Sari stroll to grace Durban beachfront
THE sari is the oldest continuously worn fashion garment in history. Its style has remained much the same since it graced the Indus Valley almost 5 000 years ago.
The 6m of cloth is woven from the most humble cotton to the most luxurious silk. It can be draped from the demure to the scorchingly seductive.
The sari is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end thrown over the shoulder, leaving the midriff bare.
The styles depend on the regions and ethnicities of the subcontinent. A petticoat is worn underneath and a blouse covers the bust.
About 3 000 women will flaunt this riveting apparel on the Durban beachfront in the eighth annual Sari Stroll on August 6. Livewire organiser Kammy Gounden has roped in ethekwini Municipality to support the event.
Other than the scenic splendour and the sisterly communion, the sari stroll carries a passionate belief in building social cohesion.
A sweetener is that those who do not own a sari will get one free on the day to keep. Help will be at hand for tying the garment which stays up without a single pin or knot, just a lot of nifty tucks.
One of my Bangladesh market district’s legends is Sitha Singh or the Sari Aunty. Her claim to fame was hitting the marathon circuit in a white sari and takkies.
Other than the Two Oceans, she may well have also burnt the tar in the New York Marathon in Chatsworth Athletic Club colours.
If you’re a regular sari wearer, find a friend from another culture to tag along. Gounden would like to see us all get along better and understand other’s cultures.
Her expectation is that gesture will be reciprocated by the sari strollers also participating in traditional Zulu and other ceremonies.
There are a host of books that glorify the sari. Mukulika Banerjee and Daniel Miller of the anthropology department at University College London put together an academic study in The Sari, described as “an enthralling exploration and analysis – through women’s voices – of India’s most symbolic garment”.
In The Sari of Surya Vilas, novelist Vayu Naidu tells the story of Allarmelu, who is 9 when her mother dies. She finds her mother’s heirloom wedding sari passed down through generations is missing. An entertaining, enlightening tale of political marginalisation.
Javier Moro’s The Red Sari is a dramatised biography of the constantly sari-clad Italian wife of late Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Hopefully, the beautiful images that will come out of Durban’s sari stroll will be turned into a book by the municipality to show off the city’s rich cultural diversity.
Higgins promotes #Readingrevolution at Books@ Antiquecafe in Windermere and #Hashtagbooks at the Shannon Drive Shopping Centre in Reservoir Hills.