Growing up in Kolkata, I had always been fascinated by Baluchari sarees, and when my mother and I were putting together my wedding trousseau, one of the sarees we wanted was a Baluchari. Someone we knew was coming from Kolkata, and she picked up three Balucharis. Since the other two were meant to be gifts, I got to pick the one I wanted. The other two colours were far more appealing to me, but it was this blue-green shot saree that seemed to speak to me. When I looked closely, the various motifs suddenly started to make sense- archers, deers, a couple exchanging the Jaimala- it was a depiction of Sita’s Swayamvar. Since I had grown up in a household where my parents looked to the Sundragantam for answers to day to day questions, I knew I had to have this saree.
I grew to love the colour, which is neither blue nor green nor grey, but shifts between all three. A beautiful saree, which I was happy to wear to the first Saraswati Puja in our new house.