The Sari Saga

My earliest sari memories feature my grandmothers in their easy, fuss free cottons. I never saw them wear anything but saris and do not register any discomfort that they might have displayed as they went about household chores and celebrations with equal ease. My strongest sari influencer was however my mother. A well-loved doctor, she had a sari collection as expansive as her popularity. From hand spun Benarsis and intricately embroidered kanthas, and from magical hazar bootis to striking madras checks, she had them all and wore them with aplomb. During the nine days of fasting for Navratri, she would wear new saris every morning and evening, no matter how rushed her hours were.

It was however in her passing away that I adopted the sari as truly my own. My earliest saris were picked from her wardrobe. As I began to drape them ineptly but enthusiastically, it was almost as if I could feel her arms around me, telling my lost self that all would be good. I fell in love with saris gradually, discovering for myself how cotton silks could dress up the greyest of days to how easy it was to carry heavy drapes. As work took me from Jharkhand to Odisha, I discovered the finesse of raw silk to the intricacy of the seemingly simple Ikat.

Saris taught me that there are no rights or wrongs. That I should feel unapologetically perfect in my present form. Today as I wear them everywhere from conferences to cocktails- adding a belt here, a blazer there, I repeatedly get asked how I manage them. It’s a question, I don’t understand.

Over the years I have joyfully gifted saris- pre-loved and new to friends and family, firm in my belief in their timelessness. I would love to imagine I have converted a few to wearing them. I have also learnt to appreciate the sweat that goes into hand crafting a sari and abhor in equal measure the machine made monstrosities that pass for ‘wedding season fashion’ or some such tag.

My sari dream is to have one of every kind. And since those are too many to acquire in a single lifetime, that’s my staunchest reason to believe in rebirth. Saris over nirvana, any day for me!

Model: Sandhya Ayyar
Photos By Sanjeev Ayyar – Twilight Reflections Photography