From Confused to Confident

By Akila Nayak

The Mysteriously Vanishing Sari

For many centuries, the sari has been a source of mystery to the entire world. Even after so much time, the western world is completely fascinated with the fact that this long piece of material can be draped around a body, maintain its shape, look fabulous and at the same time appear comfortable. Bollywood stars have been in the spotlight wearing the most beautifully saris, draping them ever so elegantly around their bodies. Through the years, there have been many words used to describe a woman in a sari: elegant, dignified, graceful, sophisticated, sexy and rich. I have yet to met anyone, man or woman, who feels otherwise. For me, it has been an honor to wear saris because it makes me feel very beautiful inside and out.

This August, I traveled via Bangalore on my way back to the United States. About six years had passed since my last visit to India so I was expecting some level of change. Globalization has certainly impacted India, especially its technology. However, I was expecting the general changes to business. In no way was I prepared to face the effect that globalization has had on our traditional dress: the sari.

My recent trip to India has forced me to ask, “What is happening to South Asia’s traditional culture of wearing saris”?

We had the privilege of traveling by car with a talkative taxi driver for four hours on our way to Bangalore. Smashed in the car with three young boys, I thought it would be a great idea to get the taxi driver involved in our “political discussion” about the United States, world politics and the economy. Little did I think it would turn into something as personal as my sari.

It was surprising to him (more of a shock) that a woman from America was wearing a sari and feeling quite confident about her appearance. His comment was, “Madam, it is very nice that an American woman is wearing our traditional dress.” He stated that not many women wear saris as part of their daily attire and that everyone is more into the “modern designer look.” Saris are for festive occasions, but women still wear them less than the other choices available. The taxi driver told me I would see evidence of this in the hotel as well as the malls. I thought, “Malls? There are now malls in India? What happened to the market places?”

Sure enough, I did not see anyone wearing a traditional sari at the hotel! I, however, confidently wore my sari and walked over to one of the large malls. Once again, I could not find a single person wearing a sari, neither shoppers nor employees.

Traveling from one shop to the other, I noticed stares and looks. One shop owner asked me where we were from. I asked him why there were no sari shops and why he didn’t sell any saris in the store. He told me that no one buys them or wears them. If a woman needed a sari or fancy outfit for a wedding, she would go to a specialty sari shop, but that would be the only reason to shop for one. People wear western clothes, salwaar kameez (pajama-like pants and a long tunic) or lehengas (colorful long skirt and a short bodice).

These days even a kurti (woman’s tunic) over jeans works. ”We can’t make any money by selling saris because there is no interest,” the shopkeeper told me. I finally found one shop that claimed to sell saris. I walked out disappointed, shaking my head. Those were not real saris! They were designed to look more like a lehengas but were called saris. They were full of sequins and embroidery, but did not have the full lengths of material that make up a sari. When draping the material around myself, I did not look elegant or as distinguished as I should appear in a sari.

This is deeply disturbing! I love our traditional saris, and we need to keep the tradition going for years to come. I wore a sari on the way back to the United States. I plan to continue wearing saris, and I would wear them everyday if I could. I’ve heard people say they are going to wear saris for festive occasions or to the temple. The sari may not be in vogue, but it should not be restricted to religious or festive occasions. I was born and raised in the United States. I love to wear jeans. However, nothing can compare to a sari.

Most importantly, women should wear saris properly. A sari is designed to look elegant and anyone can wear one. Saris fit every body type out there. But there is nothing worse than a woman wearing a sari inappropriately. I’ve seen some women wearing them too high, so their entire ankles and feet are exposed. On the other hand, you don’t want your sari to droop too low on the floor because others can step on it.

The sari is the most elegant and graceful piece of clothing a woman can own. It brings out the feminine figure in any woman. In the United States, every woman is told she needs that little black dress because it is magical. However, a sari is more magical because it is enchanting and mysterious. One of my favorite activities as a little girl was to pretend to dress up in a sari and twirl all over the front yard like a princess. I used to wonder why none of the Disney characters wore a sari. Ask any man and see what response you get.

Akila Nayak lives in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. She has a PhD in Business Administration/Management.

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