<p>The sari is back in fashion in Pakistan, especially among the urban elite, nearly three decades after it went out of vogue due to the conservative policies followed by former dictator Zia-ul Haq. The popularity of Indian TV dramas such as Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahin Tu Hoga, Kumkum and Kahani Ghar Ghar ki among Pakistani women has lead to an increasing trend of wearing saris and has played a major role in setting a new fashion trend in the country.<br /><br />20 years ago, one eminent Indian journalist was surprised to find one sari shop called Benares Sari House in Karachi, for he had very rarely seen ladies in Pakistan wearing saris. <br /><br />But today in 2010, there are hundreds of textile emporia in Pakistani cities, (ranging from Butt Sari Boutique in Peshawar –Mohsins of Rawalpindi, Resham ghar of Islamabad and the Palki of Lahore) selling saris, from exquisite Parsi garas to Benarasi saris famed for its gold and silver brocade. <br /><br />In Pakistan, politics has always shadowed the sari. When Pakistan was created in 1947 as a muslim homeland, Fatima Jinnah, founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s sister declared that saris were unpatriotic, although she herself was wearing one on a State event.<br /><br />But even in those days, among the graceful ladies who regularly wore saris were Naheed Mirza, wife of former president Iskander Mirza, Nusrat Bhutto, wife of former prime minister ZA Bhutto and mother of Benazir. But reviled as an ‘alien’ dress, especially during the 1980s as part of Zia’s “Islamisation”drive, when the conservatives and the clergy termed it “vulgar” and “revealing” (because women wearing it expose their midriff). <br /><br />More so for it was not considered as an Islamic dress. And a woman's choice of dress intimately embodied this dilemma; thus to wear a sari was to see oneself as part of a wider subcontinental culture, while to don a salwar/ kameez was to place oneself in an Islamic world alone.<br /><br />But today, many women consider it as a symbol of independence and individuality The intricate and ornate saris are a favorite as a bridal wear. Quite often at the age of 18, Pakistani girls are allowed to wear a sari to their graduation party, Pakistan’s fashion equivalent of prom night.<br /><br />Pakistan’s trendiest fashion designer Deepak Parwani has to say this, “It’s an extremely elegant garment and the salwar kameez can never replace that elegance and style, but the sari belongs to the gentry of Pakistan or the older generation. But when it comes to his bride, a Pakistani would prefer her to be attired in the whole six yards when he decides to take the plunge”. <br /><br />According to ace bridal couturier of Pakistan, Umar Sayeed,the revival of the sari is seen in Pakistan as largely contributed by the demand of formal and bridal wear. <br /><br />He opines “It’s the increasing demand for saris for weddings that allows sari-manufacturing areas like Karachi’s Orangi Town to prosper. Brides from all over Pakistan are coming to my establishment, for saris to wear to their Valimas (a traditional dinner hosted by the groom’s parents one day after the main wedding ceremony). The demand for bridal saris is increasing. They are timeless and people realise the worth of investing in them.” <br /><br />The chairperson of Fashion Pakistan, one of Pakistan’s fashion councils, Maheen Khan has altered the style of the sari in a bid to modernise the attire. She has created the ‘half-sari’, a two piece combination that tucks a separate dupatta into a folded petticoat. <br />Pakistani designer saris ( mostly embroidered) are made of delicate chiffon fabric and usually intricately embellished. These come at a price tag of at least 50,000 Pakistani rupees. Younger generations prefer saris in simple chiffons or light silks teamed with a stylish sleeveless blouse. <br /><br />Indian fashion designer Kersi Dubash of Nazakat Collections (nazakat meaning ‘grace’),has his annual fashion show in Karachi, which is a must for the Pakistani elite. In his words, “I drive down prior to the fashion show to Benaras to hand pick tanchoi, Benarasi and jamavar saris; travel to Kanjeevaram in south India to select the pure-gold embossed saris, (“the type that film star Rekha wears”) and traipse to Lucknow for the exquisite indigenous chikankari, some of which is delicately embellished with light-coloured crystals.<br /><br /> Out of 50,000 I see, I pick out about 200 for my shows and the sari prices range from Rs 25,000 to six lakh”. <br /><br />Today, huge quantities of saris are being imported from India via Dubai and are also smuggled directly from India by some sari merchants. But when it comes to embroidered saris, local Pakistani craftsman can duplicate any intricate design of the the Indian original.<br /><br />One of the sari retailers at Tariq Road in Karachi, Muhammad Sohail told the media that the sale of saris has increased tremendously. He estimated that the business of every big sari emporium at Tariq Road has surged by four times in just two years since 2007 and scores of sari shops have been opened in various shopping centres. <br /><br />“If one (shopkeeper) used to sell 20 saris in a week, now he is selling around 100 saris in the same period. According to shopkeepers, the majority of the customers purchase saris ranging between Rs 2,500 and Rs 5,000, whereas some also demand costly and exclusive saris ranging between Rs 18,000 to Rs 50,000 per item, especially for dowry purposes.” <br /><br />Interestingly, the most demanded and costly saris in the market are those, which look similar to the sari worn by Indian actresses in Indian TV dramas. Keeping this in view, the local manufacturers have adopted a simple technique to name their saris after the popular characters in the dramas. <br /><br />For instance, a sari similar to one worn by a popular TV character Kashish is available in the market for Rs 20, 000 under the name of Kashish sari. A sari worn by Kumkum –another famous TV character - branded as Kumkum sari is being sold at Rs 25, 000.<br />This rising trend in Pakistan has breached all ethnic differences and done what not many politicians have been able to do. The humble sari has built a bridge of harmony between two cultures that have despite their differences, found ways to connect. <br /></p>
<p>The sari is back in fashion in Pakistan, especially among the urban elite, nearly three decades after it went out of vogue due to the conservative policies followed by former dictator Zia-ul Haq. The popularity of Indian TV dramas such as Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahin Tu Hoga, Kumkum and Kahani Ghar Ghar ki among Pakistani women has lead to an increasing trend of wearing saris and has played a major role in setting a new fashion trend in the country.<br /><br />20 years ago, one eminent Indian journalist was surprised to find one sari shop called Benares Sari House in Karachi, for he had very rarely seen ladies in Pakistan wearing saris. <br /><br />But today in 2010, there are hundreds of textile emporia in Pakistani cities, (ranging from Butt Sari Boutique in Peshawar –Mohsins of Rawalpindi, Resham ghar of Islamabad and the Palki of Lahore) selling saris, from exquisite Parsi garas to Benarasi saris famed for its gold and silver brocade. <br /><br />In Pakistan, politics has always shadowed the sari. When Pakistan was created in 1947 as a muslim homeland, Fatima Jinnah, founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s sister declared that saris were unpatriotic, although she herself was wearing one on a State event.<br /><br />But even in those days, among the graceful ladies who regularly wore saris were Naheed Mirza, wife of former president Iskander Mirza, Nusrat Bhutto, wife of former prime minister ZA Bhutto and mother of Benazir. But reviled as an ‘alien’ dress, especially during the 1980s as part of Zia’s “Islamisation”drive, when the conservatives and the clergy termed it “vulgar” and “revealing” (because women wearing it expose their midriff). <br /><br />More so for it was not considered as an Islamic dress. And a woman's choice of dress intimately embodied this dilemma; thus to wear a sari was to see oneself as part of a wider subcontinental culture, while to don a salwar/ kameez was to place oneself in an Islamic world alone.<br /><br />But today, many women consider it as a symbol of independence and individuality The intricate and ornate saris are a favorite as a bridal wear. Quite often at the age of 18, Pakistani girls are allowed to wear a sari to their graduation party, Pakistan’s fashion equivalent of prom night.<br /><br />Pakistan’s trendiest fashion designer Deepak Parwani has to say this, “It’s an extremely elegant garment and the salwar kameez can never replace that elegance and style, but the sari belongs to the gentry of Pakistan or the older generation. But when it comes to his bride, a Pakistani would prefer her to be attired in the whole six yards when he decides to take the plunge”. <br /><br />According to ace bridal couturier of Pakistan, Umar Sayeed,the revival of the sari is seen in Pakistan as largely contributed by the demand of formal and bridal wear. <br /><br />He opines “It’s the increasing demand for saris for weddings that allows sari-manufacturing areas like Karachi’s Orangi Town to prosper. Brides from all over Pakistan are coming to my establishment, for saris to wear to their Valimas (a traditional dinner hosted by the groom’s parents one day after the main wedding ceremony). The demand for bridal saris is increasing. They are timeless and people realise the worth of investing in them.” <br /><br />The chairperson of Fashion Pakistan, one of Pakistan’s fashion councils, Maheen Khan has altered the style of the sari in a bid to modernise the attire. She has created the ‘half-sari’, a two piece combination that tucks a separate dupatta into a folded petticoat. <br />Pakistani designer saris ( mostly embroidered) are made of delicate chiffon fabric and usually intricately embellished. These come at a price tag of at least 50,000 Pakistani rupees. Younger generations prefer saris in simple chiffons or light silks teamed with a stylish sleeveless blouse. <br /><br />Indian fashion designer Kersi Dubash of Nazakat Collections (nazakat meaning ‘grace’),has his annual fashion show in Karachi, which is a must for the Pakistani elite. In his words, “I drive down prior to the fashion show to Benaras to hand pick tanchoi, Benarasi and jamavar saris; travel to Kanjeevaram in south India to select the pure-gold embossed saris, (“the type that film star Rekha wears”) and traipse to Lucknow for the exquisite indigenous chikankari, some of which is delicately embellished with light-coloured crystals.<br /><br /> Out of 50,000 I see, I pick out about 200 for my shows and the sari prices range from Rs 25,000 to six lakh”. <br /><br />Today, huge quantities of saris are being imported from India via Dubai and are also smuggled directly from India by some sari merchants. But when it comes to embroidered saris, local Pakistani craftsman can duplicate any intricate design of the the Indian original.<br /><br />One of the sari retailers at Tariq Road in Karachi, Muhammad Sohail told the media that the sale of saris has increased tremendously. He estimated that the business of every big sari emporium at Tariq Road has surged by four times in just two years since 2007 and scores of sari shops have been opened in various shopping centres. <br /><br />“If one (shopkeeper) used to sell 20 saris in a week, now he is selling around 100 saris in the same period. According to shopkeepers, the majority of the customers purchase saris ranging between Rs 2,500 and Rs 5,000, whereas some also demand costly and exclusive saris ranging between Rs 18,000 to Rs 50,000 per item, especially for dowry purposes.” <br /><br />Interestingly, the most demanded and costly saris in the market are those, which look similar to the sari worn by Indian actresses in Indian TV dramas. Keeping this in view, the local manufacturers have adopted a simple technique to name their saris after the popular characters in the dramas. <br /><br />For instance, a sari similar to one worn by a popular TV character Kashish is available in the market for Rs 20, 000 under the name of Kashish sari. A sari worn by Kumkum –another famous TV character - branded as Kumkum sari is being sold at Rs 25, 000.<br />This rising trend in Pakistan has breached all ethnic differences and done what not many politicians have been able to do. The humble sari has built a bridge of harmony between two cultures that have despite their differences, found ways to connect. <br /></p>
