Fiction & Nonfiction

Allure

What appeal I have to women of this country! The warmth between us goes back to times immemorial. I am thrilled when they don me on with such loving care. I feel contented at the attention and praise I get wherever I go no matter whether it is in India or abroad. I adorn their graceful figures in all colors imaginable, in sundry designs that appeal to their aesthetic sense.

I am usually six yards long, draped in a set fashion. Basically, I lend beauty and sensuality to the wearer because I accentuate the curves of a woman and her midriff is usually exposed. Women of north India differ from those of the south in draping me. Oh yes, I go with a matching blouse. Jewelry and make up add to my charisma. It covers the upper part of the body beneath which a petticoat is worn. This helps in tucking in the sari pleats and holding them in place.

I will let you listen to this conversation between these two young ladies as a proof of my gracefulness and popularity in the subcontinent.

“Radha dear, I think you look glorious in this magnificent silk sari with its marigold brocade border. These tiny peacocks zigzagging across its body color, a passionate magenta, takes my breath away. You will be the most beautiful bride ever seen.” 

“As bride’s maid, you look no less attractive in your cool leafy green pure silk with a pastel pink border shot with gold brocade, Mini darling.”

I cannot help chuckling when I remember how big a hit I was during Radha’s colorful marriage. I was of course worn by women guests of all ages in shining, vibrating colors during the wedding. My presence was captivating indeed.

You will be surprised at the fact that I am suitable for all seasons. Women of various provinces through the length and breadth of India wear me in their own style for festivals, religious ceremonies, state and social functions, marriages and naming ceremonies, and housewarming parties to name a few. I am also a perfect gift to be given or received.

Take a look at this fair lady, Lekha. She drapes me around in a perfect fit. She is attending a workshop in creative writing. The season being summer, she preferred me in cotton. Some ladies, like her, love my cotton texture more than silk. My sky blue with a thin white border sits well on her tall figure. Throughout that long summer day I perch on her without being creased. Lekha is pretty finicky about keeping me neat and tidy. She tucks my folds into her tiny waist in the most becoming manner. As she moves, I sway in rhythm of her step. Passersby, take a second look at this lady who seems to walk in beauty. I think I deserve half the merit for the admiration she gets. I charm the ladies in vegetable colored cool summer cottons that absorb the heat of the scorching sun.

I became people-friendly during the tenure of the late Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the first woman Prime Minister of India. I was the only attire she had chosen to wear while holding the dignified office of the PM. She preferred me in handlooms, silk or cotton. No wonder she was reputed to be one of the best dressed women of India. Women looked up to her as a role model.

My handloom form is still a big draw. Those women who maintain me by starching and pressing are truly commendable. For all their effort I try my best to give them comfort and pretty looks. I slither in silks too giving a sensuous feel to the lady. I am manufactured in a plethora of fibers, designs and colors. Winter days and rainy evenings appeal to my avatar in silk. I give the ladies a classy, elegant look.

My allure is irresistible even to a foreigner. Here is Laura, wife of Sreedhar. She married him in Raleigh, NC in the US. A few weeks later, she visited her in-laws living in India, with her husband. I was amazed when she insisted on wearing me throughout her stay in India. No wonder. I pleased her sense of dress and presentation. She looked beautiful wearing me everyday in and out in a wide range of colors. Her hazel eyes shone with my bright reflection under the sunlit Indian skies. Sreedhar’s folks were attracted to her magnetic self like ants to sugar. I am proud to tell you that I am partly responsible for this effect. She took a dozen of me along when she left for the States.

Laura was quick to learn how to drape me. Frankly speaking, few could excel the way she did in displaying me. I was glad that her sister-in-law Indu, a sweet college girl, taught her the art of wearing me. If you love to wear me, it is not a big deal to learn the method. She took one end of my length and tucked it into the waistband of Laura’s petticoat, a plain skirt. I was wrapped around the lower body once, and then hand gathered into even pleats just below the navel. Then my pleats were tucked into the petticoat. They fell like petals of a flower creating a graceful effect. After one more turn around the waist, the loose end was drawn diagonally across the right hip over the torso and then draped over the left shoulder.

This loose end is called “pallu” or “pallav” or “paita” depending on the language of the region. The navel can be bared or concealed by the wearer by adjusting me. The pallu is usually decorated in a special design or in a color that contrasts with my main body.

In the present, I am being made in a mix of textures. Cotton and silk mix, synthetic and silk or brocade with gold strands woven in awesome designs.

Let me tell you of an important incident involving me in the timeless Indian epic, The Maha Bharata. Indian Epic

In the kingdom of Bharata, the Pandavas and the Kauravas were adversaries despite being cousins. The latter hated the former for their virtuousness and prosperity. In order to rob their kingdom, and send them into exile, Duryodhana, the eldest of the hundred Kauravas, invited Dharmaraja, the eldest of the five Pandavas for a gambling match. Dharmaraja’s weakness for the game was craftily exploited by the maternal uncle of the Kauravas who played for his nephews.

The Pandavas staked and lost everything to the Kauravas including their kingdom, themselves, and their wife Draupadi. Duryodhana ordered Draupadi to be brought to the king’s court and stripped. When Duryodhana’s younger brother started pulling me off her, Draupadi appealed to the absent Krishna with folded hands in complete surrender to save her. I was lucky to have witnessed that faith could work wonders. Krishna, her brother and also an avatar of Vishnu, divined the sinful intent of the Kauravas, and granted an incessant length of me to Draupadi. As a result I went on rolling continuously into his hands. Finally he was so exhausted by this act that he fell unconscious. I was thus instrumental in defending Draupadi’s prestige and helped foiling an evil plan.

The Pandavas avenged this heinous act besides many others by defeating the Kauravas, after returning from exile.

You see I have always been a part and parcel of the cultural heritage of India. I warmly invite you to my motherland so I can please you too.