37/100
Simple elegance is what you want when on the agenda you have an awareness and fundraising drive at a hospital . Where you are going to engage with oncologists , physicians , pathologists , technicians , patients and caregivers and lead a team of committed volunteers .
And it is almost 40 degrees in the shade .
This Orissa / Sambhalpuri off White and purple Ikkat cotton seemed to be and turned out to be a good choice . The Saree itself is such a classic it needed nothing to showcase it . Just a simple blouse in a matching shade ( like the jacarandas in bloom every where ..this purple shade ) and my silver bangles and earrings .
What gave it all a glow was being with the Calcutta volunteers and the high levels of enthusiasm all around.
Meeting dear friend Bharat Kaul after too long a gap and having him drive down from his shooting location to be with everyone was a great bonus. Even as he was helping put up the posters and banners , our audience began gathering.
A well known face , a popular actor in their midst sharing his own testimonial is a great inspiration .
The Tata Medical Centre is a state of the art set up and the city of Kolkata and the state of West Bengal have been in great need of a treatment centre like this for managing its cancer load .
Despite their busy OPD schedule and routine interventions and procedures the hospital administration is ready to collaborate with us and help us with our Chai for Cancer initiative . With doctors like Mammen Chandy the Director and Reena Nair and Mohandas Mallath who lead units with such dedication and commitment you know this is good news for your cancer patients in the region . And having your treating physician , someone who had breathed new life inside you through a bone marrow transplant stand and sip a cup of chai with you talking of this and that …well that is what ‪#‎ChaiforCancer‬ is all about . And then since the day is all about making it easy for the patients, all our volunteers are offered their routine monitoring tests on the house.
It’s a treat to listen to the intelligent and efficient technicians hold forth on their role and the nurses tell us stories of their star patients .
And my lovely , cool and smooth as silk cotton Sambhalpuri lets me run up and down getting things in order , serve tea , collect donations and make receipts and join young Tushar and sing a couple of songs as we pack up ; all with with great comfort and yes, grace .
I am loving wearing my sarees to work especially on field work. It was never better …..,.