Most of you by now must have heard about the #100sareepact. And why not? It made news and our social media timelines said it all about women telling stories of their sarees, posing for pictures and counting days for this pact. And most of you also know why. For the love of sarees, for the idea that made sarees popular once again, for the sheer joy of repeating a saree like other clothes, for dressing up to work like women would in skirts, trousers or salwar kameez, for respecting gifts of love by people who wanted them to wear sarees and for reasons that these drapes have always been ignored unless there is a special occasion.
I also took up the pact and when I started in March, I did not imagine I would write about my journey through this pact. When I started, it seemed like a long way and boy, it was! It took me over 8 months to wear sarees 100 times. I wore most of my sarees to work and some to parties and shopping.
What this saree pact was not?
No, it wasn’t meant to show off sarees. To inspire others to join, you need to engage them. To inspire self, you need to feel recognized and posting pictures did that to me. Words of love and appreciation from people I did not know personally meant a lot to keep going day after day. Posting was also a good way to count the days I was on. Many friends counted along with me and why not? Friends do that to encourage. Thank you guys!
This pact was not about buying 100 sarees and expensive or matching jewelry. All this was superficial. When I walked in rain wearing a saree with an umbrella in one hand and two bags in the other, this pact meant serious business. I boarded BMTC buses in a saree and sometimes stood on a foot board to get to work. I walked my usual way to work in a saree. I can’t stop doing things I do on a regular basis just because I was dressed in a saree. Right?
I still don’t have a Kanjivaram and may be I will never have. This pact was not to tell the world that I have all varieties of handloom in my cupboard. This was never the plan or something I committed to. I bought 2 sarees in a “Buy- one-get-one-free-offer”. Don’t we do that with other dresses? I bought a couple online and I also asked friends to get for me. They did.
This pact was not self-love but it was love for sarees and the elegance donning them brings.
What I loved most about the pact?
Teachers wear sarees to work every day. My Mum does that and it made me smile when she joined me in the initial few days. She wrote stories and posted a few pictures.
I smiled when my help at home wore a saree and told me the story of her mangalsutra. She is Nepali and that story, I had never heard before.
I loved it when a friend who is not fond of sarees, wore one to work to just stand by two of us pacters and to make us feel comfortable. I loved it even more when my blogger buddies wore sarees to our first informal get-together to a pub in Bangalore.
I felt loved when a friend sent me a saree all the way from Ghaziabad. The one that she had bought her for Mum but unfortunately her Mum left us too soon. I felt honored when a friend asked me to wear a saree she had gifted me on her father’s birthday – the first since he passed away.
It was a delight to wear many of my Mum’s and MIL’s sarees. 10 years ago, I had bought a saree for my Mum from my salary and that one was back in my cupboard this year. That saree was my Mum’s in all ways yet it found a way to me. I also wore a peer’s saree and that made her smile.
Another college friend living abroad, rang up her family in India and had me a saree sent that’s weaved near her place. She has got the same saree and she was happy checking out the pictures when I wore her gift to a wedding. There was so much warmth in the gesture.
As the pact progressed, it was more about the thought or the story that came with each saree than just the drape. And that’s what stood out for me. Every day when I wore a saree.
What next?
Many have asked me this and here is what I will say. Something else in 2016. Yes, I will wear sarees to work like before and I will be more regular. I will not let go the momentum that has built upon in 2015. I will not just keep sarees for another special occasion.
#100sareepact made 2015 memorable and it may sound planned but it was a Monday when I wrote a microblog on the #100sareepact and today when I write about the end of it, it’s musings on a Monday.
Join Corinne, Esha and me by writing a #MondayMusings post on your blog. Just share your thoughts with us – happy, sad, philosophical, ‘silly’ even. Use the hashtag #MondayMusings and then add your link below.
The Write Tribe website might be down for a short while as Corinne makes some changes to it, hence our #MondayMusings post will not be hosted on Write Tribe for a couple of weeks.
Do remember to visit the other blogs linked and begin by reading the#MondayMusings on the three hosts’ blogs. We would love to read your thoughts.
happiness and food 
I am so glad you did the pact and did it in the right spirit 🙂 What I love about sarees is the absolute comfort you feel once you get used to wearing them. I wore them all through my college years and became so cozy in it that it became like a second skin. I never shied away from wearing saris to any event/holiday/outing. It was and will always be my favourite attire.
Kudos on completing the pact, Parul. Life threw way too many curve balls for me to ensure that I would stick to it this time but maybe I will take it up again in 2016.
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Thank you Shailaja! If it wasn’t you, I would not have known on the pact and you know that. So big hugs! In North of India, unmarried girls wear sarees only on occasions and when I was growing up, even that was uncommon. So I was waiting to get married to be able to wear sarees. I am glad I could do that 🙂
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What a lovely post, Parul! You look gorgeous in those lovely saree pics you’ve been putting up 🙂 I think nothing can beat the saree in grace and beauty ever and although I wasn’t part of the #100sareepact, I too have worn them on so many occasions over the last year. All I needed was an excuse to do so. I thought this was a fantastic idea seeing so many people I know who would wear it to work in today’s world all because of the #100sareepact! Looking forward to whatever is coming next…whatever it is am sure it will be exciting…perhaps I might even join this time 😀
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Thank you Esha! These 8+ months were a fabulous journey and I am going to always remember 2015 🙂
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I so wanted to do this but I got to know very late about the pact 😦 first half of this year I was completely MIA from social media for good and hence unaware 😦 But this one gave me so much happiness in terms of the updates on FB TL (yours included) esp the stories behind all those sarees 🙂
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It was fun Richa and it’s never late. I heard someone started yesterday. It was all about your personal comfort and the number was just an indicator 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
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Yes! You completed it. Lots of hugs to you! I loved this post of yours – loved reading about the sari journey!
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Thank you Sreesha ❤
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You did a great job with this challenge and loved looking at all the photographs of you in sarees, Parul. The last time I wore a saree was for my wedding, nine years ago. I’m almost tempted to start wearing them again for special occasions at least. However, I gave all my sarees away, including my wedding saree.
PS: What a sweet gesture from your friend. You must have felt so honoured.
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Thanks Corinne! You should wear for special occasions like your recent family get together? 🙂 May be buy one to start 🙂
Yes, I loved her gesture as well. So kind and loving one!
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How wonderful Parul! I didn’t take part in this because I don’t wear saree so often, not because I don’t love wearing it but because I’m not comfortable going out and spending whole day in office in it..Of course, this year there were other factors which made wearing saree unthinkable…Loved your journey though…Oh, I have recently purchased two sarees and can’t wait to put them on…By the way you look very good in sarees 🙂
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I have followed some of your saree pact posts on social media and I must say I am a fan… you carry the saree with elegance and incorporating it in the daily routine is awesome… am also glad that you interpreted it as a pact to wear sarees more often rather than buying and wearing 100 sarees 🙂
kudos girl…
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Those lines where u speak of why the sari is so you, is very heart warming indeed !
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Congratulations Parul! You deserve a huge round of applause for having finished the challenge so beautifully. I love sarees but I am still not able to carry it properly. Your pictures make me want to wear one right away but the winter chill says otherwise. 🙂
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Hi. I’m glad to have “met”‘ you. I admire these social media events because they give food for thought, purpose and much more. I hope to prepare a post for #MondayMusings and return here to link. It is tough to maintain a blog challenge event and I hope yours will sustain momentum.
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It was a beautiful year!! All you lovely ladies looked so beautiful! 🙂
I enjoyed the stories each one of you shared 🙂
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I saw some of your pictures, and you looked so comfortable in sarees. That’s great. I am happy you enjoyed this pact and had fun completing it 🙂
In a way this thing had the potential to revive the art of wearing sari among urban women. I just hope it didn’t “ethnicize” the sari, if you know what I mean by that 🙂 Sari has been and continues to be a most unique Indian dress and should remain like that, without any “ethnic” tag which will rather ghettoise it and take away this most natural drape of ordinary Indian woman and put it in the hands of designers.
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I totally ageee with you there. It should be what it is. An attire! I’m also against ethnicizing sarees. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
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I always love to see someone see a challenge through. You did it, and with such style. Your smiling face in all those sarees really livened up my timeline. I will miss that.
I also envy you. I am awkward and uncomfortable in sarees. Someday I hope to be able to wear them with as much grace and poise as you do.
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I am sure all of you who took this challenge had a lot of fun. And also played a small part in bringing the saree back in vogue :D.
Moreover, kudos to you for completing the challenge quite successfully. I am sure a lot many would fall by the wayside but you stuck to it :).
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That’s Wonderful Parul. Have been following your posts on FB. I must say you have patience & determination to complete the challenge. It wasn’t easy. You looked beautiful. Hugs 🙂
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You look so pretty !!!
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Thanks much!!
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You Saree and the spirit behind it utterly beautiful.
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Thank you Chaitali!
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Pretty girl… and what a feat! 🙂 You must have thoroughly enjoyed it….
I hardly get a chance to wear a saree here…
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Congrats to you for completing this. You look fabulous!!!
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Congrats…I’m stuck at 26 😦
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It’s okay! All about how much you enjoy the pact
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