This is probably a good chance to share my experience and at the same time, clarify my doubts too!
Salangai is basically ankle bells. They are worn in traditional performances of classical Indian dance. As the name suggests, we wear it on our ankles, like how it's shown in the photo above. I first came to know of this interesting accessory in Indian Dance when I was asked to get it for our competition.
During my batch, the Chinese students surprisingly dominated a large portion of the entire group of dancers. And because it was a virgin experience for most of us, we weren't aware of its cultural significance. We were training with the salangai for the first time and many of us were already fascinated by our new toy. We strapped them onto our ankles instantly and started running about like kids having fun in the playground.
Usually, only water breaks were allowed during the first 2 hours of our training. So when the time for output finally arrived, most of us were just dying to get to that little cubicle within the shortest time possible. And some of us did.
However, we only knew we missed a step after we got back. Our instructor was pretty strict about such customs so our Indian friends gathered us in one corner and quietly told us that we were not supposed to wear the salangai into the toilet, nor along with any footwear. It was considered disrespectful if we did so.
All of us were truly shocked and felt bad at the same time for showing disrespect unintentionally and unknowingly. But we also knew better than to make it known to our instructor.
Still, it was an important and interesting discovery. We made a point to brief our following batch of juniors about such essential details and it was fortunate that history didn't repeat ever since.
I do miss hearing the bells ring on my ankles, but whenever I look at my pair of salangai, this will always be the first thing that comes to my mind!
