Indian Women and Sarees
Indian girls from a young age have the privilege of seeing their moms/aunts/grandmothers drape sarees, a 6 to 9-meter-long fabric that covers half of the body from waist to feet in width. It is the most versatile piece of fabric that can be draped in different styles according to one’s need or occasion or fashion.…the ancient attire of the Indian subcontinent. Some historians believe the presence of saree dates back to the Indus Valley civilization. When I say Indian, it includes all the saree-wearing population in SriLanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan
This fabric does multi-task like its wearer the quintessential Southeast Asian woman, it can convert itself into a cradle for a baby to sleep in, a curtain for some privacy, a quilt for those cold nights, a blanket for a newborn, and some places coffin cloth for the dead. All in all from birth to death, the saree plays a role.
I am one of those who is very fascinated with sarees and different saree draping techniques, also wanted to be a saree draping artist at one point.
For those of you who don’t know this, Saree Draping is a profession by itself, The charges go up to Rs 1–2 lakhs for one saree-style draping, these professionals are not even celebrities. You can only imagine how much a celebrity saree draper will charge. Thanks to the great Indian wedding economy, a topic for another blog.
Coming back to my fascination for Saree draping, it started when I was young, I got to touch my mother’s sarees….I would be asked to pick it up from the laundry stand to fold it and I couldn’t stop myself from draping it around me and admiring myself in the mirror, only to be caught by my mother and scolded for doing so.
My first saree was bought by my father, there was huge debate and discussion as to why the saree color is black, I was very clear I wanted a black saree with golden print….He didn’t understand it, my mother too was clueless…They probably settled down thinking, if they push it too much I might give up on wearing a saree altogether. I was 18 yrs old then….I think black fascinates teenagers a lot ( totally unsolicited statement), but i am a middle-aged woman now….it is not only my right but my duty to give unsolicited advice/things…..pun intended!!!
Now after more than 2 decades, I have 2 shelves full of saree that I collected over the years, I wear them only if I am in the mood and have the energy, not because it is a festival or an appropriate occasion. I want to wear a saree n go dancing in a pub and wear shorts to a wedding. These are fantasies, waiting to come true.
One very busy day, A dear friend came home and gave me the space and time to drape the saree, mean-while she handled my household duties and was generous enough to make me pose and clicked pictures…Shout- out to Seem Rudra
Draped in pure cotton, south Indian weave, I call this style “warrior style drape”….you can literally click some ass in this style, ride a bike and go horse riding…..It’s a somewhat Indian version of the jumpsuit, one thing that’s not convenient in this style is using the toilet…..It’s tailor-made for Indian roads where you find molesters/eve-teasers/pickpockets more than a clean and safe public toilet. You could break into a warrior for self-defense and then sit back squeezing yourself to combat bladder pressure. Hope this creates vivid imagery in your head….Yes, Welcome to the woman’s world!!!
In the latest news I heard, Indian designers are taking the saree to an international platform and this Indian cultural wear has huge scope in the international fashion industry. This could be the Indian media exaggerating or it could happen. Either way, we women are happy with the versatility of the saree.
Thanks for being here!!……Hope you enjoyed your time reading this piece.