A single piece of garment. Centuries old. One size fits all.
It can either ingeniously conceal the extra flab, or it can accentuate the curves of the female form – the humble sari has remained a traditional icon of Indian femininity.
But, is the world mourning the dying art of the sari?
Yes, says a recent report in Time magazine.
No, say modern Indian women and sari retailers in Auckland.
Five years ago, there were 22 weaver societies in Kanjivaram, but only 13 are left today, says a report in Business Today.
Of these 13, only five say they are doing well. Last year, the 13 weavers sold about $12 million worth of saris, down from $40 million in 2004. The best-known sari shops, like Nalli, which has gleaming showrooms in several big Indian cities, have contracts with some Kanjivaram weaver co-ops, which is helping them hang on.
In and around Kanchipuram, famous for the Kanjivaram silk saris that hail from this region, the manpower in the weaving industry has gone down drastically, from 60,000 10 years ago to about 20,000 today, says the Time report.
The concept of beauty in ancient India was that of small waist and large bust and hips, as is evident in the sculptures of those times. And the sari seemed to be the perfect dress to flaunt those proportions as it exposes the waist of a woman and emphasises the waist and bust with the pleated fabric.
In a recent poll conducted by Indian Weekender in New Zealand, 45 per cent of respondents said they believed the sari was not out of favour as far as the modern Indian woman was concerned.
Thirty seven per cent said the modern Indian woman did not want to wear the sari while 16 per cent were not sure.
Former Fiji radio journalist Rohini Murti says she now wears the sari more than she ever did in Fiji.
Asked if the sari was now out of favour for the modern Indian woman, she said: “Absolutely not - if anything the modern woman has made the sari one of the sexiest evening wear.
“A sari can be adapted so that it can be worn to the most conservative and most modern of functions - temple, to work, out to parties, weddings.
How often do you now wear sari compared with when you were in Fiji?
“Much more. I wear the sari to temples (did not in Fiji) to parties (did not in Fiji) and weddings as well as receptions, funerals.
“Here in Canada, women make the most of saris and wear it whenever they can - including the younger generation (teenagers). My daughter has preferred the sari as her mode of dress to all Indian functions ever since she was 16 with no pressure whatsoever from us.”
What do you think of the sari as a traditional garment for the Indian woman?
“I think it is one of the most becoming garments the Indian woman can wear. The sari has been adapted by women of all races and it is not uncommon to see women of other races wear saris complete with bangles, bindi, etc to Indian weddings. It is no longer seen as old fashioned.”
What do you usually wear at work, or as casual outing?
“Given the type of work I do, our workplace allows Western, casual clothing and of course I wear the regular Western clothing as casual clothing.
“However, whenever the opportunity arises, I wear a sari to work (Diwali, lunchtime temple functions).
“The first time I wore a sari to work, the Caucasian men loved it and said it was one of the most elegant pieces of clothing they had seen and considered it very feminine. I was asked to seriously consider wearing it to work all the time but for practical reason I cannot (the pallu can catch on machinery).”
Auckland research scientist Rita Krishnamurthi, prefers saris on special occasions.
Rita, who also moonlights as a singer at selected shows, says she believes the much loved garment is back in fashion. She says the sari is inconvenient for the workplace in western countries and reserves it for special occasions only, eg. Diwali, temple functions, weddings, etc.
Accountant Maureen Saddiq says the sari is “definitely not” out of fashion.
How often she wears the sari “depends on how may how many Indian functions I go to - probably not as many as I used to go to in Fiji, but definitely wear sari to every Indian function I go to.
“I think it is the just the best thing, I am not a fan of the ghagaras, etc and feel the sari represents us Indians.”
Her casual attire in Brisbane, Australia, is mostly jeans and pants.
In response to whether it is out of fashion, Radhika Reddy says: “Not at all. In fact the modern Indian woman favours it quite a bit.
Radhika wears saris more than she used to in Fiji. “I believe that it is very traditional event though many of us have given a western twist to it.
What do you usually wear at work, or as casual outing? Well, on behalf of many of us Indo Canadian women, if given the chance, we'd love to wear a sari to work but due to the nature and environment at our work, we tend to wear western clothes, such as dresses, skirts, blouses and pants.
Mahesh Kumar, director of Roop Darshan sari shop in White Swan Rd, Auckland, says he has noted a gradual increase in sari sales since his business started in Auckland 15 years ago.
“More women are wearing sari these days,” Kumar told the Indian Weekender. “Women are now more aware of trends in Bollywood and that brings them out to buy what’s in fashion.”
Kumar said he had also noticed more European women buying saris as they were now more involved with Bollywood themed functions.
“The colours are very appealing to them.”
Kumar said while the Kanjivaram silk was the top of the range, Banarasi, Madhurai, Bangalore crepe, and Mysore silk were as prestigious.
Jagdish Makanji of Makanjee’s Ltd in Stoddard Rd, Mt Roskill, said the Indian TV serials had made saris even more popular.
“Programmes such as those on Star Plus have a huge effect on the trends,” said Makanji. A lot of the serials were sponsored by big sari retailers in India, he said.
Makanji said he had also noticed Muslim women were now wearing the sari than their normal salwar kameez.
A spokesman for Ramsons, also on Stoddard Rd, also said the TV soaps had a huge influence in driving sales.
He also pointed out that more Muslim women were now into saris – another factor in the increase in sales.
Some costume historians believe that the men's dhoti, which is the oldest Indian draped garment, is the forerunner of the sari. Till the 14th century the dhoti was worn by both men and women. Thereafter, it is conjectured that the women's dhoti started to become longer, and the accessory cloth worn over the shoulders was woven together with the dhoti into a single cloth to make the sari.
Indian civilization has always placed a tremendous importance on unstitched fabrics like the sari and dhoti, which are given sacred overtones. The belief was that such a fabric was pure; perhaps because in the distant past needles of bone were used for stitching. Hence even to the present day, while attending poojas or other sacred ceremonies, the women wear the sari.
Even today, when the Islam influenced salwar-kameez (loose trousers with a tunic) is an increasingly popular garment, the sari continues to hold its sway. The flow it confers to the natural contours of the female form enhances the gracefulness of the fairer sex, as no other apparel can.
One of the earliest depictions of a sari-like drape covering the entire body dates back to 100 BC. A North-Indian Terracotts depicts a woman wearing a sari wound tightly around her entire body in the trouser style.
Tailored clothes arrived in India with the arrival of Muslims. Hindus believed that any cloth pierced by needles was impure.
It is commonly believed in India that today's petticoat or "ghagra" and the blouse or "choli" which are worn under the sari are later additions which started with the coming of British in India. Increasing number of upper class women in the early 20th century did adopt items of European style clothing as the fitted blouse and slim petticoat.
This was also adopted due to the fashion of transparent chiffon saris during that particular period. Some of the wives of Indian kings draped themselves in saris that were made by Parisian designers.
Whatever the case may be, the sari seems to be holding its own in the world of Indian fashion, and will continue to reign for a long time.