Every saree has a story. I bought this black and white number in 2012, in Dhaka when we were visiting a famous women’s rights organisation – Naripokkho. During the lunch break the saree seller would come and unfold his ware – all bundled up in a white veshti. Black and white sarees are a favourite of mine, though traditionally in a Tamil household my father disliked black, and white was associated with widow-hood. The white is woven with gold threads giving it a shimmer that most cotton handloom sarees don’t possess, with woven black leaf design on the body. A saree with gravitas. Photo by my daughter Noelle. Worn on January 5th, 2016