CHENNAI: Grandmothers and saris. Two things that are close to every woman’s heart. Chennai-born and Sydney-based Aishwarya Rao has woven both these beautiful aspects into her debut illustrated coffee table book 'Pleated'. The thoughtfully presented work is an ode to her grandmother and unconventional women in traditional drapes.
The first copy was launched by musician Sudha Ragunathan at Ashvita’s on Friday evening. The book drenches us in nostalgia as we flip through pages of old-world charm. It has two sections with two sets of stories. The first part titled ‘The story of ‘ammama’ and her ‘sarees’, unfolds the simple life of Maragadhavalli, the author’s grandmother, depicted by the colours of the saris she owned.
Simply subtle
Mambazham, the colour of a ripe mango; vadamalli, the colour of the globe amaranth; kathiripoo, the colour of aubergine and arakku, the colour of vermillion. Every chapter is named after a colour. The border of every page is adorned with traditional motifs such as swan, paisley, leaf and peacock; inspired by a significant incident from the chapter.
“Ammama had a unique palette which belonged to a certain family (Madhwas of Karnataka) and wasn’t always common traditional colours. It reflected a phase of her life. At the time of her engagement, Ammama chose to wear black that was rare for her time and a bold choice. She just went ahead with it. That chapter is named Karuppu (black). She wore a vadamalli Kanjivaram pattu for her wedding and so that chapter talks about the ceremony and how it complemented her look,” said Aishwarya, a management consultant.
It’s been three years since the author decided to adapt to minimalistic fashion. She has repurposed her grandmother’s saris into pattu pavadai and also prefers wearing her saris for special occasions.
Wrapped in legacy
“I learned this from ammama who survived on just three saris in her trunk box during the early days of her marriage. She would wash, dry and repeat them once in three days. My avva (paternal grandmother) would twist a part of her sari in a sash around the waist to give it sturdiness while she went to sabhas for kutcheris. When I wear their saris, it consumes me in a certain way. It contains the soul of a person and I drape it with lots of love, joy and respect,” said Aishwarya, who took 18 months to document the stories.
With time, Aishwarya has evolved the way of dressing up in terms of hair, make-up and accessories. Saris, however, are too precious and worn only in the traditional way. She prefers wearing a Coorgi or Kerala sari the way it’s meant to be worn. “Ammama was perplexed since I was trying to gather stories from her past. Once she saw the book, she felt positive. She isn’t a sports or media personality but a simple woman whom I admired. Her reaction too, after seeing the book, was simple like her.”
Yards of milestones
The second part of the book is titled ‘The stories of unconventional women in traditional drapes’. There are five women from South India — singers Bangalore Nagarathnamma and MS Subbulakshmi, politicians Sarojini Naidu and J Jayalalithaa, and dancer Rukmini Devi Arundale — who pushed boundaries and nudged change without the drape binding them in any way. “It was a long and continuous process to zero down on these women. For instance, MS amma sang songs on Allah and Jesus. Humble and generous, she did it gracefully in her Brahmin drape. Likewise, because of Nagarathnamma, women musicians are allowed to participate in the Thyagaraja Aradhanai — south India’s largest music festival,” said Aishwarya.
The illustrations in the book are by Riddhi Desai, the founder of Tinyfarm Studio. “The designs are minimal and understated just like how Aishwarya’s grandmom is. I’ve also incorporated the iconic Madras checks on every page of the first part. The border is adorned with traditional motifs and we’ve kept in black and white. The designs are open to interpretations for anybody with an eye for detailing. That’s the beauty of this book,” she said.
In her book, Aishwarya pens, ‘Women into the garb is power and potential. It instigated, protects and liberates...the legendary Draupadi’s started a war. Jayalalithaa’s, an opposition party.’
“This book is not just for my grandmother but yours too, Pleated is for all liberal women who love their saris,” she said.