Sari's are the most beautiful garment in the world. As a child I always looked more grown-up than my peers, so when I turned thirteen and had a wardrobe that consisted of halter necks, bell bottoms, shorts, mini skirts and T.Shirts; I added this delightfully graceful garment to my shelves. My parents were very liberal and so my quirks of dressing were accommodated with no raised eye-brows and instead a great deal of support and many compliments that in retrospect must have been only possible from pure parental love alone!!!
I wore saris through out college....beautiful cottons that came from the magic of weavers and their looms. These garments and my nava bazar ghagaras, rainbow coloured kurta's and chatak salwars were the fashion statement of my university years. Perhaps my love affair with the sari is rooted from the memories of my mother from when I was young, who for many years of her life only wore saris. The swish of the fabric as she would kiss me good night is such a precious personal memory...almost like a special secret that only I possess the knowledge of.
I loved the saris that the Calcutta fisher ladies wear. Even in the 8o's to pay only twelve and fifteen rupees for a sari as considered a song. Vibrant flat colours with contrasting borders made for the most beautiful aesthetics you could imagine.
Day before yesterday I went to a lovely little store owned by my old friend Tejal Panthaki that is called "Tejal" and bought four lovely cotton saris. On bringing them home my mother told me that this purchase was going to be her present to me! The delight of a mother buying you a sari is another little special secret joy that becomes difficult to describe; and which is so much about the personal rituals of love.
I don't wear my sari's as often as I used to. The climate change has perhaps been the biggest factor to this; and when I travel I tend to take just few mix and match "stuff" that keeps my bags super light.
Today it isn't that easy to procure saris that are simple. With middle class taste often veering towards the gaudy, one gets too many over embellished saris that would make even a peacock blush. But of course beautiful saris are still being made by the weavers. It is just finding out who has the eye and discernment to source them and offer them to us in their outlets that we frequent as shoppers.
Indeed a lovely pic Rekhajee...Red seems to go with you as nicely as black! Cheers to you both; May you continue to grow together in love and harmony.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow is the D-Day. Besides the historical event that all know of, it also marks the 18th year of my son, I'm a proud mother of a young man who has the charisma and the sense of caring for others, which objectively speaking (!) makes him a fine person!
Tomorrow also marks the beginning of the DSK case which left all Europe stunned! Director of the IMF, one of the most influential persons in the world, a man of remarkable intelligence and efficiency and with great political ambitions, that he should be involved in such a terrible sex scandal leaves many flabbergasted! Living in a society where one is presumed innocent till proved guilty where the person is never photographed till the verdict is announced, one finds it difficult to see how the affair has been mediatised.
Namasté Rekhajee, Knowing that many happenings in the western world are of little interest to the majority of the Indian population, (the viça-versa holds true too), nevertheless, I'd like to express my opinion concerning the DSK episode,which leaves me with mixed feelings...Probably all this was a complete frame-up, perhaps he did try try to molest her, but the lady had little chance against the giant that he is... Everyone has lost in the end...DSK's potentially great political career, reputation & honor has been lost on both sides...and it is also a great blow to women in general who will hesitate even more now to report sexual assault, due to fear that the case may backfire.
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