The Indian Sari

chillibreeze writer — Uma Girish

It measures anywhere between 6 and 9.5 yards. Draped on famous Bollywood-Hollywood babe Aishwarya Rai, the six-yard chiffon sari assumes allure and sensuality as it hugs her hourglass contours. Worn by the Indian goddess in the form of a temple idol, a bright mango Kanjeeveram silk is a picture of sheer divinity.

For a garment that is five thousand years old, the sari has held its own in the face of a fabric revolution in the form of Western wear, and its accepted Indian cousin, Indo-Western wear. The word sari has its origins in chira which, in Sanskrit means ‘cloth.’ What ought to be a matter of immense pride is that our historical heroines, Queen Laxmibai of Jhansi, Belawadi Mallamma and Kittur Chennamma, fought enemy troops on horseback wearing the ordinary sari. Even accomplished women swimmers of yesteryears wore the nine-yard sari in the Maharashtrian or North Karnataka style – without a petticoat and tucked between the legs!

A garment that lends elegance and respectability to all ages, sizes and shapes, the Indian sari is worn in 10-15 styles throughout India. Maharashtrian women wear it dhoti-style, tucked from behind; Bengalis wear the pallu over the shoulder with a bunch of keys hanging from the end; Gujaratis wear the pallu over the blouse; and, Marwari women cover their heads with it. The sheer range of styles and fabric is dependent on geography and weather. The Indian Sari is, arguably, the most versatile garment in the fabric world. Once well-worn, the sari serves a variety of purposes: old saris are used to stitch soft quilts; sari folds serve as pouches, bags and haversacks for village women to carry groceries and babies alike; the sari also transforms into a stand-by cradle that is suspended from a tree branch as the women sit around and gossip hot afternoons away. Towels, diapers and napkins are all fashioned out of old saris.

The Indian Sari finds a point of reference just about everywhere. The famous artist Raja Ravi Verma’s paintings depict sari-clad women where the garment is draped in different traditional styles. Pandit Ravi Shankar’s music was once likened to ‘a fine Indian sari – silken, swirling, exotic’-- by an enthusiastic critic.

Geography is integral to the type of sari that Indian women wear. The Bandhini hails from Jaipur and is an example of intricate workmanship; the Kanjeevaram, the heaviest of silks, is from Tamilnadu -- gold-dipped silver threads woven onto brilliant silk, in bold and bright colours and part of every South Indian bride’s trousseau; the Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh is made in silk or fine cotton that reflects the patterns found in temples in Chanderi; Jamawars embellished with zari threadwork are from Uttar Pradesh; and Tangails, Kanthas and the Baluchari are from Bengal, the Baluchari being five yards in length and 42 inches wide.

The variety of design motifs woven into saris is not merely the expression of a creative mind – each motif has its own meaning and significance. The conch, considered a symbol of the gods, was used as bugle in wartime; the rudraksha is a sacred seed strung and worn by the devotees of Lord Shiva; the elephant, the vehicle of Lord Ganesha, is associated with royalty and power; the mango seed with fertility; and, the parrot is seen as a symbol of courtship and passion. The same is true of colour. Red, associated with the warrior class, is considered supremely auspicious and is the official bridal wear colour; Yellow is the colour of religion and asceticism; White is both pure and mournful; and, Black is generally believed to reflect ill luck and sorrow.

The sari has evolved into many attractive avatars today. From light georgettes in pleasing pastels for summer wear to Chantilly lace where the mildly starched chiffon comes with gold threads woven on its borders; the resham style done with coloured silk threads; and, the zardosi style of embroidery that uses gold and silver threads, sometimes even pearls and precious stones. Cheap modern versions use fake pearls and Swarovski crystals.

RmKV Silks in Chennai is blazing new trails in the sari business with theme silks, bridal wear and double-sided saris. The Durbar Krishna Theme Silk, embedded with Swarovski crystals, for instance, is done in the Tanjore painting style. The Imayam sari pays tribute to Tamilnadu’s thespian actor Sivaji Ganesan by using motifs from his famous movies, the ship from Kappalottiya Thamizhan, and the nadaswaram from Thillana Mohanambal. Inspired by the temple sculptures at Chidambaram, the 108 Karnas sari incorporates the 108 basic dance poses of a Bharatanatyam dancer. The Hamsa Damayanthi sari won RmKV a National Award in 1999. A tribute to the royal painter Raja Ravi Verma on the occasion of his 150th anniversary, it has 26 different colour tones and almost 80 colour threads that attempt to recreate the original colours of his painting.

Fashions come and go but the Indian sari stands steadfast and timeless, constantly reinventing itself to suit every new generation.

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