I am often asked about how I manage to break the taboo amongst the younger generation of wearing a sari and my instant reply is — its about the mindset, says Sunita Budhiraja
I was pretty young and in my eighth standard when I first draped a sari. It was my mother’s sari for the Saraswati Puja celebrations. All my friends who generally wore skirts for the school uniform, draped their mother’s laalpaad sari for Saraswati Puja. I too followed the same. In 1972, I bought my first sari from the funds saved from my pocket money and some prizes. I had entered college by then.
Always in awe of the six yards magic, I was surrounded by my professors who draped handloom saris. My mother, also a professor, was my role model. I was charmed by the saris of Indira Gandhi who draped stunningly beautiful handloom saris and Vijaylakshmi Pandit who looked so graceful. Maharani Gayatri Devi though draped chiffons exuded elegance, besides my own mother who was impeccably dressed in some of the best saris I had ever seen. My grandmother too always draped handloom saris. This traditional attire allured me to no end.
Having grown up in an environment where every lady in the circle I moved in or I saw wore saris, when I look around now, I feel pained. I am amongst the very few clad in a handloom sari. Women older than me, my age group and the younger lot, all are inspired by visual media — be it cinema or television, clubbed with multiple reality shows wearing gowns and skirts, trousers and jeans regardless of the fact if these dresses suit their body type on not. These dresses look good on women in the western world because of their well-maintained bodies. But Indian women are not as well-presented nor are they so well-shaped. The bulges and flab often pop out from what they wear. What is more surprising is when I see them with their gowns and skirts they wear toe-rings, mangal sutra and so on, which do not compliment these dresses. I am not sure if I should pity or admire their zeal and capability to ape the western world.
I am often asked a question about how I manage to break the taboo amongst the younger generation of wearing a sari and my instant reply is — its about the mindset. They feel that the other dresses are more comfortable, and easy to wear. And draping sari is a cumbersome task for them. But it is the most graceful unstitched garment that looks nice on women of all age groups, skin colours, body sizes and shapes. I saw my mother in saris and admired her. She looked so graceful and dignified. Today, when young ladies look at me, they tell me I look good in a particular sari, or my sari is so appealing. When I ask them why they don’t try wearing one, they say, Ma’am, it takes so much time! I do not blame them. When they want to drape one for a wedding, they seek professional help. My advice to them is — you like my sari, try wearing one yourself, it will look even better on you. They do listen to me because what I am saying is not just for the heck of it, I am in a handloom sari myself and I drape them every single day of the year; even when I am at home! The old adage — Seeing is believing — always works. And it does not take me hours to drape a sari, it doesn’t take me more than two minutes. With practice, it happens.
And all these young ladies, when in a sari, are quite head turners. Appreciation and accolades inspire them to drape saris even more often.
Can there be more comfort than the fact that one does not have to change the wardrobe when one outgrows the dress sizeIJ Sari remains intact. You don’t like to wear the same dresses in different parties, but you can still wear saris with minor change of blouse colour, accessories, style of draping or hair do.
It is me, my personality, my being that is so much Indian, and hence as a proud citizen, I take with me my Indianness, wherever I travel. At the airport or in a flight, in a mall or a cinema hall, women as well as some men do compliment me on my saris. I do find someone or the other to click a photograph of me in my handloom sari and then post the picture on the Facebook.
Social media campaigns like ‘Six Yards and 365 Days’ and ‘100-Sari Pact’ have helped the cause. Facebook campaign ‘Six Yards and 365 Days’ that started with just four members two and a half years ago now has more than 25,000 members worldwide. The group boasts of having posted in access of one and a half lakh saris by its members of 200 plus varieties of handloom, hand embroidered or hand painted saris. More than 50 per cent members are under the age of 45 and many have overhauled their wardrobes. Many women who were never appreciated at home or at work, realised that they were losing self-confidence and they had to prove themselves everyday.
Today when they drape a handloom sari, they receive compliments from unknown women in the virtual world. “Oh I can also receive appreciation”, she is admired. When they walk on the street, a few others definitely look at them with admiration. These virtual friends are now real time friends too. They are happy showing off their trousseau saris, airing them and draping these with absolute confidence. I believe that by draping saris, we are supporting a large but dying handloom industry. This industry had nearly 50 million weavers in India some 4-5 years ago. The numbers have drastically come down as the younger generation in the weaving community also is opting out to better paying avenues where they don't have to sweat out. As per some experts, every cotton handloom sari that we buy, supports 60 people from the start to end of the process. Every silk handloom sari provides to 80 persons in the industry. In the campaign Six Yards and 365 Days, I believe even if we were buying under one sari a month, or say just 10 handloom sari in a year, we are supporting nearly 1,75,00,000 persons per year at an average of 70. Is that reason good enough to drape a handloom sariIJ
And sari, is not just an attire. It’s about grace and dignity, it becomes a veil for a dancer, a mother can feed her child covering herself with the pallu of her sari without getting embarrassed. I have seen kids wiping off their hands with the pallu of their mother’s sari. And why forget the Draupadi and Krishna legend — when Krishna’s hand got hurt, Draupadi tore off a piece of cloth from her sari and bandaged Krishna’s hand. It is said, Krishna reciprocated the gesture when Draupadi called him in Hastinapur at the time of chir haran. He produced unending yards of sari, which Dushasan could not take off.
Hence, when someone says she feels uncomfortable draping a sari or does not know how to drape it, I feel pained. It is my heritage, and my tradition. If I would not keep it alive, who else wouldIJ
(Sunita Budhiraja is an author, poet and communications professional)