#sareespeak #womenofsareespeak
#silk #kanjivaramsilk #kanjivaram
#SS 69/100/2020
My last post of the year.
Unless I squeeze something in tomorrow. Or squeeze myself into something tomorrow.
Did not get to saree #100/100 due to a difficult year.
A lot has happened, to me, to others, to each and every one of us.
Have we grown? Learnt life lessons? Had, having ups and downs? Dealing with equal or disproportionate amounts of gains and losses?
Haven’t seen my mum or sisters. My sister has not seen her husband, son and older daughter. My youngest sister has not seen her daughter.
Socialising is infrequent.
Lots of health issues with loved ones.
Massive heartbreak over sudden, unexplainable losses.
So many whys, wanting closure.
Unable to offer solace or comfort.
But then,
Am grateful for technology that has brought us ‘virtually’ closer.
Am grateful my husband and daughters are with me.
Am grateful to be working, and to have worked throughout the different lockdown alert levels.
Am grateful engagements happened,
Am grateful for the recent Saree Speak Meet.
Am grateful for having had a lovely long chat with dear Shivi Ravindran at midnight my time and mid day hers.
Am grateful for music, home, garden, walks, the beauty that surrounds me.
Am grateful for friends who are family.
Drove down to Hamilton, a 2 hour drive away, to spend the day with close friends. Other friends drove down too.
Spoilt for choice with the graze table of cheeses, crackers, dips, nuts, fruits.
Followed by a pull-out-all-stops lunch that had me loosening my saree blouse and petticoat.
I must tell you what lunch was – cabbage and jackfruit thoren, steamed tempered beetroot, bitter gourd salad, arachu vitta sambar, onion raita, cucumber mor kuzhambu, french beans, okra curry, rasam. Sakhis who were there too, please let me know if I have left anything out.
And then, decadent desserts. Ras malai, kesari, wattalapam, lemon cake, nut slices, ice cream.
Ended up snoring on the sofa,
Until a steaming cup of chai masala was placed in front of me.
Got home pretty late.
No dinner, just green tea.
Draped a simple light Kanjivaram silk in arakku red with mustard orange gold borders and pallu. Arakku is a term for a specific reddish maroon, much like the new flavour added by the culinary world umami 😎. Wonder what its equivalent is in our language..
Photos taken by dear friend Vanitha Sarkkunan at Melanie Jeyakumar’s home.
Bavani’s Happy Place 