I find that it is so hard when I want to wear sari because need to know the technique. Let me show you.
Step 1:
Two essential pieces of garments, that go alongwith the Sari, need to be
chosen carefully to compliment the Sari.
These are:
* A petticoat - which is a waist-to-floor garment, tied tightly at the
waist by a drawstring. The petticoat color should match the base sari
color as closely as possible. No part of the petticoat, of course, is
visible outside the Sari, after having worn it.
* A blouse - which needs to be tight-fitting and whose color needs to be
chosen keeping the look of the sari in mind, can be short sleeved or
sleeveless, with a variety of necklines. The blouse ends just below the
bust.
Step 2:
Start wearing the sari by tucking its plain/upper end into the
petticoat, at a position which is a little bit to the right of the
navel. Make sure that the lower end of the sari should be touching the
floor, and that the whole length of the sari comes on the left-hand
side. Now wrap the sari around yourself once, with the sari now coming
back in the front, on your right side.
Step 3:
Make about 5 to 7 pleats of equal width of 5 inches, starting at the
tucked-in end. Gather the pleats together, neatly, ensuring that the
lower edge of the pleats are even and just off the ground and that the
pleats fall straight and evenly. A safety pin may be used to stop the
pleats from scattering.
Step 4:
Neatly tuck the pleats into the petticoat, at the waist, slightly to the
left of the navel, in such a manner that they open to your left.
Step 5:
Drape the remaining fabric around yourself once more left to right, and
bring it round your hips to the front, holding the top edge of the sari.
Step 6:
Slightly raise the remaining portion of the Sari on your back, bringing
it up under the right arm and over the left shoulder so that the end of
the Sari falls to about the level of your knees.
The end portion thus draped, from the left shoulder onwards, is called
the Pallav or the Pallu, and can be prevented from slipping off teh
shoulder, by fastening it at the shoulder to the blouse with a small
safety pin.
Friday, 21 December 2012
Thursday, 20 December 2012
I was imprisoned in a male body, until a surgeon's knife cut me free
Soon after I turned 13, my mirror stopped being my friend. The
school uniform added a compulsory turban to my head, and nature added
hair to my face. Clothes
were nice if they were my mother's and long hair was fine when it was
in plaits, instead of being wound inside a turban. Games were fun as
long as they were 'Teacher' and 'Housekeeping' and not cricket;
preferred companions were girls and not boys. But then I was Gunraj from
Chandigarh, today I am Gazal, 25.
And if you just looked at my picture again to check how masculine (or feminine) I look now, I will not blame you. It is the most natural reaction from a society, which unconsciously enforces a rigid distinction between genders. Any blur on this line is generally laughed at. Yet, I must tell you the story of my gender change, my liberation. Because there are thousands of people who feel trapped in their bodies. They hide instincts for fear of rejection, uncertain whether it is right to feel and want what everyone around them finds wrong. I want people to know how I survived 25 years in a role I did not choose for myself. A role which I played day after day without any hope of the curtain falling.
And if you just looked at my picture again to check how masculine (or feminine) I look now, I will not blame you. It is the most natural reaction from a society, which unconsciously enforces a rigid distinction between genders. Any blur on this line is generally laughed at. Yet, I must tell you the story of my gender change, my liberation. Because there are thousands of people who feel trapped in their bodies. They hide instincts for fear of rejection, uncertain whether it is right to feel and want what everyone around them finds wrong. I want people to know how I survived 25 years in a role I did not choose for myself. A role which I played day after day without any hope of the curtain falling.
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