#100sareepact : Every saree has a story

Thanks to the #100sareepact, I’ve had the good fortune to be friends with women from different walks of life. Women of different ages, different professions, from different countries.

I may never have met them were it not for our common passion for sarees and story telling.

I came to Instagram quite late, and when I arrived there I saw many, many profiles of women showcasing their sarees. The phenomena of the #100sareepact has given rise to varied avenues of recognition.

Some women were showcasing their work with weaver clusters, some were selling sarees, some were modelling for saree vendors, some wearing their sarees and telling their life stories.

I felt like a proud matriarch seeing this hectic activity in the ecosystem and marketplace of Instagram. The saree was front and centre on Instagram on handles of women belonging to the Indian diaspora.

While I have a more quiet presence on Instagram, I follow authentic voices on the platform. I’m drawn to content and story telling and Sumitra Selvaraj was building opinion, building awareness and engagement and most of her posts make me chuckle, there’s always dry wit on display.

We jumped out of social media and met in person last year and safe to say we’re not letting go of this friendship and mutual respect we have for each other.

Here is @sareesandstories talking to me about her saree stories.

#everysareehasastory

It is my absolute honour to bring you this episode of the #100sareepact Reloaded on National Handloom day. Laila’s work has had a huge impact on  the handicraft and handmade sector, she has spent decades travelling the length and breath of the country to understand the nuance of the art & craft and found ways to connect and build awareness for the artisans, weavers and crafts people. She is one of the founders of Dastkar, a Delhi-based non governmental organization, working for the revival of traditional crafts in India. She was honored by the Government of India in 2012 with the Indian civilian award of Padma Shri. A social worker, designer, writer, and craft activist, Laila plays these various roles with utmost grace.

Laila and I met in person last year. I was interviewing her for an art foundation for a live audience. Like always I did my homework on my subject but arrived at the venue a tad bit nervous, I must confess. I have admired Laila’s work from afar, gone shopping in various Dastkar exhibitions in Bombay, Delhi and Bengaluru, seen what she and her team of dedicated craft enthusiasts have been able to bring to market for the makers that make by hand. They have created a market and patrons that have supported their efforts because of the showcase of the skill & dexterity, of nimble fingers creating works of beauty. Her vision and mission makes her a hero in my eyes. I am awed by her dedication to the crafts. Could I do justice to this interview ? We took our seats and began to talk. And we talked and we laughed and it was delightful.

And it has been one of my most enjoyable conversations in recent times. Gritty stories of survival and triumph in the crafts world, personal accounts of engagements with weavers, learning from them, bringing recognition to the craftsmanship - all told in her imitable style with dry wit and immense grace.

Here is Laila Tyabji with her Bhujodi saree story, a story of everlasting skills and of innovation in handloom.

Laila, I hope you come back soon and tell me many more stories of the sarees you drape and love. I want to sit down and listen to them all.

To handloom enthusiasts all over the world, may we cherish our rich history, may we celebrate our crafts people. It is in their hand memory, in their skill, patience and discipline that our history is so lovingly held and recreated. I hope we can return dignity to the work they do, the art they live and practice, by being aware customers, by appreciating the effort. I hope you will reach out to support a few in these challenging times.

#weareallconnected

I’m not surprised when a man tells me he has a saree story. And no, not even when the man doesn’t wear a saree (yes, some men drape sarees too).

In 2015, the year of the #100sareepact, many men told me their saree memories. The saree is a powerful identity and most men recognise that, associate someone they know with it. 

Ashdin Doctor and I have never met in person, but his online presence is as inspiring & as it is honest. He is a habit coach, has a podcast of the same name which guides the audience on habit breaking or habit making for better wellbeing, both mental and physical. 

This podcast is special because I’m debuting memories from the male perspective. 

What do men think of women in sarees ? Can a man have a deep connect with the saree ? 

When we began to record this episode, I thought Ashdin would regale me with a story of his mother as he had promised. He did. But he also made me sit up and really listen to the insights he has on the garment. 

I thought it interesting to get a peep into a male perspective of the saree and realised that they can appreciate the nuance and elegance just as much as we do.

Reached out to Ashdin to ask about podcasting, got an excited response from him saying he had stories ! Win ! 

Listen to Ashdin talk about his mother’s sarees and I think your heart will melt a little, just like mine did. 

Thanks Ash ! You’re a champ ! Saree tutorials next please ! 

#100sareepact

Founder of Daak, the beautiful writing of letters to a post box in Lahore in an attempt to bridge the conversation between the people of our two countries garnered immense support. That is when I met Amy online. I looked her up and I wrote to her. We kept in touch ever since.

Amy, teacher, writer, poet, activist. A young woman of today’s times. She throws herself wholeheartedly into what she believes requires her to lean in.

I’ve seen her online presence and her protest against NRC and CAA with her writing, showing up at gatherings and reading her poems for equal opportunity for all. Always graceful, always thoughtful, always focused on solutions.

There’s a playful, youthful side of Amy that you get to see online as well, a romantic, funny girl who adores life in all its chaos. It was this that drew me to reach out to her.

During #lockdown I checked in with her a couple of times, we even did an Instagram live session together. I told her about the podcast I was planning and she politely declined to say she had no compelling saree story to narrate yet. And then there was silence. No replies to my messages over another project we had discussed. Nothing.

She came back a couple of weeks later and wrote that she was ready to record the podcast. I was surprised that she now had a saree story to share. What had made her change her mind in the silence that had ensued from the last time we had connected?

A deeply personal sharing by Amy Singh this podcast is a must-listen for what Amy leaves us with to think about.

Please make the time to listen. Do share.

#weareallconnected

#wewearourhistory

#everysareehasastory

#tellmeyourstory

#gratitude

This episode of the #100sareepact Reloaded podcast features the ever so gorgeous Ketaki Golatkar.

Her heart warming story about the Narayanpet she wore for our chat, her stories about her saree wears, life, attitude and beliefs.

What struck me about our conversation was our ability as women to be “this and that”. Seamlessly.

Ketaki speaks of attempting to make mango pickle and then with as much ease she mentions stepping on to a sports arena wielding a microphone.

This straddling of many universes, women do it often and with so much grace.

Previously working at Star Sports where she was referred to the “sareewali madam” by the Pro Kabaddi players, Ketaki has now moved to a pivotal role in media and communications at the International Cricket Council.

Here’s wishing this dynamic trailblazer the very best in her next innings at the ICC headquarters in Dubai.

#weareallconnected

#wewearourhistory

#everysareehasastory

#tellmeyourstory

#gratitude

Ketaki Golatkar, a media and communications professional, dancer, woman, talks about her Narayanpeth saree.

You’ve heard how the idea of the podcast of #100sareepact Reloaded came to me in the introductory episode here.

But then what did I do ? How did I proceed ?

I had already begun to research on podcasts for a few more projects since last year. The medium is new to me.

Messaging I know. Medium I didn’t.

I had been following Mukta’s posts on COVID-19, the problems that migrants were facing, her take on government, public & private roles and her attempt to make sense of all the chaos of #lockdown.

In the middle of all this I called her and told her about my idea. She gave me a patient hearing, leaned in with her inputs as well. I asked her on the spur of the moment if she would do a test run with me and she agreed immediately.

This episode of the podcast is that “pilot” we got onto spontaneously. Mukta and I talking. Ketav figuring out the technology for me while I experimented with structure and story telling.

The episode is special. For what Mukta has to say.

It’s even more special for me, personally, for what she did. Put herself in the hot seat so I could learn, tweak, rethink, rejig the podcast.

I’m leading with this one and taking you on the genesis of this podcast journey.

There are ideas brewing in my head on what ALL I could do as I go along, people I need to invite on the podcast, themes I want to explore, audience interaction that I must have...but it all started on this morning.

The idea came to life. Out of my head and on to a recording. Simple, honest, real.

Just two friends having a conversation, one talking about her life experiences through the saree and the other listening.

This is Mukta’s saree story.

I promise, whether we have become friends already or we are still to find that trust, I will listen to each and every story you want to share with the world.

I dedicate this episode to each one of you who have ever thought of starting something new and to your partner and buddies who supported you in your every madness.

Mukta thank you for your friendship.

Ketav thanks to you too, my partner in every insane plot of mine.

#weareallconnected

#wewearourhistory

#everysareehasastory

#tellmeyourstory

#gratitude

Mukta Naik, a trained architect, urban planner, development practitioner, change maker, dancer, wife, mother, woman, talks about her Taant saree.

The #100sareepact started in 2015, became a worldwide movement of telling the stories of our lives through the medium of the saree. This vibrant community of story tellers now gets a new platform in the form of this podcast. 

Listen to stories of resilience, of hope, of honouring the memory of a loved one, of valour, or overcoming odds, of finding identity, of fragrant memories stored in gratitude in the corners of our minds. 

Personal stories shared with trust. I hope you will listen with belief.