I found my sari

in a drawer yesterday. It was where it should have been but I had almost forgotten it.

I have only worn it once. I am never likely to wear one again. I no longer have the blouse/choli that I wore with it or the petticoat. I doubt I would fit into either.  

It was given to me as a gift. An Indian friend was getting married. She had invited me and another university friend to the wedding. Her parents asked us each to wear a sari and her father gave them to us as a gift.  

I remember him as a delightful man, both kind and courteous. Even more than his wife he was anxious to do the right thing - and for us to do the right thing as well.

To say that I was nervous about it would have been an understatement. I had absolutely no idea how to put one on and I was quite sure the whole thing would fall to pieces. I would be left standing there in a petticoat embarrassing not just myself but everyone else. The bride's mother, a professional woman herself, just laughed in a very kind sort of way and said, "Of course it won't Cat! I will dress you myself."

In the end however it was the bride's grandmother who helped both of us to dress. She was a tiny woman, no taller than I am, but she had been wearing a sari all her adult life. Short? Yes - but incredibly elegantly groomed. The pleats on her sari were perfect. Everything fell into place with each movement she made. For her it was even more important that we should wear what she considered to be the appropriate clothing.

I felt like a small child as she dressed me and added a tiny amount of makeup - something I never wear if I can avoid it. When she had finished she smiled, touched me lightly on the cheek and told me, "There - you are beautiful. All will be well."

And it was. I managed not to disgrace myself or embarrass anyone.  I never looked at myself in a mirror. I have no photographs of the day - the one I had was lost in transit back here. It would have been good to still have it, to be able to show Ms W what I looked like. She was at a friend's house recently and saw the amount of work that goes into preparing a sari in order to dress.

    "All those pleats and things! It takes ages. I can just pull my things on."

Yes, it is work - but the end result is surely one of the most elegant garments?