Sari—one of the
most powerful symbols of culture in the Indian subcontinent—has always been
synonymous with grace and beauty. Even in the present times, when our clothes
reflect the liberalisation that has been in place in India since the last two
decades, this garment continues to hold a very important place in the Indian
woman’s treasured wardrobe. Age and social class holding no bar, this nine-yard
beauty has always found its way to our coveted collections. This beauty is
timeless and classic in its own right. And my interesting quest of learning
more about this exquisite garment took me to Dr. Vandana Narang,the Director at
NIFT-Delhi Campus who says, “The sari has remained a cultural icon due to the
emotional connect with Indian women. It signifies femininity and grace of Indian
women, who treasure their saris as an heirloom.”
Dr. Narang goes
on to say that in spite of the drape style having changed in the present times
with blouse and petticoats being replaced by corsets and jeans by some designers
for a modern adaptation, the sari still symbolises the corporate power suit for
the power corridors.This is very evident from the unwritten dress code of the
crisply starched sari that female politicians, activists and bureaucrats follow
in this by and large patriarchal society, even if they might have preferred
other wears before embarking on their respective careers.
The Evolution
This
quintessential attire that has given every woman the feeling of sensuality has
been a part of the Indian culture since times immemorial. The first reference
to this dates back to the times of the Indus Valley Civilization, from where a
statue of a priest wearing an unstitched drape has been recovered. There is
reference of the sari in
the Vedas as well, the primordial Hindu sacred literature that dates back to
3000 BCE. Like their Greek
and Roman counterparts in the Western world, the Hindus in ancient India too
preferred this form of unstitched garment. The reason for this was their belief
that use of needle on clothes was inauspicious and that unstitched clothes were pure.
Hence, this type of cloth can be seen on the earliest images and statues of
goddesses in the form of a ‘fishtail’, where it is tied around the waist,
covering the legs loosely in an enhancing style.
One of the
earliest depictions of the sari as a drape is that of a terracotta statue of a
priest from the Shunga period (c 200-50 BCE), dressed in a cloth that is tied
tightly around the body. Other representations include a terracotta statuette of
a woman from the Gupta period (320 CE-550 CE) wearing a sari that looks like a
full skirt and the murals of the Ajanta caves in western Maharashtra dating
back to late fifth century, where women are shown to be wearing saris that
cover the entire body. Later,
during the 19th century, it was the renowned painter Raja Ravi Varma who
made use of this sensuous garment in his paintings to represent the varied
aspects of Indian womanhood.
The different
styles of draping a sari originated in ancient India, where women draped the
garment as per their social class and occupation. Women hailing from the higher
classes wore two pieces of cloth— one for the upper and the other for the lower
body. And women from the lower classes would generally wear one piece of
garment in the lower body. It was with the beginning of the British rule that the
way a sari was worn underwent a sea change. Earlier a sari which was more diaphanous
held more value; however, with disapproval of the rulers for this fineness that
they considered titillating and hence morally wrong, the petticoat and the
blouse became a constant factor in the wardrobe of most Indian women. Today there are at
least 80 different ways of tying a sari, though the most common style for draping the
sari is that of tying it around the midriff, with the end flowing over the
shoulder, the waist being bare. In this connection, Designer Deepika Govind says
that even every social class, right from the tribal woman and the women working
in the fields to the women hailing from the palatial haveli, has a variation in the way a sari is draped.
Beginning of the
20th century saw most women of royal lineage come out of the purdah
and increase their interaction with the outer world. This translated into a
change in the way they dressed. Many Maharanis became well known not just for
their beauty but for their sophistication and style as well. And the common
thread that bound all of them was the classic sari. The style icons of the
royalty, be it the mother-daughter duo of Maharani Indira Devi of Cooch Behar
and the radiant Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur or Rani Sita Devi of Kapurthala
or Rani Chimanbai of Baroda, took the sari to newer heights of popularity. It
was Maharani Indira Devi who made the chiffon sari popular. Being a widow she
would don the traditional unembellished white meant to show ‘mourning’,but her
elegance made her clothes fashionable.
The Works
This piece of
elegance has not been a part of just the day-to-day life of the Indian woman,
whether mundane or special; it has found a place in various works of literature as
well as cinema.The popular legend about
Draupadi’s unending sari is found in the Mahabharata where it is
described how her virtue was protected by Sri Krishna who provided her with a
continuous source of the attire when the Kauravas tried to disrobe her.Additionally,
we find mention of the sari in
Silappadhikaram- ancient Tamil poetry, Banabhatta’s
Kadambari and Kalidasa’s Shakuntalam, to name a few.
The immense contribution of Indian films in making the
sari glamorous is undeniable. Be it the sequined fare that yesteryear stars
like Mumtaz, Sadhana or Nanda among others wore, or the diaphanous chiffon
saris made popular by the heroines of Yash Chopra, this piece of elegance held a
strong visual appeal for all and made an entire nation go gaga over it. Even
today, this holds true as can be seen in the different versions presented by
popular designers like Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi Mukherjee. This incredible piece
still can be counted as the foremost in terms of style and how it can influence
how a nation dresses. Designer Kunal Anil Tanna, who has dressed the likes of
Madhuri Dixit and Kajol,thinks this is because the sari has the versatility to
look elegant and sensuous at the same time; be it chiffon draped in a simple
manner or an elaborate kanjivaram, a sari adds volumes to a woman’s grace and enamor.
The Present Times
Today this
graceful attire continues to endure with women still using it as a daily wear
as well as for important ceremonies, though men have adapted the Western
attire a long time ago.The
sari may have been molded by tradition and trends, but what ensures its
survival as one of India’s master crafts and heritage possessions is cultural sensitivities.
As Deepika Govind says, the sari is interesting because it is our Indian
identity and is a representation of freedom to be who we are.It is also the ultimate symbol of femininity.
Toolika Gupta,
Fashion and Textile consultant (PhD candidate in History of Art, University of
Glasgow, UK), says “The sari is undoubtedly a continuity of India’s cultural
tradition, although the length, breadth and styles of tying it have changed
over time. In a land as culturally diverse as India, it is something that ties
us together. Every state proudly manufactures and distributes its saris to rest
of India, and an Indian woman feels proud to own at least one from each state.”
How true the last words ring for me, having personally ensured that I manage
one from each state or region of this country for my own wedding trousseau! And
even now, when I visit a new place I make sure that I check out what type of
sari that region has to offer me. This is one strong link that ties me to the
lives of women from the different parts of the country.
Just as it is implausible to think of the history of
India without this sensuous garment, it is equally impossible to think of a
modern India without it. The sari has not just survived the assault of the changing
goals and ambitions of a nation in transition; it continues to retain its hold
over us. What makes this saga all the more captivating is that in spite of
having undergone numerous experiments and having faced
severe competition from the various options of clothing available today,
this conservative attire continues to rule the roost. Whatever modification it
might have faced occasionally— from being styled as a sarong or as half a drape
revealing a leather skirt beneath on the ramp to being draped over a pair of
jeans—the sari in its traditional form continues to endure with its charming allure.
