Saree: Six yards of memory, culture and protest

My earliest memory of saree would be fixing my mother's pleats every morning, while she was getting dressed for her office. The sensory cortex of my brain could still recall the memory of touching those willowy pieces of colourful fabric, with eyes still laden with sleep. 

She used to drape it carefully, pin it up and never have I ever seen her saree showing any sort of disobedience to its wearer. Now, as I am writing this article, I wonder if there was any special bonding between her and the sarees. Because the way she used to wash and dry them and then stretch them with hands with our maids and then iron them - everything was very disciplined, almost ritualistic. 

Saree, be it my mother or her mother, for generations was the closest aide of women of this country. It wraps them in a graceful way with its timeless silhouettes, flowing like a river as they move, walk or dance. 

Saree, for women, is like the bearer of their secrets. The love they shower on saree, saree gives it back-by hiding their flaws and accentuating the curves of their bodies. 

Soon, I started to realise that sarees too are not out of the socio-political norms that rule how women lead their lives in a patriarchal society. I was probably in class two when I first heard that women have to wear white sarees when their husbands die. This almost means that she now has to abandon her old favourites and befriend new ones, which are rather dull and monotonous, colour and texture wise. 

But that concept changed when I grew up further and saw my paternal grandmother refuse to wear white sarees. Red was her favourite colour, a total unorthodox choice for a village widow in the 90s. 

She decided to stick to her choice, going against the age-old restrictions handed down to women. The way she used to adorn herself with floral printed sarees crisped with arrowroot powder, letting her salt and pepper hair flow on her shoulder after bathing every day, is a vision still vivid in my mind. 

In the subcontinent, sarees are considered family heirloom, generational blessings. The evolution of saree and how they are worn can give us valuable data about how history and societal shifts took place over time. 

Seuty Sabur, Associate Professor of Anthropology at BRAC University reiterates that fact. She states, "If we look at the photos of the 60s and 70s, we see in every protest, women clad in sarees were at the forefront. Of course, there were women wearing other kinds of dresses." 

But according to Seuty, wearing a saree was a bold statement, a way to show that we were not Pakistanis and we had our own cultural identity to flaunt. 

Echoing her, Swatil Mahmud, a communication professional and Founder and CEO of Swayong, a social justice platform, says, "saree always seemed like a power dress to me: all those women we saw during protests, wars, nation building, they all were in sarees." 

Just like me, she too was fascinated seeing her mother wearing sarees to work, as if it were her armour which gives her the special strength to beat the odds. While there is no doubt about saree exuding fabulousness of femininity, Swatil believes any kind of clothing is gendered in our society. The best part of saree, as she puts it, "the fluidity that it offers, being unstitched". 

So, does saree and feminism have any connection? Does one complement the other? 

When asked, Swatil again says that the politics of gender-defined clothing goes back a long way. During the earlier feminist movement in the country, we have seen the forerunners wearing sarees. 

"And it's not only the saree, but also how one accessorises it also matters," states Bonna Mirza, the multi-award-winning actor. 

She thinks "a large tip" as we see many women wearing on their forehead, tags them as feminists. How a woman will be perceived by people in her surroundings depends much on what she wears, and saree being the staple for women for many years, how she wears it plays a role. 

Tasaffy Hossain, a development activist and founder of Bonhishikha, a platform that disseminates knowledge about gender, says, "it was the frequent mobility that compelled many women to wear sarees in a different way. Maybe they were tucking it in much higher than the usual length; maybe they were carrying a big 'jhola bag' with them to keep stuff for their daily chores; which wasn't very lady-like or the kind of draping we see the first cohort of women who learn to wear sarees from women of the Tagore family. This was known as the 'nivi' style and was popularised by Jnanadanandini Devi, sister-in-law of Rabindranath Tagore."

Before that, women of the Indian subcontinent were wearing sarees without blouses or petticoats. As historians suggest, the colonial rulers, in the name of sartorial morality, found that format obscene and vulgar and eventually, the colonisation of saree happened. 

Sobia Ameen, a global social media influencer and body positivity advocate quotes Faiz Ahmed Faiz, a famous Pakistani poet, regarding the protest of Iqbal Bano, a popular singer in the 80s. When Pakistani ruler General Muhammad Zia-ul-huq decreed that women couldn't wear sarees, Iqbal Bano appeared in a black saree and sang before a 50,000 strong audience. 

"That saree," Sobia adds, "was not just a piece of cloth; it was a symbol of revolution." Sobia has been appearing on numerous fashion shoots, styling sarees for various Indian brands and is currently working on a project for the Design Museum in London that exhibits saree as a metaphor of 'layered and complex definitions of India today'. 

Sobia believes the multiple times that it has been asked to be banned or not considered to be worn has only made the saree stronger. 

"It has been a statement of standing against'', she elaborates, "time and regimes that tried to oppress it, and still hold significance in contributing to fight the social inequalities that try to subjugate individuals that seek justice for their rights." 

Transgender activist Hochemin Islam also agrees with the notion that while saree is her all-time favourite, as it lets her express her femininity and feminist approach, her love will always channel only towards handwoven cotton sarees because they carry the legacy of craftsmanship of our artisans.

While numerous local brands are churning out various types of fusion clothes for women of different ages, the question that looms large is whether saree is slowly losing its relevance. 

Maheen Khan, the President of Fashion Design Council Bangladesh (FDCB) expressed her worries, saying that many women don't consider saree to be suitable for their professional wear. 

"Our collective mission should be to champion sarees to preserve our culture and identity. We also feel it is our national responsibility to preserve heirloom weaves and the craftsmanship of woven textiles for the future generations," she adds. 

Tasaffy on the other hand believes, even though sarees are not considered anymore to be something that mothers would pass down to their daughters, the young generation is showing a keenness to 'reclaim the heritage'. 

"See how Gen Z is pairing up crop tops or sneakers with sarees; while they are all appreciative of the fluidity that saree offers, they also want to put a contemporary spin on the traditional ways of draping sarees." 

Rabab Rahman, the owner of RaBabe, a brand that is famous for designing cocktail sarees says, "saree is no longer just a six-yard fabric. RaBabe is for women who believe in breaking the stereotypes by creating designs that are unique, bold and speak of one's individuality." 

On the other hand, Hoc Minh Islam despises any saree other than the cotton, handwoven ones. "We have a responsibility towards our artisans, the communities, and the planet. We must factor in the pollution that is occurring due to so many synthetic wastes," she enunciates. 

The good news is no matter how westernised our fashion becomes with each passing year, local brands like Aarong, Biswarang, Sadakalo and many others are coming up with beautiful sarees every year. Sometimes with plain cotton sarees or sometimes with fusion, this fabric keeps luring fashionistas at home and beyond borders. 

Like a true phoenix, saree will keep rising from the ashes of the forgotten tradition, weaving its own saga of success, because the way it enamours a woman's body and identity is simply unparalleled.