If you told me exactly five years ago that I’d be happily married and would be writing a whole article about my saree journey, I might have thought you were crazy but I feel it was not really as crazy as I thought it would be. Initially you will see me fanning over sarees then years later I would be hating it.

As a kid I was never attached to sarees and the most frustrating thing was that people called it a sign of masculinity. I was less attracted to sarees and more to western outfits not because I disliked them but because I found them impossible to wear. Although I loved seeing my mother in different sarees on different occasions, the beauty with which she draped the sarees around her was the most admirable thing in the world. I still remember that I used to consider my mother a superhero only because she used to wear that saree throughout the day and do all her work very easily. Yeah! You can call it funny.

As I grew older, the saree finally came to me. I consider myself lucky because whenever I needed to wear a saree, my mother was always with me and that was enough for me. Be it a family function or an official meeting, I never knew when saree became my first choice. My mother’s presence in my journey really mattered, as it was one of the reasons I got hooked on sarees. Growing up I always saw my mother draped in different sarees but never bothered to know which saree is made of which fabric, all I knew was that I love all of them even if it is Cotton, Silk or Chiffon.

As I matured, both my love for sarees and my environment changed. I started coming more into the world and eventually came to the conclusion that saree was the main issue in making a woman’s life miserable and it made women weak. I thought if women wouldn’t wear a saree, they could’ve at least fought back for themselves. I still think of those pointless thoughts as the most embarrassing and dumb thing in the world like how low could I stoop. Yet for a girl of that age those were her thoughts that ruled her and Yes I believed them and completely disregarded sarees. I stopped wearing them and stuck to western attires. I still wish someone would have knocked some sense but it is still a part of my journey.

This cycle went on for 3 years and I completely thought that saree would never be a part of my life anymore. In 2018 I decided to get a tomboy haircut because it not only attracted me but also made me feel brave. At the same time, our country came under the grip of an epidemic and due to work from home, I had to go back home. As soon as I got home, I realized that it was okay not to come here because instead of hearing a warm welcome, I only heard comments about my hair. That’s when I realized how taboo it is for a girl to have short hair. People started calling me a rebel and telling me different hair growth tips. From, Who will marry me?, to I look like a boy to so many criticisms I had to face. I feel like I have committed a big sin by getting my short hair cut. It was so sad that my confidence eventually fell and I started following the norms of the society and stopped dressing like girls and living like them because according to the society I looked like a boy.

Eventually I had accepted this as my life but I guess life had something big coming for me. In 2020 I started an online business for which I needed a saree model but I couldn’t find one due to the pandemic and after much time of waiting I decided to give it a try and model for it myself and guess what it went great! When I looked into the mirror I didn’t find a boyish girl who looked any bad either it was a beautiful girl. I looked even more beautiful with my short hair than my longer ones. The business idea was dropped due to some reasons but thanks to it I got my confidence back. It has been a long time since then but all of this just made me realize that a woman’s clothing never defines her or makes her any weak, it was rather her mindset and will power.

Today I still continue my journey to this day. In my life, whether it was choosing to wear for an occasion or for bringing my confidence back, saree has always played an important role in everything and I hope to inspire others with my experiences too. All I know is that my crazy saree journey will continue for a long time.

This is Katyayni Sharma @simplenaari and I would like to specially thank my mother and my husband for constantly supporting and inspiring me throughout my journey and thank you Sareeing.Com for giving me the opportunity of sharing my story with all of you.

Hope you guys love it.
Thank you 🙂

– Katyayni Sharma

Katyayni is one among the three winners of #YogaInSaree theme. Her active participation inspired and encouraged i’grammers.