An Ode to Sari

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Ten years ago I heard in one speech of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi that western cloths are actually rather ugly and poor, it looks like variety but it is not. And the Indian sari is such a masterpiece of an everlasting beauty. At that time I could not but disagree as I was very much into fashion and designer stuff, hungrily catching every news from the catwalk. Time passed, and I managed to visit the fabulous land of incsent-flavoured India and to experience the magic of sari…

But first a bit of a history.

Some people think that Indian sari is influenced by Greek or Roman toga which we see on ancient statues. This is not correct. Sari is essentially Indian and designed to suit local conditions. Cotton was cultivated in India centuries before Alexander the Great landed on the borders of India and Indian cloth (chira or Sari) was a wonder to Greek eyes. In fact, Herodotus and other ancient western historians thought there were cloth-growing trees in India! 

The origin of this fabulous garment is a bit obscure due to lack of proper historical records in India but one thing is for sure – the sari boasts the oldest existence in the sartorial world. It is more than 5000 years old and is mentioned in the Vedas.

 

One of the possible reasons for the long-lasting popularity of sari may be its spiritual beauty that lays in the creation of this large woven piece of cloth (can be 6-9 yard). Indian myths often use weaving as a metaphor for the creation of the universe. The sutra or spun thread was the foundation, while the sutradhara (weaver) or holder of the thread was viewed as the architect or creator of the universe.

 

 

 

For an unstitched length of material, the wearing of a sari entails a lot of preparation. Most saris have a fall made of cotton attached to the inside lower border, and the choli or bodice that teams up with the sari should match the ground color of the sari, or at least echo one of the tints in the borders or motifs. The sari follows the shape of the body, yet conceals, it is often said, a hundred imperfections. It is true that not only is it one of the most graceful of garments, but also one of the kindest. This perhaps explains its perennial charm. Not only beautiful, it is compassionate.

 

The success of the sari through the ages is attributable to its total simplicity and practical comfort, combined with the sense of luxury a woman experiences. Though men are intrigued by the demure, floor-length attire and tantalizing display of a bare midriff at the back, it is said that sari rarely fails to flatter a woman, making her feel fragile and feminine. It is an instant fashion, created by the hands of the wearer and subject to none of the vagaries and changes which plague the modern fashion scene.

 

So far the information. Now the experiences…

When I came to India last year the whole thing had quite a revolutionary impact on me, I suddenly felt the life there so real, so intense in controversy to our sophisticated and mechanic western reality. And many more breath-taking experiences were still waiting for me in the misty sacred mountains of Maharashtra…

I went to the concert of an Indian classical music – vocal und instrumental, in a huge Stadium in Pune. Thousands and thousands of people gathered there to enjoy the captivating harmony of ragas. The early evening set up its cosy setting on the rows. All the ladies were clad in their festive saris – myriads of marvelous colours and fabrics, with embroidery and without, glittering and matt… Such innumerable variety of saris at one place and time – that was tremendous! I got completely thoughtless watching one by one all these Indian ladies so graceful and dignified, watching these wonderful saris, admiring each like a piece of art. I felt like being in an ocean of everlasting beauty… And suddenly I remembered the words of Shri Mataji and realized how true they were!

 

 

 

 

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In fact, the nowadays fashion seem to offer a huge amount of “new” trousers, blouses, shirts, coats, suits. But do most of them really flatter us? Do they fit the best? Do they make us really unique and beautiful?

 

 

 

When I got dressed up in a sari, I realized some other things as well:

·         The sari blouse is normally very tight – it makes the shoulders round and fragile (as the opposite to the “hard” western shoulder-concept)

·         The sari itself covering me from top to bottom gives a feeling of the most pleasant comfort – protection, security and auspiciousness

·        Sari can make every type of figure look very feminine, soft and strong an the same time

·         In my splendid pink wedding dress I felt myself being a princess – beautiful, charming and glamorous. Wearing a sari I feel being a goddess – dignified, solemn, extremely soft, pouring the power of love everywhere…

In the web I found two complimentary comments of western women on sari.

Selene:” I need not wear the pants of a man to become superior. In every spirituality there is some small part, maybe hidden, maybe not, that says that just by being born a woman, we are the spiritual heart of the home. The beautiful draping and coverage of yards of material make me feel beautiful and protected, and – at home. Every time I see a beautiful Indian woman walking in her sari through a grocery store, a mall, or just strolling with her family, I see that she walks with her head up, her hips swaying, and she is proud of how she looks, no matter what her age. She automatically has a link to her ancestral mothers and she never has to have an excuse for it.”

Bertha: “The sari epitomizes the beauty of the female form. It is ideal clothing for the summer and can be comfortably worn in the winter as well. It drapes the body all over and reveals very less but still has such a sensuous look. It can make a thin woman look voluptuous and a overweight woman look attractive. It also reflects the mood and personality of the person wearing it, through its myriad colors.”

Today even in India people seem difficult to withstand the flood of the western mind-bombing, in the sartorial world as well. And though the rural India (which is in fact 75 % of the country) is still clad in the colorful, joy-giving saris – the population if the megapolices like Mumbai and New Delhi seem to start appreciating the westernised look.

Famous swiss psychologist Carl G. Jung (1875-1961) expressed his concirn this way: ”It  would be a loss to the whole world if the Indian woman should cease to wear her native costume. India is practically the only civilized country where one can see on living models how woman can and should dress“.

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Sari, it is said, was born on the loom of a fanciful weaver. He dreamt of woman. The shimmer of her tears. The drape of her tumbling hair. The colors of her many moods. The softness of her touch. All these he wove together. He couldn’t stop. He wove for many yards. And when he was done, the story goes, he sat back and smiled and smiled and smiled…

 

axinia