Once Upon A Sari

When little Avani is caught red-handed playing with her mother’s saris, mum lovingly tells her that “𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺… 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘯…” And then mother shares these stories with little Avani.

Of all the ‘sari’ stories I have read, this is the one that I can completely relate to. Not only does this book focus on the type of sari (chikankari, bandhani, kanjivaram…), but I love the way the story of each sari is shared with the next generation. This is something I often find myself doing unwittingly with my daughter as I rearrange my sari wardrobe. And any genuine sari-lover or sari-connoisseur would have a fairly decent collection of handlooms and regional saris that usually get passed down from one generation to the other (sari being an unstitched garment, it can fit anyone irrespective of the physical attributes of the wearer).

A sari collection is built over many years and each sari is infused with memories that are refreshed as you drape the sari – perhaps the memories of your grandmother who lovingly gifted her favourite sari to you, perhaps the memories of your own wedding, or of a special occasion that brings back emotions – saris are indeed special and “𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗶” is hands down the best sari-book ever! Book drops May 2024.