Once Upon a Sari

Avani is having a wonderful time playing with her mother’s saris, and she is amazed by all the colours, patterns and fabrics. The sari, a garment worn by South Asian women, is several yards of lightweight cloth that can be draped in various ways around the body so that one end forms a skirt and the other wraps around to hang over the shoulder.

Mama finds Avani playing with the saris, and, instead of getting upset, she shares that she used to do the same exact thing when she was young. Avani’s mother tells her that every sari has a story concerning where it came from, how it was made, and the occasions for which it was worn. Each of those details is part of the sari’s story.

Mama begins to fold each sari into perfect rectangles, and she holds up a minty green sari and explains that this sari was given to her by her father, Avani’s grandfather. He bought it from Lucknow, in Northern India, and the white thread embroidery is called chikankari, pronounced “chick-an-kaari”.

The bubblegum pink and mandarin orange sari is a bandhani style with tiny mirrors all over. It was from a friend who is from Gujarat, India, and she gave it to mama as a gift to celebrate her wedding. Mama recalls that the wedding was so much fun. She also has a kanjivaram sari from Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India.

The red and gold one is Mama’s wedding sari which was bought at a big shop in Delhi. Sari shopping can be lots of fun because the salespeople open sari after sari which they will model for potential buyers who are offered snacks to munch on while shopping.

Avani notices a sari in a black case. Mama says this sari’s story goes back many years. It had belonged to Mama’s Nani (grandmother). During the period of partition, India was going through major changes, including civil war, Mama’s Nani and her family had to leave their home in the middle of the night. They walked many miles, sometimes hiding and running and taking only what they could carry. This sari of faded saffron silk was one of the only things that Nani brought from her old home, and she kept it as a reminder of all the happy times.

Many saris are passed down from generation to generation, and they are shared between family members, and sometimes are even used to decorate the home. People love to share where they got their sari, how it was made and when they last wore it, all as ways to reminisce and remember happy times.

The illustrations by Avani Dwivedi are watercolours, gouache and coloured pencils on hot press watercolor paper. She brings a whimsical style and shares a diverse perspective. The details on each sari are unique and true to their background, and readers can easily match the author’s descriptions with the images.