‘Sari’torially speaking Author and sari aficionado Soha Parekh compiles the tradition and history of the nine yards sari into a coffee table book

‘Sari’torially speaking

Author and sari aficionado Soha Parekh compiles the tradition and history of the nine yards sari into a coffee table book

What prompted you to do the coffee table book Sari: Splendour In Threads on saris? I am deeply interested in Indian traditions, culture and books. My passion for saris, cultural symbol of India, has translated into this book. It will be unveiled at the Gallery BMB on April 18. Do you feel we’ve still got a long way to go, when it comes to popularising the sari internationally? Do you thing our designers are doing enough? There is still sometime till the sari gets internationally popular. Though in recent times, there has been tremendous awareness of this unstitched garment. The designers through various interventions have been contemporising the sari. We see various international celebrities coming to India and adorning the sari. Do you think our weavers in remote corners of the country are getting their due credit? Unfortunately, our weavers are not getting due credit. The 700-year-old tradition of weaving Patan Patola had its links with the royal classes of the region. As the legend goes, the king of that region was accustomed to wearing a fresh Patola piece everyday for his morning prayers. How would you describe the link between our royalties — the maharanis — and their age-old association with saris? The maharanis, especially in the last two centuries, caught the eyes for their sophistication and expression of individual style, in the way in which they carried the sari. In the recent times, Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad of the royal family of Vadodara has been reviving the Chanderi sari and helping the local weavers. As an aficionado, how many saris do you own? What’s your favourite weave? It is difficult to choose a favorite weave as each one has its uniqueness. I enjoy wearing different saris on different occasions ranging from Kanjeevarams , Benarasis, Asavalis , Chanderis, Maheshwaris, Patolas to the Jamdanis and Balucharis. Usually, in most metropolitan cities, the sari are restricted to wearing on weddings and other traditional events. Is a there way where we could change the attitude towards the sari? The sari is a gorgeous and a classy garment and this book is an attempt to show the splendour of this timeless garment, thereby popularising the same. m_jayeeta@dnaindia.net