May 24, 2011

An ode to the Kanchipuram Saree

To me, all silk sarees are fondly "Kanchipuram Sarees"! (Did I see some of you nod in agreement?)
I grew up watching my mom drape her cotton sarees every day to work, crisp and neatly pleated, with no cause for concern about a loose end or a poking pin or too short a pallu. Everything was in place, and the saree was, and is, comfort-wear for her. And like most women, she has a gorgeous collection of silk sarees kept neatly folded, and treasured in the wardrobe, which is taken out occasionally to wear to a Sunday morning wedding or to a house-warming lunch.


I borrowed several of them from her during my years in college. Fun, I didnt have to go saree-shopping, I could just come home and pick from her ready-to-use collection. These I'd proudly strut around in during the Diwali and other college celebrations.


That was the story of seven years ago. Now an occasional saree-hunt is a thing I have grown to enjoy, with a special soft corner towards traditional Kanchipuram silks. To me, the colours and vibrance in Kanchipuram sarees are simply brilliant.

More than the beauty of it, they remind me of mirth and laughter during weddings, gifts given by relatives to wear at their weddings, compliments when dressed up, and beautiful photographs with kith, kin and friends. To me, they mean happiness and gaity!
Tweet: Kanchipuram sarees remind one of happiness and laughter, sunshine and warmth at weddings & family get-togethers! http://ctt.ec/6fZw2+ 
The saree is not yet comfort-wear for me, and probably never will be. But wearing it to a special occasion holds a dear, special charm.

To the lovely Kanchipuram saree hand-crafted by the small-town weavers of Kanchipuram.


PS: The pictures above purely intended to show-off my collection ;-)

And I'm sure most of you have your favourites too, do tell me your saree stories! I've shared this @ColoursDekor.

31 comments:

  1. btw.. I forgot to mention. I loved the first pic saree! :) Kanchipuram has it own charm.. my mom has a collection too! :D

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  2. Ambika, your pictures are beautifully shot. The sarees are gorgeous. I agree, sarees worn on special occasions have a wonderful charm.

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  3. So gorgeous all of them! I am actually trying to imagine you in one of these :D

    I too love my Mom's collection of sarees but have not gotten a chance to wear them often myself but I do have a lot of fascination for them!

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  4. Hey......
    I wonder why you all ladies are too much into these attires and all. As I have seen a whole lot of saree bazar in my mom's wardrobe :P
    By the way interesting writing style you have.

    Keep Writing... :)

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  5. GORGEOUSNESS!!! I love love sarees, love the slinky chiffons, beautiful cottons, traditional Kanjeevarams, and the soft silks...
    and to top it off it adds so much grace, elegance and is sexy...
    Love your post, the pictures...and the sarees...

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  6. What a nice way to click saree snaps!!! I liked the first one....colourful, bright very nice. Love to see you in that some day :)

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  7. went back to check out the sarees...they are so so pretty!! what are the shops you visit...pls bolo

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  8. Lovely rich post! I love dressing up---bindi, bangles sari....the works! Can't really handle them for daily wear, but I love to wear them to parties!

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  9. Thank you and Good to hear from all of you!
    @Anpu, the first's from Kanchipuram itself, a shop called Babu Sah. The others from the RMKVs and Tulsi Silks of Chennai!

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  11. lovely sarees,even i have quite alot form nalli,kumarans,RMKV,kalyan and so on....

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  12. Have been only to Tulsi...and simply adore that shop...but thanks for sharing the shop names...

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  13. I love the colors in these. So pretty! Thanks for coming by!
    Sherry

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  14. Love the way you have shot the pictures... Very beautiful....

    Btwn, who doesnot love silk sarees... They definitely do have a charm and speciality...

    Love the pot in the first pic.. Was the painting done by you...? Its awesome !!!

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  15. Anonymous8:15 PM

    oh my gosh!! wow!! wow!! you have all those?? wow!! I love the little pot in the picture as well... those photographs are amazing.. Thank you for joining in.. :-)

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  16. they are gorgeous..the best thing about indian traditional clothing are all the charming colours.
    http://flysongbirdblogspot.com

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  17. This is such a lovely post Ambika! And LOVED both the sarees- lovely colours the blue and the parrot green. And you brought back such lovely memories of my childhood. I'm still jealously guarding my silk sarees though I rarely get a chance to wear them here :(

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  18. Lovely collection!

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  19. more than the sarees, the dolls are looking great :D

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  20. loved the first one...nice work done and the drape is wonderful...

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  21. lovely colours.

    although i hardly ever wear a saree, whenever i see mom open up her wardrobe to take out those special sarees, I feel happy that one day I'll inherit them. Sarees can be soo beautiful.

    p.s: last time read your blog you were planning a summer trip? did u make it? how was it?

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  22. :) lovely collection!

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  23. I hope the tradition survives. It should if the skills and value of the product are valued.

    If I remember correctly there's a film made around the same subject, of a jailed weaver father who spends his time behind bars weaving a Kanchipuram saree in time for his daughter's marriage or some such event.

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  24. Anonymous9:49 PM

    And a lovely collection of Kanchipuram sarees you have :-) I love Kanchipuram sarees too and my favourite one is a hot purple with black zari border and pallu. this saree belongs to my mom and is about 55 years old.

    The years have been very kind to the saree it still retains its original lustre.

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  25. Such lovely collection you have. I like the blue and green double color one very much. I also have plenty of sarees but I hardly wear them and when I wear them they always seem to be messy. To think there was a time, I just loved wearing sarees all the time. Whenever I like some saree I cannot resist the temptation to buy.

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  26. luv the shot ,especially little pot goes well with the saree.painting done on the pot is lovely.

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  27. wow. lovely post and this is a lovely blog. This goes into my reading list

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  28. I love wearing sarees and Kanjeevarams are my all time favorites because they drape so well! Loved the collection of your sarees...they are all so gorgeous.

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