Caught red handed with a Bandhani saree

Bobbing along, singing a song (Lal Chadi maidaan khadi from the movie Janwar) on the 4th day of BarAThon…

Hubby dearest had gone on an official visit to Udaipur. He decided to surprise moi with a beautiful saree. He got me a fire engine red bandhani in georgette. I fell in love with the colour and the texture.

On a lovely Sunday afternoon we decided to go out for lunch and follow it up with some festival shopping, Navratris and Diwali were round the corner. I decided to dress up and wore the new saree. Oh she draped so beautifully and softly. I had teamed it up with some beautiful strings round my neck and some gorgeous glass bangles. A few heads did turn (at least I think so) and I vividly remember a lady commenting on the bandhej work.

After a sumptuous lunch (don’t remember where), we drove to South Extension market (in Delhi) and started walking around window shopping on our way to Nalli Silks. Lord Varuna suddenly decided to drop in uninvited. We decided to walk a little briskly and reach the store.

When the first few drops of rain fell, I did not realise that the saree would start to shrink. To my horror I found the cloth shrinking in a few spots and when I touched the said areas, my hands started turning red. My saree was bleeding. Everywhere the saree touched my skin was turning red.

We decided to take shelter in a shop close by and move after the rains stopped. But then it started pouring and then we decided to head back home rather than take a chance with not the rain, but my saree. I didn’t want to look like Mumtaz in Bollywood movies with my knee length saree. Of course she looked good because her petticoat was also knee length whereas mine was floor length (bleh…).

I kept the saree in my wardrobe for a very long time only because it was beautiful and it broke my heart to throw it away.