#sareespeak #womenofsareespeak #rawsilk #silk #veldari
#SS 17/2021
#87
#internationalwomensday
International Women’s Day.
The Eve.
Had an extremely enjoyable chat with the ever gracious gorgeous hostess/interviewer Deepika Gundanna.
Was taken aback and so touched when she reached out to me.
Ironed technical glitches during the week.
Designed a lovely poster and twinned with me.
And all because she wanted to showcase a fellow sakhi.
Selfless act.
I was excited the night before, then became downright nail biting nervous.
Managed to spill the water in my tumbler.
And then, when she began, and I joined in,
It was so effortless. She made me feel so much at ease.
Felt like I’d known her for ages.
And she let me waffle on and on and on.
A huge thank you to you
dear Deepika,
dear Vini,
dear moderators, admins, and
Of course,
To all the lovely Sakhis who took the time to be part of the chat.
With their encouraging comments.
Immensely grateful.
Tried to answer each and everyone and got blocked for a few hours. Facebook must have thought I was a potential spammer. Promise to reply to each and everyone of you.
Also sharing an old post in lieu of International Women’s Day. Photo collage in comments, of me emulating feisty Disney Princesses.
“To celebrate Women, Us, in our many Roles, Avatars.
Not just the career women, the policy makers, the professionals, the academics, the CEOs,
But
The makers and growers of these women,
The Grandma who regaled me with stories of her many childbirths. I know, not really a bedtime story you’d tell a granddaughter, but my family does have a twisted sense of child rearing as you may have gleaned from my previous posts. About how she’d wake up grandad only after she’d got the clean towels ready, water boiled, and he’d grumble, then ride off to get the midwife.
The Mum who told me how her father had torn up her teacher’s training college acceptance letter as ‘girls needn’t be so highly educated’. The same mum who lost her husband to cancer at 35, and raised three strong successful young women.
The Aunt who recounted the tale of her getting on board a plane to the UK, the first in her family to do so, to complete her nursing degree in the late 60s.
The Sister who is a consultant, pathologist, academic professor, who still comes home to take her children for classes, cleans the bathrooms, folds and irons clothes, takes care of her mother and mother in law.
The Teacher who tirelessly explained the intricacies of integration by trigonometric substitution.
The Music Guru who patiently changed all the strings on the veena two nights before a performance.
The Dance Guru who sewed costume hems, ironed dance saree pleats and force fed bhadam kheer.
This institution of Wonder Women should be saluted,
The ones who emanated strength with their words, actions, as they oiled and braided plaits, woke their daughters at 4am to study, with hot cups of milo, cooked wholesome healthy meals and stayed awake as their daughters burnt the midnight oil during exams,
This day is
For Them,
For Us too and
For the Daughters of our future.
We cannot exist without each other, we are too invested in each other and inextricably entwined, intertwined.
Happy International Women’s day to
Each and Everyone of you,
And to the Women in your lives who have touched you in any minute way”.
Sharing one photo of me getting ready for the live chat.
Draped a Red and Green Raw Pattu/silk, Veldari/checked podavai/saree. Red gold checked body, green pallu and blouse. The yarn has 3 silks and 1 gold cotton thread, braided and then yarned. 4 braids form a patch which is the reason raw silk sarees are thicker than normal silk. This 3 silk and cotton combo, adds the Shine to the Saree.
Bavani’s Happy Place 