Saree Shenanigans: (We tried)
Megha Kajale and Gaargi Jamkar
SY BSc (2022 – 25)
Estimated Reading time: 8 mins
Imagine a woman in a Saree. She looks graceful, her billowing hair and dark eyes perfectly complimenting her soft, silky saree. She is a symbol of femininity. Now imagine a politician. She stands strong, with glasses on her nose and a tight bun. A crisp and clean saree adorns her. She is a symbol of power. A saree is the most versatile clothing that has ever existed: One can command authority in the room and also be the ‘sexiest’ person there.
‘There are about 100 ways to drape a Saree – Whether its Indira Gandhi or Chikni Chameli; everyone gets a pick
Saree is a word synonymous with women and is a staple in most Indian households. Mothers or grandmothers have been wearing them almost all their lives. What started as a simple cloth to cover a woman’s body has evolved into an indicator of class and social status. As an additional bonus, it became a weapon to police women’s bodies in the name of culture.
‘Petticoats and blouses are the colonial versions of the Saree’
Traditionally, sarees were draped without blouses and petticoats. South Asia’s hot tropical climate meant that clothing was minimal with a preference for light and loose cotton garments. Even during the Mughal era, women wearing sarees without a blouse to cover up their chests was a normal sight. Paintings and art from the era suggest that loose drapes, covering the bare minimum were accepted and encouraged in Indian society.
The arrival of the British brought about reforms for women with policies like the abolishment of Sati and encouragement of the practice of Widow Remarriage. Women became more visible in the public space and their attire created discomfort in the Victorian prudish sensibilities. Nudity was looked down upon, and the locals were termed ‘indigenous’ and ‘primitive.’ The colonists sought to make women dress more ‘appropriate’ and Western. Thus, the introduction of blouses and petticoats to the saree made it ‘modest’ and ‘acceptable’. This new intervention led to interesting variations in the styles of blouses. Ruffled or cuffed hems, frilled blouses, and different sleeve lengths made styling a saree a new and exciting space.
Jnanadanandini Devi popularised the ‘Nivi Drape’: today’s standard drape
She was married to Satyendranath Tagore (first Indian to join the Indian Civil Services). Native to Bengal, she was used to wearing the ‘zenana’ saree, a transparent cloth covering the entire body with no undergarments. It was a style well suited to Calcutta’s climate and the times, where women were confined to their inner quarters. Her husband’s transfer to Bombay exposed her to a resistance against her native drape from the social elites. She was refused entry in many clubs for not dressing ‘appropriately.’ Frustrated, Jnanadanandini adapted different styles from Parsee women and came up with a unique way of draping the saree. She started wearing a bodice under her saree fabric and wore fashionable blouses with high collars, brooches and ribbons. This soon became known as the ‘brahmika’ or ‘nivi’ drape as we know it today.
Jnanadanandini Devi: Image Source
Intrigued and fascinated by the origin, influence, and the symbolism of sarees, we decided to try on some sarees with a challenge. We agreed to drape sarees we had either never heard of before or had never draped before. Numerous YouTube videos and Wikipedia pages proved to be necessary to ensure our rendition’s authenticity
Here are 4 different saree drapes from India:
The Coorg style of draping a sari involves tucking the pleats at the back of the waist, instead of the front. The end of the sari is brought below the left shoulder, and secured over the right shoulder. This style suits the mountainous regions of the Western Ghats in Karnataka as this dress helped women climb up trees in the jungle when confronted with wild animals.
The mythical origin for this drape is quite interesting. A sage prayed to Lord Brahma for a daughter and his wish was gratified with Lopamudra. She married the Sage Agsthya on one condition, that he would never leave her alone. One day Sage Agashtya puts her in a pot and goes to have a bath. Enraged by this betrayal, Lopamudra spills out of the pot as the river Kaveri and washes over Coorgi women with such force that the pleats of their saree were swept from front to back.
We found this drape very unique as it looks nothing like the traditional saree but has a charm and simplicity of its own. It was simple to drape and we were able to do it ourselves within a matter of minutes. It is secured by a brooch on the side and is a modest drape which exposes no midriff or back. The drape is comfortable: easy to walk and do activities without a sweat.
This drape is native to the Halakki Vokkaliga tribe based in Karnataka. It requires a nine yard saree that is first pleated at multiple places around the waist that resembles a skirt. The remaining fabric is brought up to the right shoulder and secured with a knot. An interesting fact about this saree is that it requires no blouse or petticoat to be worn. The women usually adorn themselves with huge necklaces made from beads and elaborate earrings that make the look more appealing. This drape is also well suited for outdoor work and even physical activities making it comfortable and practical for daily wear (Hands and arms can move without restrictions!)
We found this saree quite easy to drape and especially loved the pleating at different places than usual. The only challenge we faced was lack of fabric because we were using a six yard saree to drape a nine yard style!
The drape finds its namesake from the Surguja district in Chhattisgarh. This style requires about five yards of fabric which strays away from the traditional six yards. This drape is one of the most straightforward and simplest ones that every beginner must try. It has no pleats (therefore no safety pins!) and only involves tying a knot at the waist followed by some simple folds. This drape looks quite similar to the ‘nivi’ but is much simpler and formal.
We draped this one in minutes and paired it with a black crop top. It looked classy and chic but it did restrict some movement as well. Maybe we felt that because of how comfortable and open the earlier drapes were! Overall this was a quick and easy look and a great blend of tradition and modernity.
This is one of the well known drapes of Eastern India that is traditionally worn in the colours of red and white during the festival of Durga Puja. It is known for its distinctive and elaborate ‘pallu’ at the back with neat pleats.
Trying this drape was a ‘process’ to say the least. We paired the saree with a white formal shirt and rolled up its sleeves. It was definitely one of the more technical and difficult drapes that involved us in aggressively rewinding the YouTube video and re-draping at least three times. We finally gave up and the resulting look was nowhere close to what we had imagined. We used even more safety pins and after another trial we humbly accepted defeat. In an effort to salvage whatever we had done, we called our drape ‘the Bengali Fusion Drape’. Saying that the final look is bad would be an understatement but hey, we were proud of our efforts.
Sorry Bengalis (read: Koushiki), we don’t mean to appropriate your culture – we love roshogulla (Oh wait, that’s Odia right?) hahhahahaha
This whole experience – draping new styles of sarees and learning about their history and evolution – was eye-opening. As young girls, we grew up draping DIY sarees from our mothers’ dupattas. As young women today, we finally learnt how to drape sarees!(with the help of safety pins and the internet of course) One thing was clear: Draping a saree is an art. Unfortunately, from our experience, we are not artists.
Over centuries, the saree has been a constant companion to females and has evolved with them. And we hope it continues to do so. Clothing is liquid; It has no gender!
This article is dedicated to all the aajis (grandmothers) out there wearing a saree no matter what: You inspire us 🙂
pretty cool and exciting guys!