But why the weird numbering? Because I am going to post an old pic today and I don\u2019t want it to count towards my 100 sarees for the year. \u2028This is a very special photograph, my favourite saree photo. That is my mother in law flanked by her two daughters in law – a pic taken almost exactly 33 years ago on Gangaur Teej festival on the third day of the Spring Navratri. We wear it in the traditional North Indian \u2018seedha palla\u2019 style, the palla on the right shoulder! \u2028This saree is called a ‘chundri\u2019 and is a must for all Mathur married women. It is always a red silk with tie and dye spots and with a green palla. The colour of the dots is peculiar to each Mathur clan. In ours, the rings are white; there should be no yellow anywhere in it! The ‘gota\u2019 on the border and palla is also mandatory. (Even otherwise, any Mrs Mathur has to wear a saree with ‘zari\u2019 or gota work on any auspicious occasion. \u201cIt is The Law\u201d! So all the sarees I get\/ got from my in laws have at least a small gota flower sewn somewhere on them!) Back to the chundri – it forms an essential part of the trousseau and is always gifted by the woman\u2019s family to her, as it is a symbol of her ‘suhaag\u2019. So, when I wore out the saree I am wearing here, I got another one from my mother!\u2028This saree is worn for all poojas like the Karva Chauth and Teej. When a girl gets married, her mother sits at the ‘pheras\u2019, wearing her own chundri. This was my first Teej after I got married and the first time I wore my chundri! So much have I changed since then, that my mother, on a recent visit, sat staring at the photograph for a long time, before she asked me, \u201c Madhu, I recognize your ma-in-law \u2026 and your sis-in-law on her right but \u2026 who is the girl on her left?\u201d! \u2028Do you recognize me? The second pic is posted for a comparison! This was taken on the karva chauth festival last year, when I was planning to do the pooja in my regular clothes. My brother\u2019s wife rang me up and insisted I dress up and get a photograph taken as proof that I did!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
But why the weird numbering? Because I am going to post an old pic today and I don\u2019t want it to count towards my 100 sarees for the year. \u2028This is a very special photograph, my favourite saree photo. That is my mother in law flanked by her two daughters in law – a pic…<\/p>\n