Sarees Vrs. Salvar Kameez and a quick note
Hola, so Evan nicely brought to my attention that the recent entries are password protected and not with elephant. Sorry, im sort of unorganized and dont have a pin drive or way to store my writing and I want it all together for when i get back so I’ve been writing some more private, journal type entries recently from prashanti, mostly rambly stream of consciousness thoughts and some experiences), but here’s one for all to read:
Im sitting in this cool internet cafe wearing a thin cotton saree that was my moms in the late seventies. It’s a shocking light purple with huge yellow flowers — one of those prints that’s cool in a retro sort of way, but otherwise the locals must wonder why I don’t buy new clothes. The other day i wore a stylish new saree made of “italian crepe” it draped perfectly — the downside? i thought i was wrapped in saran wrap and it’s not even hot here.
Okay, let’s back up. Sarees or saris are are about six yards of cloth and are worn almost ubiquitously in the South. First you wear basically a cotton skirt and cotton short blouse, then the sari is wrapped around the waist one time and tucked into the skirt. Then where the fabric meets in front it’s folding into pleats and then wrapped one more time around back, over chest and shoulder. Okay that was a really vague description. THe other option we have, at least here where it’s very conservative is a salvar kameez, basically loose short, pants and scarf.
So the big question is are these garments oppressive or liberating? Simple or complicated? Flattering or the opposite? The answers are hard to discern. On the one had a saree is very simple, it’s just one cloth, one size fits all, they can be cheap or expensive, but on the other, tying it can be a bit complicated (at first). I think at first wearing indian clothes made me feel restricted, oppressed. If we’re used to wearing shorts and tank tops, all this fabric is a burden, sarees in particular have a piece of cloth that im constantly having to pull over my shoulder. The question is one often debated with more conservative dress, and I heard it discussed with the Burkas in Aphganistan. Some woman said they liked wearing them, why? Well, partly they feel safe and don’t want to be viewed just for their bodies. In India too, my friend describe her dupatta (shawl) as her “security blanket” in public. I too am much more emotionally comfortable in a lose punjabi an shawl than western dress in which i feel naked as the stares of leering men occasionally occur. So, these clothes make us feel safe not because they are inherently protective, but because the societies are such that we feel we need the extra modest. Which begs the question, are the men then extra leery because the woman dress so conservatively? I think so, i read a story about Iran during revolution and a woman’s ankle become this super attractive thing for the men. Okay, so i dont know, im not really an advocate of western dress, and am shocked when i see it here, but its interestnig to think about how the culture and dress evolved. As for sarrees, they present their own complexities. Though woman work construction in them, and ride bikes etc, they do present some physical restrictions. But, they are very beautiful, which has it’s benefits. Almost everyone, i think looks better in sarees (than pants, say), the thin woman look gorgeous, and round, short and plump woman, wrapped in the softening curves of the cloth are also made to look soft and plumb, without exposing every inch to the world. In the west we are very image conscious, and I know immediately if dont fit into a pair of pants, or if a certain shirt “makes me look fat” with sarees that is eliminated and long flowing layers cover the body without hiding it. In more modest areas/occasions it can cover more skin, in others less.
i hope to get back and edit this rambly treatise on indian clothing, but we all know that’s unlikely, gotta run and meet Siva to figure out some accomodations stuff!
Tags: Travel
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