Month: September 2022

I had a meeting with the Associate Dean of the international student experience at the University offices in Holborn. I decided to wear a sari for this meeting. I look through my collection of saris hanging in the closet for something suitable but not too grand. I stumble upon my grandmother’s printed chiffon sari, finished with chain stitch embroidery similar to the chikankari technique originating from Lucknow, India.

Whilst tying the sari on, I am calculating every element of the sari. I become meticulous and measure each pleat, so I have the right amount of fabric resting over my left shoulder, so it does not betray me at some point during the day!

Usually, you pleat the sari over the shoulder, but I let it hang over my shoulder loosely and occasionally it would cascade down my arm. Just after 8:30am, I walk briskly to the tube, feeling the fresh air brushing against my skin which feels similar to how the chiffon is touching my skin.

I walk fully composed to the tube and taking no notice of any eyes observing me. When approaching the escalators, I carefully pick my pleats up as gracefully as a princess to ensure that they do not get trapped in the escalators. I arrive at UAL in Holborn, taking the lift to the 4th floor.

I felt very welcomed by the Associate Dean and it was a heart-warming meeting that left me smiling as I departed the building. I continue to walk from Holborn to Covent Garden, feeling liberated and empowered in my sari. I stop by at the Dover Street Market store in Piccadilly, feeling somewhat out of place in a store inspired by minimalist, innovative and unique design concepts. I enter the café on the 3^rd floor to have lunch with the Store Director who made me feel at ease. I did not regret wearing a sari on this day. 

On the evening of Thursday, the 19^th of May, we had tickets to the National Theatre to watch a play called “The Father and the Assassin”. I had made the decision to wear a sari for that evening. On the day, I went through my collection of saris in the wardrobe pondering on which sari to wear. I eventually select a black and white block print sari in tussar silk (also known as Kosa silk in Sanskrit) with a wide red velvet border.

The Kosa Silk is obtained from an Indian silkworm, and it is known for its unique texture – I thought it to be visually fitting for that evening. The pleats on a Kosa silk sari behave satisfactorily once they are organised and tucked into the petticoat leaving enough fabric for the ‘pallu’, which is the loose end of the sari that rests over the left shoulder.

The Pallu cascades gracefully down my arm, as I walk. We get the taxi to the tube station, and whilst walking briskly, I carefully lift my pleats up and down the escalators and stairs, to eradicate any accidents. On our arrival we head towards the bar to pick up some cold beverages.

Suddenly, I encounter another Asian woman in a sari. I felt her eyes were scanning me up and down, but I just wanted her to say hello and I would have responded politely. Unfortunately, she seemed unapproachable, and this made me reflect on unconscious biases lingering in the air between us both.

I proceeded outside with my friends, sipping our thirst-quenching refreshments leisurely and my sari was moving with the lovely cool breeze in the air. It was time to take our seats in the auditorium that had a perfect view of the stage. The gripping fictional tale of the man who killed Gandhi was a phenomenal piece.

To our delight, we were invited to join a private party in celebrating the very first showing of this play. The atmosphere was filled with notable figures from the arts and theatre domain – I was consumed by the alluring people, the murmur of conversations and the clinking of the wine glasses.

I was surprised to receive a compliment by a choreographer and a few others on my sari. It became clear when talking to some other guests that I was not the only person to have felt uncomfortable about the other women in saris as they had a similar effect on them.

I have thus been toying with the question of: How do we dismantle the negative biases within our own cultures?