Skip to main content

Romance in the saree

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 for her. When the lot reached the billing counter, just before the bar code scan could pass through, her bua spotted the white saree and raised an alarm, "Arre, yeh safed saree kisne yahan rakh di... Hatao ise! Shaadi mein koi safed saree khareedta hai kya?" And before she could protest, the saree went back on the shelves. Heart-broken, she thought that the dream would have to wait a few years.

The day before the wedding, she was double-checking whether everything was packed properly. As she opened the suitcase that was packed for her honeymoon, she saw a transparent white fabric peek out. She removed the jeans to reveal a gorgeous sheer white pure Muslin saree with beautiful Jamdaani floral vines. "Kyun? Pasand hai na?" her mom asked from behind. She turned around surprised, "Maa? White saree?" "White kahan hai? Colourful flowers toh hain? Tumhe aisi hi saree chahiye thi naa? Sridevi jaisi?" She didn't say anything but just hugged her mom tight. Moms just know what you want.


© Nishtha Khurana, 2019. All rights reserved. The text as well as the pictures are both subject to copyright and are the property of the author. Please do not copy or reproduce without permission.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rakhi Gift!

Kolkata calling! That was 7 years ago when he had just passed college. He had landed a job there. He only came home twice every year after that – Holi and Diwali! Last year he skipped Diwali and spent a good 4 weeks in December and January. After all it was his only sister’s wedding. The Holi then was bland so he skipped Holi too this year. But that day his sister had called and asked him if he could come on Rakhi this time.  He liked the idea and did the needful… Applied for leave, worked extra hours to complete assignments and was almost done when he remembered, “Rakhi ka gift? Gift toh liya hi nahin!” So, he left office early the next day and wandered around in Gariahat Market. He had no idea what he could buy for her, especially now that she was a new bride.  He walked aimlessly looking at all the wares when he almost passed a shop window. He stepped back to have a better look and saw this beautiful Khadi Cotton saree with Kites woven on it. He smiled! Immediately...

Birthday Gift

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...