Saga of the saree

“Amma, please don’t expect me to run around in a saree this Varamahalakshmi festival,” declared the 20-year-old, when she overheard the family’s plans for the shopping splurge.

“Why not?” asked her dad who adored his little one (!) when all dressed up. In fact, he sounded emotional. “Appa, be practical. My choice this season is an ethnic dress which is equally elegant if not more. Saree is a pain!” grumbled the daughter before rushing out to take part in the saree day annuals at her college. Appa and Amma were deflated at their child’s attitude, though they agreed that women of all age groups were ‘bindaas’ in anything other than a saree.

Participants walked the ramp in Bandhani, Orissa Bomkai, Bangladesh Dhaka, Kalamkari, West Bengal Kantha, Chanderi, Patola, Kanjeevaram and many more kinds of sarees. Right after the show, the group quickly changed into more comfortable dresses to throng the cinemas to see how deftly Vidya Balan had managed her saree throughout the film. They came back saying the film was a good sales promotion for the six-yard drape.

Vidya Balan says she enjoys wearing the saree as it is the sexiest garment ever, showing the right amount and covering the right parts. It’s extremely versatile and suits everybody’s body and face. Also interesting is how the garment has lent itself to innovation: the nine yards has given way to six yards, onto half sarees and now to stitched ones with pockets!

A foreigner once politely questioned, “Doesn’t your saree suffocate you? How do you manage throughout the day in it and during your monthly dreadful days?”

Saree, seere, podave, call it what you like, but this world famous Indian attire has now become the second choice among women for everyday use. Yes, considering factors like comfort, ease of movement, prohibitive costs, maintenance etc, a ready-to-wear, trendy outfit just out of the trial room is the first preference for a majority of us these days. No wonder, our sarees are all compactly stored away for those few special days to feel feminine. Special discounts and offers, genuine and misleading, are aplenty luring customers for the coming season. But this ethnic, sexy and elegant mode of dressing is surely turning a corner.

A bride-to-be fixed up an appointment for a two-day saree draping workshop along with parlour bookings to successfully pull through the function. However, on the D-day, she threw up her hands in frustration and finally sought a senior person’s help to wind the nine-yards Kanjeevaram round and round herself for the ‘mangalya dharana’, while the priest sat twiddling his thumbs and the invitees waited with bated breath to see the bride emerging out of the dressing room just in time for the muhurtha.