I used to be under the impression that I wasn’t the average woman when it came to shopping. I did not take forever to select any dress and so my husband was never bored to tears when we went shopping together. However, the other day I discovered how difficult it is sometimes for a woman to decide what to wear and how easy it is for a man. There was a wedding in the family and I could not make up my mind on which saree to wear.
“I’m not really happy with the saree I have selected for the wedding,” I complained.
“It’s a very nice saree,” my husband ventured.
“Oh, it’s a very pretty saree and one of my favourites ... such a lovely shade of pink! It’s the blouse I’m not happy with. The old pink blouse no longer fits so according to the prevalent fashion, I got a blouse stitched in a contrasting green shade ... but I don’t like it now.”
“Well, wear any one of your other sarees then,” suggested my other half sensibly, opening the wardrobe.
“Yes, but which one?” I asked, still in a complaining mood. “The blue-green Benarasi looks as old as it is, the yellow one has faded a bit and the blue Kanjeevaram I have worn too many times. Everyone has seen it!”
“This red Benarasi is gorgeous ...”
“Yes, but I don’t want to outshine the bride.”
“How about this chocolate one?”
“That one looks good only in the evenings ... it’s too grand for day wear. This dark green Kanjeevaram would be great but it doesn’t go with my clutch purse. Now this purple and pink looks perfect! I think I’ll wear it ... it’s fairly new so the blouse might fit and it also matches my purse!” I excitedly pulled out the said saree only to find that it had a stain on the visible part of the pallu. I put it back on the shelf, making a mental note to send it to the dry cleaners soon.
“This green and brown Kanjeevaram is not really new—it belonged to my mother—but I have never worn it and so no one has seen it yet!”
“Does it match your purse?” asked my husband, smiling.
“Oh, I’ll carry another purse ... and what are you going to wear?”
“My kurta-pajama,” came his reply.
Pragati Nayak
Email: pragati.16017@gmail.com