Dear Sabyasachi,
I would be lying if I said I am not one of those girls who dream of wearing your creation on my wedding day. In fact, while I am still searching for my Prince Charming, ever since I laid eyes on your designs, I knew that I had found the one. Every month a part of my salary goes into my wedding trousseau fund, because, hey, your creations don’t come cheap, do they? And rightly so! After all, your designs are priceless. However, I hope I could have said the same about your choice of words. What exactly were you thinking when you spoke at the Harvard India Conference? Let me quote you here to help you feel the impact of what you said. “I think, if you tell me that you do not know how to wear a saree, I would say shame on you. It’s a part of your culture, (you) need stand up for it,” were the exact words you used.
I don’t have any gentler way of saying this, so I will be blunt. Shame on you for shaming Indian women all over the world for something as basic as not knowing how to drape a saree. I, for one, don’t know how to manage the six yards, unless you call tucking and pinning the fabric all over as draping. But I refuse to be ridiculed for it. For one, it is not a skill that your life depends on. As long as I can protect my modesty using clothes, I think there is no need for me to hide my face in shame and despair. So yes, I tell you that I don’t know how to wear a saree, and I dare you to shame me for it. Go ahead!
Coming to the second point you made – some barb about standing up for the culture. What makes saree the flagbearer of the diverse Indian culture? As a designer, you should know that in many parts of India, the saree is not even the traditional costume. What about them then? They are Indian and yet it is not really in their culture to wear a saree – imagine the dilemma you just put them in. And besides, who says I can’t love my country and its culture if I don’t sport the fabric that you tout to be the gatekeeper of all things traditional?
Next you spoke about the relationship between an Indian woman and the saree. You said, “It’s a relationship of misunderstanding. It’s easy to wear a saree. Wars have been fought in saree. Grandmothers have slept in saree.” Well, I agree with all the things you have said here. But have you forgotten that globalisation is real? The same technology that helps you sell your intricately designed sarees to those living on foreign shores, has helped foreign designers to show us how lead a more comfortable existence with the help of their designs. What’s so wrong about this exchange of useful ideas? Also, thanks for citing the example of wars being fought in a saree because you certainly couldn’t have claimed that local trains were survived wearing a saree. That statement would be so false! And while we are at it, there’s no misunderstanding in our relationship with the saree, it’s just that we are not practising monogamy here, if you know what I mean.
When asked as to why did you decide to launch a label of Indian clothing, you said you found a “major disconnect” when you observed that Indian women and men were losing touch with their roots. You called us “socially insecure. You said, “Women and men are trying very hard to be something that they are not. Your clothing should be a part of who you are and connect you to your roots.” Sorry but there is no disconnect; we aren’t socially insecure, and we are certainly not trying to be something we are not. We are global Indians, who know that the world is a small place but out thinking doesn’t have to be. We can’t be so naive so as to let our clothing determine our social status. We walk with our heads held high in Indian wear just as we do in Western. So, if that really was the reason why you launched a label of Indian clothing, then it is surely a case of misplaced concern. But then again if not for Indian, what clothing line would you launch? Western? Oh the horror!
And lastly, did you really say that you don’t want the saree to go global? What did you mean when you said, “I think that cultural clothing should stay within the domain of a particular country, because when you take it out, it becomes a costume and then it does not remain sustainable.” I am sorry to say it but this statement proves how insecure you are of India’s place in the world. It’s a rather myopic view of things. What tells you that the saree won’t be able to sustain adaptations. The numerous ways in which a saree can be draped, is proof enough of its versatility and adaptability. What makes you think that the fabric won’t play the perfect muse for other, non-Indian designers, like it has for you?
And as for your statement, claiming Deepika wears saree at all the places she goes, just two words. She doesn’t. And you know what, she doesn’t have to. She can be an Indian icon without having to drape herself in yards and yards of fabric. But certainly, you wouldn’t know that.
You are a designer and as far as the fashion world goes, a recognised name, who represents India. You can do away with using the Indian culture as a crutch to make headlines and sell more of your sarees. Trust your talent to keep bringing you a steady clientele. As for the saree – a piece of clothing that has been around since ages – trust it to endure globalisation and make a place for itself in the world. As for Indian women, leave us alone. Don’t dictate what we can and can’t wear. Remember, we have fought wars in a saree. We can do anything.
With love and a little sarcasm,
An angry young Indian woman