There are those rare advertisements that leave an indelible impression in your minds. Inspire introspection. Appeal to your emotions.
One such for me was the Patek Philippe tagline – You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.
Not just classic timepieces, I kept telling myself. It’s so true for sarees as well.
My dear sister-in-law for her marriage in a couple of months shall proudly drape the saree her grandmother wore for her wedding.
A cousin sister-in-law once showed me a gorgeous ebony-black silk with alluring intricate silver threadwork – it was one of her grandmother’s favorites, then a prized inheritance of her mother and now her proud possession.
I have seen them all – August Kanjeevarams. Brilliant Benarasis. Priceless Paithanis. Imperious jamdanis.
Heirlooms treasured, adored, caressed, fussed over. Handed down generations. And that sublime smile that lights up the face when the owners brandish these ageless treasures.

I wear an Assam silk here, it was my mother’s and she gifted it to me when I was getting married. Resplendent Muga gold with traditional gos buta (tree motifs) in radiant red threadwork.
Special. Very very special to me.