About a week ago, mom and I ended up in Little India. Contrary to popular belief, the area is not specifically dedicated to all things Indian like Indian food, or Indian clothes shops. The fact is, there are a few banks and some government offices situated in the area and finding a parking spot is a teribble nuisance. Which is why I don't really enjoy going there.
Lady luck was on our side that day, though... parking was easy, the day was breezy.
Transactions completed, mom and I decided to check out one shop. She decided, actually, and I duly followed her in apprehensively.
Mom: You should get a saree this year...
Me: Where would I wear it? (Stupid question, I know)
Mom: M's getting engaged isn't she? and SLL is getting married too..
Me: M's getting engaged in December... besides the stupid Japanese exam clashes with it... SLL's wedding is only in January
Mom: We'll just look okay... once people start rushing to buy for Diwali, then you'll be left with all the ugly ones
Me: (Thinking to myself... there goes my plan to push of the saree buying till later)
Here's the problem, mom and I are in complete opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to buying stuff, be it clothes or anything else. She's thorough and will deliberate for hours (if you let her) and will go from shop to shop. I on the other hand, couldn't be bothered to search every nook and cranny... if I see something and like it well enough, I'll just buy it and won't even glance around other shops... trust me, if your shopping habit is like mine, that's the best thing to do. Otherwise, you may have regrets later on...
So we stepped in and started browsing while the conversation above was going on... and then we were greeted by a salesperson. Looks like the crowds haven't arrived in throngs, yet...
My mom told her that we were looking for sarees. She looked at us and beckoned us further into the shop... (Come into my lair, ladies, and I shall drown you'll in a sea of sarees)
And there we were, checking out the carefully folded sarees which were now being opened one by one. Admittedly, most of them were gorgeous... but something was sinisterly wrong with the person who named the sarees...
See, each design comes with a name. Who gives the name, I have no idea... but the names were downright strange.
First there's the fancy saree... nothing too fancy, but what the hell... and then there's the tissue saree, where the cloth is slightly transparentlike and almost tissuepaper-ish. Duh! There was also a fancy crush saree, where the material looks like it was crushed very carefully. And then... the craziest name I ever saw on a saree.. The Godfather Saree. I pointed it out excitedly at my mom, who just gave a small smile.
Woah, a godfather saree! cool what does it look like?
ReplyDeleteSheesh we indians should be ashamed of ourselves, this is india, the land of the saree and the only types we have are cotton, silk and terrycot. Yeah yeah i know there are finer distinctions within these classes but godfather is a waaay cooler name than kaanchipuram
Don Prometheus has heard of quirky names for sarees, though he could never buy them good enough for his mommy. But Don Prometheus draws the line at somebody calling sarees by his title. He'll make an offer saree sellers can't refuse. They can call the sarees Barzini or Tattaglia, but not Godfather. In exchange, Don Prometheus will ask Luca and Lia Vazzi to use a gun, not the garotte.
ReplyDeletekartik: you think the name's cool? the salesperson must have thought that I was a crazy woman...
ReplyDeletevjanand: I didn't get any... but basically the "Godfather Saree" had a lot of sequence work on it...
prometheus: Oh oh... the saree gets embroiled in a bitter battle against the mob... who will win?
Whoa ... Godfather Saree? Kewl! I wonder if it's just as tough :-)
ReplyDeleteIn my case, I have yet to make that quintessential hunting trip for this year's Raya baju kurung. So lazy la! Hate shopping in crowded places.
I am of the belief that the saree is the most beautiful outfit a woman can wear..
ReplyDeleteIm gonna miss Diwali this year :( Its so sad :(
SS
Great headline to your entry. How funny that those are descriptors of sarees! So which one did you get, terra? Nice post. One question. What's Diwali?
ReplyDeletepugly: maybe not... :D but then again, they do last for years. There's one at home which my mom used in the 70's and I used it last year (still in good condition!)
ReplyDeleteOh yeah... shopping during/before the festivities is gonna be murderous, i bet :)
silversabre: beautiful outfit, yeah... i agree
Sorry to hear about you missing Diwali... :(
gem: Thank you... (blushing)
I finally got one of the tissue sarees :)
As for Diwali, it's actually a festival celebrated by Hindu people all over the world... It's the celebration of the victory of the good forces against the bad forces. So people celebrate by lighting up their houses with lots of lamps, praying, food, as well as 'ahem' new clothes. I hope this gives you a general idea :)
PS: Others who know better may wish to add...