Drapes of Glory, Success & Undeterred Confidence

If sarees could tell stories, it would talk about the joy that little girls felt when they pretended to be grown-ups by simply draping their mother’s saree. It would also talk about the nervousness women feel as they get ready to tie the knot with the love of their lives. But most of all, these sarees would gleefully tell tales about successful women whose drapes seeped in the success they met with at the workplace. It doesn’t matter if the glorious woman sporting a saree wielded a ladle or a stethoscope, eventually, they all had one thing in common, their undying love affair with sarees.

 Doctor Sandhya’s tryst with sarees began when she was just seventeen years old. To her a saree is more than just a piece of clothing, she says “Sarees are most definitely the ideal attire for the Indian climatic conditions. They not only provide optimal comfort but they are most hygienic too.” 

 The multifaceted doctor also believes that Sarees bring oodles of confidence to her personality “I’m into public service which means I garner the respect of people every day and I believe Sarees bring with it a sense of leadership and confidence. Whichever part of the world I am in, I would always choose to drape a saree for the respect it instils in people when they think of me.”

When she was just fifteen years old, Roshini fell in love with dance and thus began her love affair with sarees too. From the moment she learned to strike her very first dance move to founding, Neelayadakshi, a collection of unique, handcrafted jewellery, she finds deep adoration for sarees, she unravels details about her favourite type of drapes “A starched cotton saree is my favourite. Trust me it's the easiest thing to wear when you are running the whole day. Pleat it, pin it and you are done for the day!”

To Jayalakshmi Ravi, Saree is the reminder of her first step into the big and busy work sphere “I was eighteen years old when I wore my first saree. I began my first day of work at BPL and since then, I have always been in awe of sarees and the comfort they bring.”

She believes her saree is her armour “To me, saree is one of the foremost pieces of clothing that moves people to respect you. When you drape a saree an aura of respect follows you wherever you go. It inspires people to view you as an ambitious woman of bold personality.”

Pragathi believes that a pattu saree goes hand in hand with the mellifluous kirtis that she loves to sing “Traditional attire adds to the culture of what we are singing and the meaning of a lot of the kritis we sing. Carnatic music is such a traditional art form that wearing sarees, especially pattu sarees, makes the experience more meaningful.”

After our treasurable tete a tete with each of these successful women, we find that in some way, the sarees they lovingly drape stand for their beliefs. To them, a drape not only means comfort but confidence too. We salute these women and take immense inspiration from their unbreakable spirit.