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Saree-wearing style-conscious women in Bahrain have showcased their love and appreciation for the single-length traditional Indian garment by participating in an online fashion event.
Around 50 members and friends of Saree Speak Bahrain, founded by Thanuja Anil, took part in the group’s Kamaniya - Reinventing Saree Drapes & Styles event that was featured using a video conferencing app for all to adore.
“This event was all about highlighting trendy fusions and contemporary draping styles,” said Thanuja, who came up with the concept. “Participants explored saree’s unique ability to be re-invented, resulting in breath-taking stylised drapes and well-dressed women!”
According to Thanuja, the saree is one of the world’s oldest unstitched garment and is typically six metres long.
The effortless look is created by wrapping it around the waist with one end draped around the shoulder.
Thanuja, 56, from Barbar, said: “The saree is versatile and durable. It highlights the modern day Indian woman’s multi-faceted role with a touch of elegance.
“The style is created using exquisite fabrics and designs that gloriously withstand the test of time.”
The aim of the event was to encourage members and friends of Saree Speak Bahrain to bend the rules and create their own looks. Apparently, there are more than 100 different ways to wear a saree and some of them don’t even require safety pins.
The organisers, Thanuja, Chithra Padmanabhan and Anjali Gupta, divided the participants into teams focussed on different themes such as floral prints, monochrome, rainbow colours, recreation of Ravi Varma painting models, ruffled pallu (which is usually the decorated end of a saree that hangs loose when worn) and Indo-Western fusion styling.
The women were then asked to create a four to five minute video showcasing the different drapings, keeping in line with Covid-19 precautionary measures too.
Anjali, 52, from Budaiya, said: “The women created videos in beautiful locations across Bahrain.
“Combined with the ladies gorgeous attire, the effect was really captivating. All the teams created scintillating, beautiful and thought provoking videos centered on the magical saree.
“All the participants were happy to be part of the event, which gave them a break from their routine and a chance to create magic with the saree. The extremely positive response that we got was quite motivating for all of us.”
The videos were then streamed to members via Zoom. Saree Speak Bahrain was formed in 2018 by a group of saree lovers and has flourished to more than 200 members.
Thanuja, said: “We had our first meet in December 2018 with just eight lovely ladies who wanted to passionately share their love for the six yard yarn.
“All these members are part of the main Saree Speak group founded in April 2016 by Vini Tandon, a housewife in Goa, India.”
Saree Speak is a global online platform with thousands of members around the world. Thanuja added: “We are a community that encourages women to wear sarees more often.”
To join, register with the main group on Facebook called Saree Speak.
