I can’t pinpoint when my passion for Six Yards began. But as it is said a child always tries to copy what their elder does so the same happened to me,
I was fascinated by the beauty of sarees as I watched them being worn by my mother. I recall waiting for mum to go to her social event when I was a pre-teen.
I would immediately drape her dupatta as a saree and roam about the house the moment she stepped out of the home. Even though they are far away from being what a saree is, the feeling of a garment wrapped around me giving an illusion of a saree was enough for me.
I had no idea what pleats were; all I knew was that the piece of material went around you twice and the Saree was finished. It was tough to move around with that two-layered drape, but I’ve always imagined that the Saree represents femininity, and the modest steps experienced with the drape just added to that impression.
I had always wanted to embrace that femininity within me. This garment has always been more than an untailored fabric piece for me. Saree bringing out the feminine traits at their most subtle in every manner conceivable and also being comfy was enough for me to get charmed by it.
My mother was never a big fan of draping sarees. She enjoyed collecting and purchasing them. She, on the other hand, never liked wearing one. She owns sarees from nearly every region of India, some of which must be over 50 years old. And it was only because of her that I was able to get my hands on this incredible collection of sarees from all around India.
When I started working in the hotel sector, I learned how to drape a saree. As the old adage goes, practice makes one perfect.
In seconds, I perfected the technique of draping a saree.
The hospitality uniform was changing throughout the 1990s. In their consistent style, they did not intend to follow the conventional Saree draping. That’s when the designers showed up. They designed their own colors, patterns, and style for the saree. The draperies were stunning. Ravi Bajaj, the designer of the Hyatt Hotel in Delhi, where I was working at the time, comes to mind. He provided us a jacket to wear over the saree, and he allowed the Gujarati style front pallu to go up in a bib manner on one of the sarees.
I didn’t have a distinct collection of sarees that I could call my own up to that point.
My trousseau is where I began my Saree collecting. I didn’t want any designer sarees in my collection; I just wanted traditional sarees. Patola, Gharchola, Jandhani, South silk, Kanjeevaram, Mukaish work Saree, Bandhani, Paithani, and other sarees were among the items I purchased. I have yet to try on several of these sarees. They’re big and bulky, and I’m still not sure how to drape them. So I’m still adjusting to them, and it’s a work in progress for me.
The six yards continue to be a favorite of mine, and I enjoy arranging the drape in my own unique style.
The fact that I despise shopping for my other garments explains my fondness for the six yards. Such is the power of the sarees’ enchantment over me. My #desicloset is meeting all of my needs in terms of catering to all of my social occasions.
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