Indian women set the stage alight with a resplendent show of India’s national costume – as members of the royal family, businesswomen and the diplomatic community gathered to admire the weaves and styles of the traditional unstitched garment at India House in Saar.

The special event was entitled simply Saree and organised by the Indian ambassador’s wife, Mala Kumar. It was part of the Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Jusoor programme aimed at helping to familiarise the wives of diplomats with the different cultural traditions found on the island.

More than 50 ladies attended the event including Shaikha Wesal Al Khalifa, wife of Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, Angela Fakhro, wife of the Industry and Commerce Minister, Dr Hassan Fakhro, the Jusoor committee and its members, and the wives of various country ambassadors.

Mrs Kumar said: “This event is just the beginning of many such programmes to showcase India’s amazing culture. India has so much to offer and the Jusoor programme gave me one such opportunity to show it.

“I chose the saree because it is timeless and goes to show that we can preserve our tradition despite modernisation. The people of India have preserved their roots but embraced progress and development in a harmonious way.”

The highlight of the morning was the appearance of nine beautifully-clad ladies who represented different styles of draping the saree from various regions of the country. Their walk and costumes were choreographed by Suvasini Srinivas, a Kathak and Bharatanatyam dancer.

The guests were also treated to a lavish display of traditional and modern sarees from various parts of the sub-continent, courtesy of Lulu, alongside a spread of Indian delicacies.

Meera Ravi, editor of Salaam Bahrain magazine, told the story of the saree and revealed that there were more than 109 ways of draping a saree – a fact unknown to most Indians in the audience!

She said: “The word saree originates from a Sanskrit word meaning ‘unstitched strip of cloth’. Of course, we have so many stitched accessories to go with it today – the petticoat and the blouse, which can cost as much as the saree.

“Every region in India has a special way to drape a saree. The weave and design is a language of its own which changes from village to village and from town to town. Indeed, a saree is a visiting card and a history lesson rolled into one!”
The ‘models’ were led by Deepa Chandran, from the state of Kerala, who draped her classic cream and gold ‘set mundu’ in a conventional style. With flowers in her hair and bedecked with gold jewellery, she carried a traditional brass lamp that represents the southern-most Indian state known for its greenery and Ayurvedic massages.

Sarju Arpit Panchal, from the state of Gujarat, followed with a resplendent blue bandhini (tie and dye) silk saree complete with embroidery and mirror work. The saree draped in the front showed off its beautiful border and Sarju topped it off with typical Gujarati accessories in her hair, plus necklaces and bangles.

The journey then took the audiences to the state of Assam in the eastern part of India and Pinky Sharma displayed her state’s attire – a two-piece ‘mekhla chador’, an off-white hand-embroidered silk cloth, where the lower part of the body is draped in a sarong-style cloth and the upper part with a shawl worn saree-style with a matching blouse.

The length of a normal saree that you would buy anywhere is six yards but the traditional Maharashtrian and Tamil Nadu Brahmin woman wear a nine-yard saree for special occasions.

Shama Kolhatkar, a Maharashtrian, displayed the comfortable-style of wearing a Nav-vari saree, which was also used by the ‘lady warriors’ of this state when riding a horse. Shama matched her attire with jewellery worn during weddings and at special religious functions.

Hamsini Krishnan, from Tamil Nadu, wore a saree in the auspicious maroon colour and showed how women in her state drape the nine-yards in what is called the ‘Madisar way’. Her long plait covered with strands of flowers and special ornaments adorning her head is typical of a Brahmin bride in her community.

The state of Bengal was represented by Bhavya Rajith, who draped her red and white silk saree in a classic Bengali-style. It stands apart from the crowd for the unique way of hanging a silver key chain at the end of her ‘pallu’ or loose end of the saree.

She was followed by Priya Shyam who donned an emerald green Benarasi silk saree worn by the women in Uttar Pradesh. A Benarasi silk saree is treasured by families for its glossy silk and silver and gold zari brocade and is worn with the upper half brought over the left shoulder and draped over the head.

With a brilliant orange and wide green border, Chitra Sinha wore a Kanjeevaram saree in the style of a Madurai flower-seller and completed her look with her hair set in a bun to a side and bead and gold necklaces around her neck.

The last model was elegant Deepa Devnarayanan wearing her saree in the style of the Kodagu women, from the coffee plantations and hills of Coorg, near Karnataka. It is completely different from other regions because the pleats are formed and tucked at the back rather than in the front.

The event concluded with Milena Padula, wife of the Italian Ambassador Enrico Padula, volunteering to get draped in a saree and walking around in it for the rest of the afternoon. Despite tip-toeing cautiously through the hallway she claimed to be ‘completely comfortable’ and said it would not be her last time in a saree.

source: http://www.GulfWeeklyWorldwide.com / Local News / by Anasuya Kesavan / February 01-07th, 2012 (Vol.10, Issue No. 57)