Read the story of how a woman mastered the art of draping despite not being able to use her left hand:
MY EXPERIENCES WITH SARIS
by Rahima Ali
I have loved saris from the very first time I noticed them almost 20 years ago. I had gone shopping on Devon Avenue [several blocks of Indian shops] in Chicago to buy ingredients for a recipe. It was summertime. As I walked along I noticed many Indian ladies wearing pleated, ankle length dresses. The colors and patterns were beautiful.
I stopped in a shop to inquire about buying one. In the changing room I put on an ankle length underskirt which the clerk tied tightly around my waist. She quickly tucked, pleated and wrapped a length of colorful cloth in and around the underskirt. The mirror reflected my beautiful sari. I was immediately fascinated by the idea that without stitching, a length of cloth could be turned into a beautiful dress.
However, I decided against buying it. I don’t have much use of my left hand because of a birth defect and I doubted that I’d be able to wrap a sari properly. The process seemed quite intricate. I bought a salwar kameez instead.
Over the years I made many trips to Devon Avenue, always noticing the women in their saris. Through my observations I noticed a few women wearing saris without pleats. These women were usually elderly. Occasionally their saris would be wrapped around or between their legs. In this way I learned that there are different sari styles.
I read about Chantal Boulanger’s book "Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Art of Draping" on the IDC web site. It was such a joy to come into contact with another person who loves saris as much as I do.
I ordered the book knowing that I could take as much time as I needed to learn to wrap a sari. I had high hopes that my desire and determination to wear a sari would compensate for the physical challenge that my disability presented.
I set to work, sometimes spending 100 hours or more in order to learn one wrap. The time flies by when I work on a sari. In the 3 months since my book arrived I have learned to wrap the Eastern saris, the modern sari and the Khond "one-shoulder" sari.
The Khond "one-shoulder" sari was my first project. It proved to be a real challenge. When I pulled the cloth from under my left arm to the top of my left shoulder in front I could barely get the upper corner of the pallav coming from the back to the top of my left shoulder in order to tie a knot. And when after a long struggle I managed to tie a knot, the sari fit so tightly I could barely walk. I worked on the Khond "one-shoulder sari for months wondering what I could be doing wrong. Finally, last night I figured it out. I was cutting my sari that got ruined in the wash machine to make a Khond "one-shoulder" sari. I am bigger across the chest than many women so I made this Khond sari 3 and 1\2 yards long instead of the usual 3 yards. I put it on with no problems. It fits comfortably-looks quite elegant.
Now that it’s summertime, I wanted a style that I can wear without an underskirt. So I chose the modern sari. I found it very easy to wrap. When I make the pleats I sit down and rest my left hand in my lap. I make the pleats and guide the cloth with my right hand, using my left hand to hold the completed pleats.
Learning to drape the Eastern saris came easily to me. However, I spent many hours wrapping and unwinding both the Bengali and the Oraon saris. I thought I was doing something wrong because the pallavs didn’t hang down my back like they do in the modern sari. I wrote to Chantal and she explained to me that the pallavs of these 2 saris are not very long.
From my experiences of learning different drapes I have learned to let go of my preconceived ideas of how a sari is supposed to look. Each style has its own unique look, feel and movement. Now that I’ve realized this, I may have an easier time learning new wraps.
I would like to feel comfortable wearing the sari styles that I have learned. I’d like to be able to get up in the morning, put on my sari without thinking much about it and go about my daily routine. This will take some time. I don’t want to give myself the option of wearing stitched garments and I don’t work outside the home so I have devised a game. When I awake in the morning I tell myself "All you have to wear today is this length of cloth". Then I put on my sari.
Right now I am working with the modern sari. I can dress in 5 minutes. The pleats look good. When wearing this style of sari becomes a comfortable, natural part of my daily routine I will begin wearing another style that I have learned, using this same approach. In this way I will learn and enjoy wearing different styles of saris.
18 May 2003 by Rahima Ali
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