An Apparel Has Nothing to Do with A Religion

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 23 September 2024 This refers to the news, 'Young Pakistani Women Are Reclaiming the Sari as Their Own ' (NAI, September 21). Indeed, an encouraging piece of news, I must say. An apparel has nothing to do with a religion. Two things will never go out of fashion, saree and long hair. It (saree) reveals, what's to be revealed and conceals, what's to be concealed. Though saree may seem cumbersome and difficult to carry, once accustomed, it's the most comfortable outfit. Unlike Jeans, Salwar-Kurta, Lahanga-Choli and whatnot, saree takes relatively longer time to wear. And what takes time is often sublime. Lord Curzon, notorious for dividing Bengal, had an aesthetic side. He was so enamoured of saree and the way it's draped over the body that he declared that the gowns and skirts of the west had no charm. 'Any other outfit makes a woman hideous to look at,' the laconic Viceroy opined and wrote to his mother who resided in England. Fort William College Library, Calcutta had in its possession a small piece written by Curzon: 'The lure of Benarasi (saree)'. That essay is now displayed at India House, London. It was Curzon, who helped the poor people engaged in weaving an elaborate Benarasi saree. Lady Curzon would buy 15-20 Benarasi sarees at a time and see to it that the weavers get full money in keeping with their painstaking efforts. She requested London's fashion outlets to take a shine to Banarasi sarees. It's said that Lady Curzon popularised the saree in the UK and from there, it became famous throughout Europe. Back to saree business, the most beautiful aspect of a saree is that whether it's cotton, silk or even synthetic, it looks fabulous. No other outfit accentuates a woman's curves and contours the way a saree does. Italian-French sartorial genius, the late Pierre Cardin called saree, ' a female's figure-friend.' Whether it's a hundred fifty rupees’ saree or a fifteen thousand rupees, a saree is a saree. When the English incarcerated Nawab Wajid Ali Shah at Metiabruz in Calcutta, the epicurean Nawab was so fascinated by saree that he thought Salwar-Kurta and Churidaar were just there to cover the body. He wrote a full chapter in praise of saree in his autobiography 'Parikhana.' It's the universal magic and mojo of a saree that even in Bangladesh, which is predominantly a Muslim country, women still wear saree and even young Muslim girls prefer it to the traditional Salwar-Kurta and Churidaar. I saw breathtakingly lovely Muslim lasses in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and other cities of Pakistan wearing sarees and they looked devastatingly, nay distractingly, gorgeous. This is an outfit that can integrate women of all countries and religions into a cohesive unit. A saree is a symbol of unity. One more exclusive quality that endears a saree to all women is its adaptability. Saree looks good on any woman and on any figure. Whether slim or obese, saree does justice to a woman's womanhood and brings out her feminine attributes admirably. It's the greatest fashion-statement any woman can make, provided she's aware of the saree's universality. The legendary photographer Man Ray found Indian women to be the prettiest because they wore a saree. When I see young and beautiful girls wearing all sorts of weird dresses and looking so grotesque, I wonder, why don't their moms and grannies teach them how to wear a saree. Perhaps they also don't know how to wear it. So sad! ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/apparel-religion/d/133259 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism