Cutting a saree figure

Mona

Walk down in shorts and not necessarily you draw a second look, but wear a saree and not only you invite glances but also compliments. Once a staple wear, saree seemed to be on its way out of our wardrobe, but not anymore. With #100SareePact trending on social media, women are increasingly taking out the six yards of wonder, happily clicking themselves, posting on pages along with their saree stories.

Cases full of sarees bought with much love and tenderness or received as loving presents from people who care lying unopened, unused is a story that rings true for many of us. Precious they are, one just can’t throw them out of the box, cutting and altering them into dupattas, shararas or suits seems a sacrilege. And at a time when one can go casual for days, the very process of taking it out, ironing, tying a sari and arranging the accessories seems a Herculean task! But, credit goes to Anju Maudgal Kadam and Ally Matthan for turning the trend around. 

Trending on Twitter

The duo started the @100SareePact that says in its declaration: @maudgalkadam & @ahalyamatthan will wear 100 sarees this year. Building narratives with the memories attached to each saree. What is your saree story? Join in.

And, the narrative flows…

Runita M Mujumdar @runitamm tweeted, “@100sareepact: 10/100, cotton saree from my ma's treasure, to combat the scorching heat of Indore..

Ipsita Banerjee @ipsyb joined in, “Another exquisite saree in my collection. Another gift from my indulgent father-in-law. @100sareepact #100sareepact.” Padma Bhamidipati @padma8376 Bengaluru South, Karnataka posted with her workplace becoming part of the pact, “And it's the @100SareePact day at work! #bemorebangalore #workplacedelight.”

Sharing posts

“Every saree has a memory based on an occasion, emotion or relationship, when you wear a saree, you have a saree glow, like a birthday glow." reads the statement on its Facebook page. ? The saree duo’s Facebook wall is flooded with women of different ages, in different stages of life donning the six yards of wonder and sharing their unique story:

Shanthi Gadiparthi: #100 SareePact, no 17 , this is moonga silk from assam I done kalamkari Ramayana story on saree, today I visit isha coimbatore my most favourite place.

Lakshmi Narayanan:  Day 23 -My pretty pretty pink paithani! Love this saree for its richness of colour and the grand pallu. I draped it and we went to a temple where the Radha Kalyanam was celebrated, for the first time ever in New Jersey. It was so nice to see the huge crowd gathered...

Draping around

Now saree might not be that regular a wear for tricity women, but there have been sincere takers for it. Says Neeru Bakshi, a homemaker from Sector 42, “Saree has always been the formal wear for me. You wear suits and other dresses all the time, saree is special and meant for special occasions.” Neeru has passed on her love for the garment to her daughter Navika, BE final year student in CCET-26. Together, the mamma-daughter duo dresses up in sarees on any occasion. 

Saree figures in Geeta Sharma’s favourite attires’ list. A teacher by profession, Geeta finds it the most elegant wear for women. “No other dress can add to your looks as much as a saree can.” And, yes, she wears sarees most of the time on job and otherwise. 

Beg, borrow...

And, if like us, you are also thinking why don’t men too take an initiative to move away from stiff western wear, there are posts from the likes of Kingsley Jegan Joseph who posted a picture of him in dhoti from Hampi! 

Also, 100 sarees is no mean task, so people are borrowing from their families and friends. “One of the best and most fun parts of doing the 100 saree pact with friends is digging into their cupboards and borrowing their sarees. 

This one picked from Priyadarshini s collection. A very comfy easy to drape polycot. And my love affair with black continues!!,” posts one…

Well, all’s well keep looking gorgeous and let sarees define your style statement!

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