Elegance and Sarees - My love for 9 yards of fabric.

I was in the eighth grade. In the same year, my cousin was getting married. Appa had decided to design a lehenga from a simple Ilkal saree for the occasion. He deconstructed the saree and put together a design and had it sewed by the tailor. He was known for a lot of tricks up his sleeve, and creating magic was one of them. The lehenga managed to set a trend at least in the closed circles.

I fell in love with the idea of a saree here.

For my graduation ceremony in my twelfth grade, he bought me my first silk bandhani saree in a lovely combination of cerulean and cobalt blue. 💙 This was complemented with raw silk, deep blue blouse.  Teenage is confusing and there's an innate pressure to look good and feel beautiful. Draping this saree, I felt beautiful. It takes a lot to convince yourself at that age, one can thank emotions overpowering rationality,- YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. Even the best of the best, fail at this. 

I fell in love with the idea of a saree again. You know the reason this time.

Growing up in a fast-paced city like Bangalore can take a toll on you. It's beyond difficult to stay upbeat with the fashion trends. I've tried and failed miserably during my engineering days. There were days I dreaded the way I looked. But I did grow a lot more confident. I took to the stage to get rid of my inhibitions and fears. I was actively involved in cultural activities. 

I was compering one of the events, and the situation demanded that I be present in a saree. Given that I was in a hostel then, I had mustered up the courage to take on this mammoth of a task of draping the saree myself. After 2 hours of struggling and help from my peers, I managed to stand tall and confident on the stage with my saree. Now, I was close to marrying the idea of wearing a saree every time. It took me a few events and occasions, by when I was nearly an expert at draping it and donning the look. 

It's one thing to drape it for yourself, and a whole other thing to help a girlfriend in dire need of wanting to wear a saree. It started when I had my first cultural event Onam, years later. I was pursuing my post-graduation. At this point in time, I was not only comfortable wearing a saree, but I could also easily run a marathon in one. 

Fun fact: A few women do run marathons in sarees. Look up the Pinkathon website. 

I didn't need 100 pins fastening their grip over my saree. When the news got around that I was dressed and clad in a saree in 15 minutes for the event, in fewer than minutes I had my girlfriends coming over to my room to help them wear it. On the first event, I remember having draped it for about 10 girls. With the events to follow, I lost count. I was told I should be charging the girls for the services rendered. I was too kind then and didn't resort to it. This was just about the time when I knew that my sarees and I were inseparable. 

Here's a gist of times when my good old friend Saree has come to my rescue:

• Friends' wedding - I've got all your bases covered. Wear my silk.
• Cocktail Party - Dazzle away with the one with shimmer.
• Out of Western formals - A nice simple cotton saree will work wonders.
• Festivals - Exactly when you need 100 pictures, wear your best saree.
• Bad mood day - Elevate your spirits and wear a saree.
• When in Kerala - Must wear the Kerala saree with a gold border.
• When in doubt - Wear one from my collection of beautiful 9 yards of elegance. 

All you pretty ladies out there, who are yet to master the art of draping, YouTube has it all. Give it a couple of tries, and you'll master it in no time. 

A must mention:

Maa, who for as long as I remember, has most of the times donned a Saree with utmost grace and panache. She wears her sarees simple, with a big round bindi. Watching my dad dote over her while she was leaving to work was a whole lot of love. I think my love began there and continues to grow.

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