Of How NOT to store sarees..

#sareespeak #womenofsareespeak #cotton #handloom

$SS 52/100/2020

Choosing a saree to wear is a ritual, for me.
Step one, I mull over the choices in my mind,
Step two, I make a beeline for the chest in which I would have stored it in.
Theoretically, this would be sorted in a few minutes,
If and only if,
I hit upon the correct chest.
Now, with all good intentions,
as with all of us,
some time ago,
I got myself,
was gifted
2 beautifully carved camphor wood chests,
some storage containers, plastic, woven;
Into which I painstakingly placed
Rich kanjivarams,
Light kanjivarams,
Soft silks,
Cotton silks,
Cotton,
And others-or-of-uncertain-type.
The containers and small camphor wood chest are relatively easy to manoeuvre, I dig in, find the saree I want and try to leave the contents as neat as it had been earlier.
The large beautiful silk saree camphor chest, however, is another matter.
It sits under an antique glass mirror that has a shelf below it.
The chest had been strategically placed under the mirror to ensure that my bedroom looks like a comfy place of rest.
I know now that retrieving a saree from this chest, is anything but restful.
I have to

1. Lift the glass piece from atop the chest and gingerly place it on my bed.
2. Drag the chest a few feet out from under the shelf.
3. Lift the lid.
4. If it hits the shelf and doesn’t open in full,
5. I repeat steps 2-3 until lid opens fully.
6. I try digging through each of the three deep piles, then decide to be mature and conquer each pile.
7. I start with pile no 1 on the left, lift each saree, place it on the carpet, and keep at it, until I have found the saree I want.
8. If not, I place all sarees on carpet back into chest onto pile on the left, and repeat steps 7-8 with middle pile and pile on the left.
9. The best case scenario is that I locate my mind’s saree.
10. Now, for the reverse process of shutting lid, ensuring that no tassels or saree bits are caught in between, then pushing chest back into place under mirror and shelf, and finally placing glass cover on top of chest.
    Phew! One would think that’s sorted, but sometimes, either the blouse does not fit or worse still, the niggling thought at the back of my mind is that there is a particular saree I’m looking for and am unable to find it.
    This is exactly what happened when I went looking for a bottle green kanjivaram, and couldn’t find it,
    And ended up, settling on a plastic container of simple cotton sarees, an easier tackle :
    From bottle green silk to an ash-purple handloom with maroon and gold borders and pallu.
    Mismatched with a floral pink, red blouse.
    Looking a little drained because of the Saree Search Process.
    Now, would you like to be enlightened on how sarees are returned to the chest?
    A quick fix – Lift lid sufficiently widely, just a little, with one hand, then slide saree through with the other
    Or
    Let me leave you to imagine the long winded process.
    As I rest..