09 December, 2017

Saree- the best gift ever

My dad used to travel a lot for his business trips. Every time, he went, he came back with sarees for my mom. Not one for sure. The minimum number he brought was four. They used to be gorgeous, drool-worthy sarees. After I got married, this must have been his first trip post my wedding. He was returning home and on the way had little time to meet me in Delhi. As always, he had brought about five sarees. He kept them in front of me and said, you choose. I said, "no they are for mom". He said, "at least choose one." I picked up the simplest of them all. Ganga Jamuna pure silk saree. The body was gorgeous cream colour and it had green and black borders. It could be worn both sides. I was fascinated with the concept. 
After few years, I was not wearing sarees so regularly and started giving them to mom. I gave this to her too. Few years went by and I asked her to give it back to me. When the saree came to me, the cream body had brown stains on it. My heart was broken. I would not have discarded my dad's gift that easily. I wanted to rescue it. So I went to my local dyer and asked him to colour the white body copper brown to cover up the brown stains. VoilĂ ! and here it is again. 25 years old saree. My dad's gift to me that changed hands many times and came back to me. It was on the verge of extinction but was rescued and saved. Today I am proudly wearing it and thanking dad for getting me this beauty.
Oh, silk saree! your beauty is timeless. When you gift a traditional saree to someone, it is the best gift ever. It is like giving a piece of your heart. Every warp and weft is soaked in love. It is as precious as jewellery.