9/100 #100sareepact

Yesterday I was mighty pleased with Prado for being a sweetheart and cooking a fabulous meal for me. So when I opened my saree wardrobe to choose for a wedding reception we were attending in the evening, this beautiful lavender baluchari silk saree (which was Prado’s first saree gift to me) just leapt out of the lot.

So it was the first year of our marriage and Prado had to go to Kolkota on an official trip. On the weekend that he was there he excitedly called me to tell me that he was getting a baluchari silk sari for me. Till then I had never heard of baluchari silks, so I immediately logged onto Google to read up about it. Supposedly made from the softest silk ever, baluchari silk sarees have depictions from scenes of Mahabharat and Ramayana (more interesting information on baluchari silks here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baluchari_Sari) On reading this I waited with mixed excitement and anticipation for his arrival with the saree. You see he had never bought me a saree/garment before and I knew his choice of colours was very different from mine. At the same time I was eager to see what he had picked up for me. So when he got back and opened his suitcase, out came 2 baluchari silks and 3 gorgeous taanths. One glance and I fell for the orange baluchari that he later told me he had got for my sister in law. “Lavender is just not my colour, don’t you know” I told him exasperated. Poor guy looked pretty doleful as he really wanted me to like the saree he got for me. Realising that I had hurt him I reluctantly kept this saree for myself. It lay in my cupboard for almost six months before I wore it for a close friend’s wedding. Imagine my surprise when I got tons of compliments for it. There were unknown people coming upto me complimenting how stunning this colour looked on me. Until then I really did not think that this colour would look good on me (I still doubt it).

Since then I have worn this saree many times and have received a lot of adulation for it. And every time I wore it, I became more and more convinced and have started loving this saree as my own. The lovely motifs and the grand pallu which depicts Rama’s love for Sita in its intricate weaves. It is truly the softest silk saree I own and now wouldn’t trade it for the oranges or reds of the world.

Thank you my love, for this wonderful wonderful gift of love.