The idea had germinated in Sagar’s fertile mind after a trip to India where she had seen Indian newscasters in colourful sarees looking as elegant as the Queen.
“If they could do it, surely we can do it here,” she said. “I mean all the Indian professional women in my life including my mother, who is a doctor, wear sarees. It is acceptable as formal wear – so why can’t wear it on British TV?”
With great enthusiasm, she approached the Acting Editor of the BBC Midlands news programme, Dave Hart, with the idea. Before Sagar reached the end of her sentence, Hart stole a line from the famous Nike ads and told her, “Just do it”.
Sagar wanted to make a quite entry on the saree scene, but ended up making a big splash. The moment she came out of the newsroom in her elegant saree, her colleagues told her it had been a great idea. Members of the public called up to say that it was about time someone wore a saree on the news. And when she opened a copy of the Daily Mail, she was surprised to see her face staring out of the front page. An editorial commented about the new wave of British Asian women who were proud of their culture. Indian broadsheets made a big fuss about Sharuna Sagar making broadcasting history.
“When Asian women first came over here, their clothes were viewed with suspicion. They had trouble even finding a decent saree in the shops,” continued Sagar. “Now, you can get great sarees everywhere. People are more accepting. And the best part is that it is one garment in which one size fits everyone. It just wraps around the body and tailors itself to every individual.”
The saree has arrived on British TV – but I’d like to think it has really arrived when the newscasters who are not of Asian origin also decide to wear one.
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride!
The word Saree comes from the Sanskrit word Chira, which refers to a cloth used for draping. In ancient India, clothes were never sewn. Both men and women draped unstitched cloth around themselves. A fashion show in the year 5000 BC would have seen the catwalk models in sarees, chaddars (shawl), dhotis and turbans.
It is estimated that 75% of the women in India wear a saree every day. Sarees are usually classified by the length of the cloth and the manner in which it is draped.
Styles in wearing Saree vary from region to region. Gujarat style and Bengali style are different. So are Mangalorean, Kannadiga, Kodava, Tamilian and Malayali. The Saree is worn in at least 10 to 15 styles throughout the India.
The 5-6 yard saree is the popular version that is draped in three distinct styles. The normal style is draped from left to right with the pleats hanging from the right hip; the Gujarati style is draped from the right to the left, with the pleats hanging the other way; and the Coorgi style, which is unique to the hilly regions of Karnataka, is worn with the pleats hanging from the back.
In Vedic times, an unmarried woman was allowed to wear a 5 yard saree, but a married woman always wore a 9 yard saree. This practice is now prevalent only in South India and Maharashtra. In Tamil Nadu, the Smartas and Shaivites drape a 9 yard saree in a style that is quite distinct from the Vaishnavites, while the Maharashtrian drape resembles a dhoti with an extra length of cloth to cover the upper body.
Wedding sarees, often made of heavy silk, can boast intricate designs from Indian epics, woven in gold or silver threads, called jari. The most elaborate sarees can cost thousands of pounds and be covered completely in gold.
This saree is beautiful to look at and surprisingly comfortable to wear. Best of all, one size fits all sizes and flatters all egos. Extra fat on the hips? Hide it with a few more pleats. Flag pole figure? Wrap it round a few more times.
Quite versatile and sensational, when one comes to think of it.