CHENNAI: Would you think twice about the fact that a 44-year-old woman is Chennai’s own sari-wizard and does magic with the nine-yard at many a Brahmin wedding? What if I were to tell you that she is from Nepal and can barely speak Tamil? Was that enough to make you pause?
Meet Meera Kumari, the madisaru fairy. From handing out safety pins and staying put with a pleated pallu as someone else did the sari draping, Meera now handles the whole nine yards - fixing the make-up, arranging accessories and offering styling suggestions. And it all started, as it always does, with a humble job at a neighbourhood beauty parlour far from home.
It was 25 years ago that Meera moved to Chennai in search of a livelihood. The burgeoning beauty industry provided many like her a chance to begin life anew in this quiet city. Relegated to handling manicures, pedicures and basic make-up, the art of sari draping caught Meera’s attention soon enough. For even back then, there were women seeking assistance for the nine-yard affair. “Initially, I used to watch senior beauticians at the parlour drape the sari. I was made to do the odd jobs - pinning the sari, holding the pallu. I observed and learned,” she narrates.
Interacting with the clients during these sessions gave her a glimpse into the fascinating world of south Indian weddings. She was soon picking up details like jewellery staples (like the chandran and suryan), make-up choices, various wedding events (nalangu, nischayathartham, etc.,) and much more. Not wanting to limit her work to make-up jobs, she decided to master the madisaru.
While the internet did come in handy, it was her next-door mami, in Mandaveli, who inducted her into the draping circle.
“I bought a nine-yard sari for Rs 1,200 and tried draping it on myself. It was a mess. Then, my neighbour stepped in to teach me that the pleats should be proportional to the woman’s body - the thinner the person, the more the number of pleats,” Meera recounts.
These tips and tricks seem to have done it, for now Meera can drape even a regular six-yard sari in the style of the nine-yard. Meera is fascinated by the south Indian culture and she took to it after she saw some of her cousins in Andhra Pradesh dress up in traditional attires. She would also observe people and feel there was some sophistication to the nine-yards. Now, her days are filled with appointments.
Her client-base has expanded to every district in Tamil Nadu. She continues to manage all this, while still holding on to her day job at the beauty parlour. In these many years, she has nailed nearly every detail of the job but still struggles with the language. “I only know a few words; I’m still learning. I get my clients at the parlour to translate whatever they say. That is how I learn,” she says. Perhaps, given a few more years, she may master this hurdle too.
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