Just a saree story

Ever since Maya was a child, geometry was her favourite subject. She was fascinated by the angles, lines and shapes that could create almost everything one would want to. As she grew up, she realized that the profession that she wanted to take up was Architecture. The way architects use shapes and angles to draw plans for residential, commercial and public spaces was nothing less than an art. The use of geometric principles to create symmetrical features in homes and commercial properties was a beautiful skill that she knew she was born with. Born in a conservative family in Haryana, her mom had died in childbirth. Yet, Maya was the apple of her father's eye, who had not only faced flak for bringing up his daughter like a son, but had often went up in arms against his own parents and kin to let her be kept off from the house chores which were considered a woman's domain in their village. He wanted her to fulfill her dreams and was determined to help her all he could. M

Her dad was a Bengali but her mom hailed from Hyderabad. Theirs was a love marriage and she grew up seeing true love for her mom in her dad's eyes and true contempt for her in her grandmother's eyes. For some reason, her grandmother never found anything right in her mom. She could never cook the machher jhol properly, no matter how much she tried and how long she had been cooking. Her lal paad which she so loved would never look "properly draped" on her mom in her grandmother's opinion, no matter that she draped it on every auspicious occasion. In short, her mom could never become a proper Bengali in her grandmother's eyes, no matter how much she tried. But, it didn't matter because it never bothered her dad and he always found her perfect. He also found their daughter perfect - a perfect amalgamation of two cultures. "Udi baba!" like her dad and "Nakko miyan" from her mom had both found their way in her tongue. She had the most go

She had grown up in an era when Yash Chopra movies had defined what romance looked like... Lush green valleys, snow-capped mountains in the background and a sheer saree clad beauty singing soulful melodies with the love of her life. Ever since her teenage she had dreamed of the same. When she did reach the time and she was about to marry the love of her life, the desire in her heart to run around in lush green valley grew stronger. Together they booked a honeymoon to Switzerland. She went around shopping for her trousseau sarees with her mom and aunts. While the ladies looked out for heavy silks, the banarasis and the ikats, her own eyes searched for a plain sheer chiffon or georgette saree in white. In the busy market in Chandni Chowk one day, her eyes spotted what her heart was looking for. Plain white sheer chiffon with a designer border, it was the closest to what she was looking for. She quietly asked the salesman to take it out for her and slipped it in the lot kept aside fo

She stood on her balcony wrapped in a nifty shawl. It was just before dawn and the pink sky looked alluring. A few more moments and the sun sheepishly started to rise. She saw it play peek-a-boo from between the thick forest trees. The golden rays over pink overlay made the sky magical. Then, in one sudden uproar, hundreds of birds took flight... And along with them soared her heart. She had been longing for years to see this magical morning. She stood there for a few more minutes until the sun came over in full glory. The pink was gone but it was a moment that would remain in her heart forever. If only she could preserve it and take it with her from here. With a deep sigh, she entered her small resort room again. On the bed lay a small box wrapped in a shining golden gift wrapping. Surprised, she came near and read the scribbled words on the note next to it. "Happy birthday, my love!" Oh, she hadn't expected him to bring a gift. She thought the weekend getaway was h