I grew up in India. Saree is one of my favourite outfits. It is very dear to my heart. It's feminine, modest, and yet as bold as a woman would like it to be. When I visit India, I love to wear a saree. The moment I wear a saree, I feel at home. I feel that I belong here. It's like a definition of my Indian identity. As a young girl, I did embroidery and painting on my mother's sarees. My mother would proudly wear those sarees. The memory of looking at my mother elegantly dressed, wearing a saree embroidered or painted by me is a treasured memory of my life. This painting recaptures the memory of not only how much fun it was to paint my own designs on a saree, but also how much I wanted to do something special for my mother that she would cherish. I certainly have a strong emotional connection with this attire. It brings me to a place where my life's journey began.

One of the amazing things about a saree is that no matter the size or shape of a woman, it fits perfectly, lending grace and beauty to the wearer. There is nothing that makes me feel more graceful and feminine than a beautiful, delicate, and softly flowing chiffon saree.

A saree is a 'telltale' of many things including the stages of a woman's life. The fabric, the design, the colours, the patterns denote the region/state from where the saree comes. I love to know behind the scenes story. If you're like me, explore the origin and what is behind the creation of these different types of sarees, you'll find yourself delving into a mini history lesson. A Kanjeevaram silk saree is as distinct as a Banarasi silk saree or a Pochampally silk saree or a Bengali saree or a Paithani saree from Maharashtra. Moreover, how a saree is draped differs from region to region in India. So, you can imagine how a saree is not only a tell tale of the region of India from where it came, but it also defines the taste, the style, and the image a woman wishes to portray. If you Google, you will find the different sarees that are hallmarks of different regions of India.

Apart from the above, there are sarees for various occasions. Puja or a prayer ceremony is a special occasion where women would typically choose brighter, festive colours with brocade. In Bengal, women would typically wear a white saree with red border for puja. In the south the choice would typically be a Kanjeevaram saree or a pure silk saree. The choices are as diverse as are the states of India and the women who wear them.

Wedding sarees are very elaborate in many parts of India. They are rich in colours, in motifs, fabric, brocade, and embroidery with sequins etc. The most popular colours are red, gold, maroon, and pink. Traditionally it used tobe red and gold, but the modern brides love a variety of shades to choose from.

The sarees change according to the role a woman performs at any given time. They change with seasons, with time and with age as a woman goes through various stages of her life.

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