The sari is six yards of material tied around the waist with the pleats tucked into the underskirt. The end piece can be worn over the left shoulder or draped on the head, or used to wipe your brow, – or numerous other practical purposes. A short blouse and petticoat are worn under the sari. The sari material can be cotton , silk, or synthetic.  Each region of India has specific distinctions in their material or design.

The women look so elegant in these outfits and they move so gracefully despite getting on and off buses, crossing crowded streets, and avoiding rain puddles. (I will wear my first sari on Tuesday to the secondary Teacher Appreciation Day. Several of my ‘mamas’ are conspiring on the outfit.) Rich and poor alike dress beautifully here because clothes are very inexpensive.  There are several tailors on every block who can design original creations for you or duplicate something you already have.

I have been wearing traditional clothes for the past three weeks, but I wear ready -to-wear Salwar-Kemeez.  These ‘suits’ consist of a long tunic over wonderfully roomy pajama-type pants. A matching dupata, long scarf, is worn over the shoulder. It is great fun to shop for these outfits– each one-of-a-kind.   Mrs. Chakrabarty  is a great bargainer-- so I select and she clinches the flinal deal.

It isn’t only the women who have lovely clothes. Men’s traditional outfits are stunning as well. I had the good fortune to visit the leading designer of men’s traditional clothes, Shuba Nandi’s Aunt Sharbari, last week. She is quite famous here, appearing on television and in the newspaper constantly. Sharbari starts by by drawing original designs on the fabric. These designs are then embroidered by seamstresses. Sharbari’s creations are in demand by Bollywood actors and politicians. She is also marketing her designs in Europe.

Textile imports to the Unites States from India will soon be increasing according to the newspapers here and, I think, Americans are in for a real treat. The intense color, fine handwork and elegant design make Indian fabrics unique and delightful.

Ode to Sharbari

On silk and cotton cloth

she draws mythologies

intricate poems

that sing

when sewers take the needle path.

No man could do anything

but good

wearing such a suit

infused with Sharbari’s magic

learned

and

acquired

through more than forty years of watching.

Just as Indian spices

rubbed into flesh

become articulate to the tongue--

Sharbari’s threads dance

alive inside each textile country

speaking old stories

  telling new visions.