A beautiful saree collection that often confuses a lady

There are two things unique about Indian women. One the 22-carat gold jewellery and the other a beautiful saree collection in her wardrobe. A woman’s love for gold is probably the reason why the country is the second-largest gold market in the world after China. On the other hand, her passion for a beautiful saree is what keeps her wardrobe alive.

It’s because of her passion for sarees that every nook and corner of the country specializes in weaving its unique saree with a strong local flavour. So, we have a beautiful Banarasi saree from PM’s constituency Varanasi. South of India is known for Kanjeevaram, Mysore Silk, Chettinad, Pochampally. Maharashtra is known for Paithani while Madhya Pradesh is famous for its beautiful Chanderi saree.

A visit to any of these states is incomplete till you have bought a beautiful saree of that place. I still remember when I used to travel a lot for my official work. The first thing my wife would demand is to get a saree from that place. I used to ask her what will she do with so many of them. But then you realise that you are getting into an open-ended argument that has no ending.

An Indian wedding is incomplete without beautiful ladies dressed in a saree

Recently I went to a place called Reva in MP to attend my sister’s son’s marriage. The days were packed with functions from haldi and mehndi to evening cocktails. One afternoon my spouse and one of my bhabhi got some free time and immediately they disappeared to a nearby market with a local acquaintance.

I went back to my hotel room and in the evening saw my wife coming back with a carry bag. Before I could ask anything, she explained that she bought a beautiful Chanderi saree at a bargain price. As a curious husband, I looked into the bag and found two of them. However, I didn’t dare to check about the second one as it could have led to a Russian-Ukraine war. My Bhabhi also got a couple of them.

A last minute shopping

Incidentally another of my Bhabhi who was also attending the wedding became a victim of omicron and got quarantined in the hotel room. The wedding was high on the entertainment quotient and finally, the day came when we were all leaving. I was busy at the hotel reception along with my cousin brothers completing the check-out formalities.

My Bhabhi who just stepped out of the quarantine room couldn’t stop herself and ended up landing in the saree shop in the hotel lobby. While we were all waiting in our cars, my Bhabhi emerged from the saree shop carrying a handbag looking victorious. After all, how could she have returned empty-handed while the rest of the two ladies in her company got their quota?

A wardrobe full of of beautiful sarees adds to the chaos

There is a wedding in the family. The function is spread over 3 days starting with a ring ceremony followed by evening cocktails on day one. The second day is for the mehndi ceremony during the daytime followed by the main wedding in the evening. The last day is the reception. This means a total of 5 functions for the lady of the house and this becomes a conundrum for her. The sarees she wore on the last couple of family functions are eliminated from the list as the guests attending the current function are the same.

Finally, the lady decides that she will cover all the three main functions dressed in a saree while the day functions attire will be a salwar suit. But shortlisting three sarees is a difficult task. To finalize on which three beautiful sarees will get picked up from the wardrobe is like a swayamvar ceremony where grooms compete with each other to be picked up by a bride.

A saree needs a lot of accessories

A virgin saree that lands up from the showroom to hangar in a wardrobe needs a lot of preps. Just like a lady loves to dress up before a party similarly, a beautiful saree needs to dress up before a lady can wear her. It starts with a bottom protector called fall that also helps the saree pleats to fall properly.

Most of the sarees come along with an additional cut piece of cloth that is used in making a blouse. Ask any lady’s tailor and he will tell you that stitching a blouse is the most challenging job for him as it never gets okayed on the first attempt. He has to make at least 2-3 alterations before a lady considers it fit to wear for a party. And the last in line is a matching petticoat.

But the saga doesn’t end up here. A beautiful saree can only glow if it is prepped up by matching accessories. Matching jewellery from earrings to a diamond necklace with solitaire to bangles. The list of accessories continues with a Coach or Michael Kors handbag and before the lady steps out of the house matching stilettoes is a must.

Getting dressed up in a beautiful saree takes time

The entire process of readying up takes at least a couple of hours. The job of a spouse is like that of a soccer coach who is encouraging his team to go for a kill. Since there is a paucity of time, the husband tends to reply in affirmative to most of the wife’s questions like if the saree is looking good, if it has been draped properly, if the pleats are falling properly. And last but not least a spouse has to give a finishing touch by fixing the pallu (One end of the saree that a lady carries on her shoulders). with a safety pin on the blouse.

Sarees are prone to accidents

After a satisfying round of compliments on the saree during the wedding function, the lady finally settles on the table. The mission has been successful. She never expected so many compliments on her saree. A considerable time has elapsed since she had her last meal. The hunger pangs are making her uncomfortable. She grabs a plate from the waiter servicing the table and fills it up with snacks from veg samosas to the hara-bara kebab. But how can one relish a samosa without a green mint chutney? And before the chutney can titillate the taste buds it decides to kiss the silk saree.

Suddenly the fun quotient of the party evaporates. The husband is summoned. The poor husband who was enjoying his unofficial drink with friends in one corner rushes to the site of the accident. Seeing the massacre of a beautiful silk saree he rushes with a first-aid kid – a glass of water and a handkerchief. He dips one end of the handkerchief in a glass of water and is about to apply it to the stained portion of the saree. Suddenly a piece of friendly advice comes from a lady standing in one corner who has witnessed the entire accident. Don’t wash with water otherwise, the stain will become permanent. Just let it dry and send it to a dry-cleaner.

The cytokine storm

A medical term that we all became familiar with during the pandemic is cytokine storm. In layman’s language, the immune system of the human body starts attacking its organs. In a saree world, there are times when a cytokine storm sets in. This happens when the stilettoes accidentally step on the bottom of the saree leaving a tear mark on the beautiful saree bottom.

The next day the saree is admitted to the emergency ward of a dry-cleaner. After inspecting the saree, the doctor/dry-cleaner concludes that a stitch is required immediately. A darning specialist then attends to the saree. It’s like a Satyam Shivam Sundaram moment for the beautiful saree and it loses its look forever.

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