Ever since I began understanding sarees – as opposed to wearing chunnis draped like one, which I was doing since I was 5 – I found myself gravitating towards Deccan and Maharashtra cottons more than Bengal ones. I guess this was because of the surfeit of Bengal cotton around me – ghar ki murgi daal baraabar you see. I grew up with a mother and a grandmother draped in Bengal cottons ALL the time. Neither of them wore anything else, ever. Naturally when you see two people eat, sleep, work, clean, cook, walk, shop in something, it ceases to be exotic. <\/p>\n
The other thing was that unlike my mother, who was always slight of frame, I had classic Indian curves. My mother\u2019s cottons were unstarched because of repeated use, but her idea of a crisp cotton was to get it starched. Starch I did not like – and starch made me look huge. The first time I saw a limp and clingy south cotton I fell in love and decided – that\u2019s it. If cotton, south it must be. <\/p>\n
As a result, a whole lot of gorgeous Bengal Taant (handloom sarees) got relegated to the back of the cupboard. Over the years their starch wilted, as my love for them grew. Pulling one out now seems like the midlife peace every rebellious young girl makes with her mother. This one, an olive grey checks with a dark black motif border, repeated on the entire blouse piece – which looks like embroidery but isn\u2019t actually, it is part of the weave, which makes it a stunning weaver\u2019s achievement – was my mother\u2019s attempt to understand my tastes in colour and style and still get me to love Bengali Taant\u2026. these subdued colours are atypical of Bengali Taant. The signature sindoori, and white and mustards are missing\u2026. She said \u201cthis is so you\u201d, I said \u201cyeah thanks but I still prefer South\u2026\u201d that was 15 years ago\u2026 today I make my peace, and thank her for persevering!! I have therefore kept it traditional – not attempted a mix and match blouse, nor contrasted footwear or jewellery, which is what I normally do. Even the blouse isn\u2019t one of those itsy bitsy\u2019s I typically favour, but a classic cut. For once, everything is \u2018conserved\u2019\u2026 and I am happy to be a traditionalist for a change. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ever since I began understanding sarees – as opposed to wearing chunnis draped like one, which I was doing since I was 5 – I found myself gravitating towards Deccan and Maharashtra cottons more than Bengal ones. I guess this was because of the surfeit of Bengal cotton around me – ghar ki murgi daal…<\/p>\n