Of Age Old Traditions and Memories

#mystory, #Ofageoldtraditionsandmemories, #Modernmadisaarumami

Yesterday was a special day in our family with us celebrating the death anniversary of my deceased FIL. The ceremony known as the ShrAdham is a special remembrance event of not only him but 2 generations before too . We not only prepare and offer food to the souls but also acknowledge and are grateful for everything they did for us. Wishing them the best for their lives wherever they are.

The dress code for this is generally the madisaaru for the women and the panchakacham for the men. Both are a few yards of cloth wrapped around the body since traditionally in India one's garments were never "worn" as much as wrapped around the body in different ways.

The madisaaru or the nine yard sari especially  is not a dress code as much as was the daily wear of all women in India 2 generations back. It's worn in different styles across India and has diffn names to it but essentially nine yards of cotton or other textile ( depending on the occasion) worn in different ways . But mostly like a pant across the legs that allowed women to go about their daily tasks with ease. Farmers , housewives,  teachers and all sorts of women wore this.

And all across India the 9 yard sari is worn the very first time when one gets married. It's gifted by the bridgegroom's parents and worn during the rites that finalize the wedding and declare the man and woman as husband and wife. Kinda like the bride wearing the white wedding gown  for the final ring exchanging ceremony.

My own wedding madisaaru sari was a bright orange and yellow like a mango made of silk , commonly known as the KAnjeevaram. It is a form of silk very typically weaved in the south Indian state of TamilNadu.  The major difference though between the madisaaru and the western wedding gown  is that we can wear ours again and again during special celebrations. I've worn mine many other times like during my brother's wedding, the girls' first birthday ceremonies etc...

I've always worn this previously with my MIL's help and since today I had to do it myself , I stood up to the challenge. Saw a YouTube video to get the basics , tried a few times myself and then Skyped with my MIL' for the finishing touches and doubts. The best part of it though was that Shruthkirti walked in when I was discussing doubts and got immediately hooked on. She did all the stuff I was having difficulties with ( especially the adjusting of the sari behind) and took notes too and turned it into an instruction manual for me.

That's when I realized that this woman is hooked into anything that's remotely DIY. She now knows exactly how to tie the nine yards madisaaru.
So if any of you in the Bay Area is in need of someone who can tie you the 9 yard madisaaru , me and my daughter are at your service.

I feel so happy doing this today finally. To have finally jumped into it and learnt it do it myself. 
I've had the inspiration for the longest time now by my SIL Sharanya Varadharaj who adopted this as her default way of dressing up for all traditional worship and festivals. Also Jyoti Nath Yelagalawadi, my friend from Samskrita Bharati recently did a self project where she learned to wear the nine yards in different styles common across the South Indian states.
Well as they say when the time is right , everything falls in place. My desire for the past 15 years has finally been fulfilled. Be ready to see many more photos of me in the madisaaru. 😉😉😉

And when I think of it,  it is less about following a dress code or doing something thats " required" and more about preserving these ancient ways of dressing up. It's actually a very practical way of wearing the sari as compared to the 6 yards commonly seen today style. It's also about sentiments and memories of my grandmas and other elderly women in my family and communities.
The everyday madisaaru was made of soft cotton that was ideal for South India's hot weather. And it came in bright colors reflecting the Flora and fauna around. And our grandma's madisaaru sari used to get really soft from years of use, that we always use that as the very first blanket to wrap our newborns in. I remember receiving my maternal grandma or paati's nine yard sari with such excitement when expecting Chellu. It felt like such a treasure to receive. The fabric is so soft and full of all the memories of one's grandparents. I remember feeling like my paati was there , embracing , cuddling and kissing my newborn though she was miles away in India. Gosh I miss her so much !! Just writing this brings tears to my eyes with all the memories of her rushing to my mind.
The same sari was then used to wrap Kunju for the very first time after her birth. What a beautiful link that madisaaru ended up forming between my grandmother and my children!

The madisaaru I wore yesterday also comes with its own story. It was  a hand me down from my mother which was in turn gifted to her by a temple priest. This sari had once adorned the idol of a Goddess or a Devi in a temple in South India. This is very common too - to pass on the sari used to dress up an idol to a woman. Thus passing on the emotions, the stories and memories of that temple and the communities associated with it.

So happy that finally I too become a link in this beautiful chain..of age old cultures and traditions and precious memories. And how beautiful it is truly that it happened through modern technology. If not for YouTube and Skype I wouldn't have winged it at the last min. Truly who says that  the old and new can't coexist ?