Just a saree story

As she stepped out after bath, she noticed that her pair of jeans and a shirt had been replaced with a saree. She frowned and shouted in irritation, “Maa, I’m not going to wear this… No saree please.” “Paagal mat bano, maine tumhe kal hi keh diya tha. Hum khandaani log hain, aur tumhare yeh faltu aajkal ke khayalon ke chakkar mein yeh rishta haath se nahi nikalne doongi. Ab bas… Bahut ho gayi tumhari marzi. Ab jaisa main kahungi tum vaise karogi, samjhi.” Sheena sulked and sat down next to the blingy saree. There was no way she could go to a trendy café wearing this sequins laden zardozi embroidered bright pink saree. It would be her second meeting with Sameer. The last time she had met him, she was sandwiched between her parents and he was stuck between his parents. It was the typical “ladke wale dekhne aaye hain” drama with her being dolled up in a fancy red saree bringing tea in tray. She was least interested in him and all she could do was count minutes as they passed while 15-20 o...

There was a time when the saree signified Patriarchy for her. She used to detest the saree, for the sake of not using a stronger emotion. But now she felt exactly the opposite about it. This story is how that change came about in her and this one saree that was a symbol of that change. She was born and brought up in Delhi where she grew up with two sisters and they all were treated equally at home and had a very normal childhood where there was no partiality towards any single person. So, all the initial years of her life, she was never really taught that she was any less to the opposite gender. Unlike many girls her age, she never had restrictions about the time she could stay out or what she should wear or how she should behave. She had a blissful life until she got married.  Then, she got married… Just entering her 25th year, she walked into a Punjabi family decked up in a bright red chooda. Her parents thought they chose well for her… They had focused on marrying her off in an ...

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...

The year was 2009 when she had entered college. New friends and new life… That was what it was all about. She connected with Sagar almost instantly and they became the best of friends. He would wait for her at the college gate and they would proceed to the lecture hall together. The endless chatting in the College Canteen ranged from comparing the abs of Hrithik Roshan and John Abraham to sharing stories of their childhood – hers in cosmopolitan Delhi and his from a small village in Jharkhand. He was her best shopping buddy and came up with best suggestions on what to buy and what suits her. She could even discuss her make up stuff with him. Even her sister wouldn’t bother when she discussed the difference in the shades ‘Really Red’ and ‘Red Velvet’ in Revlon; but Sagar would pay attention and even tell her that he thinks ‘Fire & Ice’ looks even better. He was a keeper all the way and none of her girlfriends came close.  She always knew it and there was never a need for hi...

Her 4-year old loved imagining stories. His favourites included the ones in the jungle – with tigers and deer and parrots and peacocks. So, when it came to celebrating his birthday, she went looking for the perfect outfit. She looked on all online shops and couldn’t find anything that felt just right. The best she could manage was a leopard print dress. That wouldn’t do. So, she went hopping all the malls and markets, scanning all the shops. There was barely any improvement in the search as the only other option she came across was a zebra print shirt. More searches here and there, and she moved over to bird prints or butterflies. The dresses and shirts, they all looked alike.  What to do? The birthday celebration was just round the corner; and her extensive search yielded no result. Even the husband was fed-up of her obsession to get just the perfect outfit. “Just go for the leopard print – it’s in these days, I hear,” he said as he shook her head. She continued languishing i...

"Her hands have magic", said everyone who saw her wield a brush. She had learnt the art of Patachitra as a kid. It was now paying off as she managed to make some money from it to fund her higher education. Her dad had left for his heavenly abode when she was appearing for her boards. Her mom was able to make only enough money to be able to send her younger siblings, a boy and a girl to school. She started doing odd painting work locally to make money for her college fees. Soon, she managed to find a lady who gave her an order to paint on a sarees. That day she widened her horizon and started taking independent works. Then came that "online" order which broke her back. A lady gave an order to paint a pic of Srinath ji on a silk saree. "Please make my Srinathji blue instead of black." The picture shared was beautiful. And she was confident that she would be able to make it. Moreover, the amount she was offered was good so she accepted. She borrowed money ...

Chaudhary ji was a very well respected gentleman in this small village. He had huge lands and was reasonably well-off but he was a good man with a heart of gold who would genuinely help his fellow villagers whenever and howsoever he could. That's why they had chosen him as their sarpanch and they trusted his wisdom and relied on his decisions and vision for their village. Although having earned enough to be able to send the kids in his extended family to study at premier schools and colleges in the cities, he himself still worked at the grass root levels, highlighting problems with the authorities and taking initiatives for resolutions wherever he could. Chaudhary ji's only child, a daughter, had just landed in the village. It was an unusual sight as she alighted from the driver's seat of her car. All the men wearing white had lined up in front gate of the house as well as in the huge verandah of their house. The ladies were cramped at the back with their heads covered...

Just on the brink of nineteen, it was her first time. It just had to be special. So she stood grumpy in front of her cupboard flipping random clothes on her bed. "That's a nice pile of kurtas there," said her mom as she entered the room. "They are all useless," she lamented. "What exactly are you looking for?" "Something nice... Something right for today... Something that connects me to my culture and country." "I see... C'mon then... " her mom said. Her mom opened up her own cupboard wide for her. It was full of sarees, colourful and well organised. She smiled and reached out for one in her favourite Indigo. "Aah," her mom said. "Perfect that you chose this." "Why?" "Because this is an Ajrakh print saree, hand printed on the soils of Kutch, soaked in the waters of the arid lands and covered in patterns with natural dyes. What else will connect you more to y...

She had opened the trunk in the store room to take out some extra blankets for all the guests arriving that day. Just as she picked up the last one, she saw the small package. It was bound nicely in a plastic bag with a thin jute rope over it. She hesitated but then picked it up gently as if her touch would spoil it. Slowly, she took it in her arms and softly wiped the little dust that had gathered over it, as if cradling a baby. She was about to put it back but didn’t have the heart to do it. She took a deep breath and held it safely between her bosom and the pile of blankets in her arms as she carried them to her bedroom. Her 14 year old son came running to take the blankets from her. She smiled and told him that she’ll manage and instead he can just go put a lock to the trunk lid and lock the storeroom door. “Okay,” he said as he leapt on to the storeroom.  She went to her bedroom and carefully laid down the blankets on her bed. She gently picked up the package and quietly ...

She had imagined that she would be happy with this new job but somehow she wasn't. It was supposed to be this big leap for her as she had finally forayed into the Senior Management. The youngest member in the ExCo and the only female, she should have been proud of herself. But there was something that was bugging her, something which left a gnawing feeling everyday, especially after some or the other ExCo meeting. She had been introduced into a struggle most females in important positions are party to - the struggle of being ignored and snubbed by male colleagues. Add to it the fact, that she looked meek and childlike among the suited men with ties and spectacles. How could she ensure that people listen to her? She had to figure that out - and soon enough considering that she had the big presentation coming up on Investor Day. She had the presentation ready. She knew exactly what she had to say and she was confident that she would not fall short of words. It was just getting t...

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...