Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): At a time when western outfits have become the preferred choice, some groups of women in the city are promoting sarees, especially handloom ones as India’s legacy and heritage. On the eve of World Saree Day, which celebrates cultural richness and historical importance of traditional Indian sarees, Free Press talked with the key members of some groups. Excerpts: Promote handloom sarees abroad too Our group Shatika Granth was founded in 2021 with 35 members.
We have now 150 members in the age group of 30-75 years. Shatika means saree in Sanskrit. My personal wardrobe has around 1,000 sarees.
Even when I go abroad, I make it a point to wear sarees. During my visit to the US, I visited Akshar Dham Temple in New Jersey wearing a traditional Gujarati saree. As a group, we mainly promote handloom sarees.
We hold five events every year. On the eve of Saree Day, we visited Sanchi. We shot many photographs and videos.
- Shalini Gupta, founder-member, Shatika Granth Not aunties For new generation, a woman who wears saree is an aunty. We want to change this perception by associating the younger generation with saree. Our group has around 200 members in age group of 30- 80 years.
We want to preserve the legacy of saree. We believe that fashion can also have a cause. We organise storytelling sessions on sarees.
We also try to persuade women not to bargain with weavers while, reminding them about the hard work that goes into weaving saree. I am a fashion designer .
