Thursday 30 January 2014

Six Yards and Infinite Grace




When my niece opted to wear a saree for her convocation at LSE, I was a bit surprised. Afterall, it’s hard to come by young girls draped in a saree! As far back as my memory goes, my mother always wore a saree – she could jump in and out of buses, work, go about household chores and wear it to weddings, all with equal grace and aplomb! For me, though, it’s an ‘occasion-al’ attire! Having had a more liberal upbringing I had the choice of attire and for me, comfort ranked first. I also found draping the saree a time consuming affair; when I was almost always just in the nick of time, I most certainly couldn’t afford the luxury of spending time on draping a saree.

The saree is the most widely worn attire in India and each region displays a characteristic style to draping it. Even the weaves, textures and prints are influenced by regional preferences and this makes the saree more than merely six yards of fabric. 

I began wearing sarees when in my first job. And I recollect the brokers referring to me as “the lady in the saree”! No, I was not the only one at work who would wear a saree; but my sarees were always starched (cotton ones) and worn to perfection, hiding even my high-heeled footwear. With a bit of experience, the three ‘safety-pins’ (is that why/how they got that name?!) I used to keep it in place, gave way to just one.
Needless to say, the saree is a free-size and every woman, no matter what her body-type, looks extremely graceful in them and  the design of the blouse only adds to that ‘oomph factor’ – one can reveal only as much as desired, and how!

Now, I am very comfortable with wearing a saree and I choose my accessories with great care – something as graceful as a saree simply deserves it!

Talking of sarees, I just have to share these!



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