- Share This Post
- submit
- 4
-
Sparkle (0)
Back in March, former United Nations Secretary-General hopeful and author Shashi Tharoor, in his newspaper column, made an appeal to Indian women to save the sari from extinction. The online world exploded with tons of Indian women trashing his take on the issue, forcing him to publish a rejoinder
. The article and his follow-up defense continues to generate reactions – including a spot on a humor blog – and I can't help but add to the noisy uprising.Yamini Ayyagari writes at Boloji.com[Emphases are mine]:
You have lots more interesting things to say, and I would like to focus on that. Such as, how irrespective of the size of the person, the Sari could be used to cover up all defaults [sic] and shortcomings of the wearer. You are absolutely right about that, women looked good in Sari, irrespective of their size. Correct me if I am wrong, but without voicing it explicitly, you seem to be suggesting that today by not wearing this "masterpiece of feminine attire" any more, women are actually exposing the inadequacies of their not-so-perfect hour-glass figures, isn't it? I don't really blame you - you have been out of the country for so long that you probably don't see the changing trends of attire and attitudes that I do. So, maybe, it hasn't struck you that probably these very women who always hid themselves behind the six-yard cloth don't really care about hiding those inadequacies any more? Or don't worry so much about getting an approval from the men folk (and I really mean men here and am not being politically correct)?
She continues:
...Again, even though you don't say it, you believe it is the women in this country on whose shoulders the responsibility of saving all the traditions befalls, which can be done, simply, by adorning the Sari. My small mind fails to understand why the men in their trousers have met with your approval so instantly, even though that would also mean the death of the the dhoti.
By the way, I did a quick Google search for your images and see what I have found here: can you do a quick count and let me know of the 20 pictures you see on the first page in how many can one see you in a traditional Indian attire? A wrong question to ask you, isn't it? After all, you are the Indian man and you don't necessarily have to shoulder the burden of upholding "Indianness", right?
You say, "our clothing has always been part of our sense of authenticity" - by "our", obviously you mean the
Indian women, isn't it? And the authenticity is being lost just because the young Indian women are relegating the status of the Sari
for special occasions and are not adorning it on a day to day basis.
Zen writes at Sepia Mutiny:
Unlike every other female dress on the planet, the sari could be worn with elegance by women of any age, size or shape: you could never be too fat, too short or too ungainly to look good in a sari. Indeed, if you were stout, or bowlegged, or thick-waisted, nothing concealed those handicaps of nature better than the sari.
WTF is he talking about? Try being under 5'4 (what a stretch for Indian women, I know...) and tell me that it doesn't create bulk around your midsection when you tuck it into the petticoat. Never too thick-waisted? Have you ever SEEN an auntie with rolls spilling out everywhere? Yeah very elegant indeed...
Having said all that, like every other female garment ever invented, if you have a hot body, yes, it will drape perfectly and flatter you the way it's supposed to.
Shubhaprada (Soultrot) argues:
Which parts of India did he actually visit to conclude thus? There are many women even in the Metropolitan cities who still drape a saree to work,every single day.
By stating that saree defines Indian womanhood,one silences the fact that the saree is not the only clothing that defines Indian Womanhood, Woman all over India have been wearing Salwar Kurtas, Lehengas, Ghaghra-Cholis and many other types of dresses.
What is this whole talk about sari covering the handicaps of woman. A woman who doesnt have the perfect hour glass figure needs to be considered a handicap? ? Clap clap clap
Though I might agree that salwar -kurta is not the dress of South Indian woman, I would still like to ask , if a woman is comfortable wearing
