from wearing jeans to college #Kerala#feminism #mondaymorning (Taken fr Ram Iyer on #fb). this photo is trendingeven if nt true,its a good slap 2 da moral brigade who say westrn wear is nono 4 Indian Women [sic]," tweeted Sapna. "A college in Kerala recently banned jeans so these girls lungi-ed it up! Well done! [sic]," wrote Archana on her social media page.
Some social media users, meanwhile, have suggested the photo was taken as part a dance competition in a women's college in Kerala.
It has to be noted that girls in Kerala colleges made headlines after the blockbuster Nivin Pauly-starrer "Premam" was released previous year. The students had then imitated the style of the young star by wearing a dark-coloured shirt and mundu as part of the Onam celebrations in colleges. The actor had also shared an image that was published on a leading daily, in which the students of St Teresas College in Ernakulam were seen celebrating Onam in "Premam" style. Also read: 'Premam' Fever Grips Kerala College Campuses [PHOTOS]
