An ongoing campaign hopes to raise funds to revive India’s regional sari drapes for the urban wearer through a series of films
The sari — it might be an omnipresent Indian garment, yet it is one that so few of us really understand. For instance, did you know that there are over a hundred ways to drape a sari, and that a lot of these drapes don’t require a blouse, petticoat or safety pins?
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Border&Fall, a digital platform championing India’s garment, textile and craft community, is hoping to produce how-to drape films that document the sari’s diverse regional drapes. The series will involve a visual library of 84 drapes through ‘how-to-drape’ films, as well as three short indie films by prominent filmmakers that speak about the sari’s relevance in the past, present and future.
The Thakkar drape of Maharashtra features in Saris: Tradition and Beyond
To raise the required funds for this extensive project, Border&Fall is running a month-long Kickstarter campaign, which will end on November 13.
Why the sari?
In a survey conducted by Border&Fall of 100 men and women, all aged between 16 and 45 and from big Indian cities, 20 per cent of the participants said they didn’t know how to drape a sari, and nearly 30 per cent said they could but needed assistance. Moreover, only two per cent of the participants believed there were over 15 ways the garment could be draped; most think the Nivi drape — with its front pleats and long pallu draped over the left shoulder — is the only way to wear it.
Five Indian sari draping styles. Illustration Courtesy/Manuja Waldia
“Why aren’t women wearing saris more? Because there is no existing video documentation of how to wear the various regional drapes, and no easily accessible place where one can learn how to drape a sari with ease. They should be able to watch a video and learn how to wear a sari,” says Malika Verma Kashyap, who founded Border&Fall back in 2010.
Many fear that the sari, which is often seen as traditional and old-fashioned, might altogether disappear from the social fabric as future generations — especially those living in larger cities — assign it to the back of their closets, to be brought out only for an occasion.
Kashyap adds, “Certain regional styles of draping are often relegated to particular classes of society. It is time for a shift in perception, and hopefully this anthology will make the sari more accessible to a global audience.”
Thus, the 84 how-to films, which are slated for release in the first half of 2017, will be made available free of charge across digital platforms including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and a dedicated website. The three filmmakers who’ve been brought on board are Qaushik Mukherjee (who prefers being called ‘Q’), Pooja Kaul, and New York-based Bon Duke (who will also shoot the how-to films).
Calling the crowd
So far, the campaign has raised '20 lakh of its '1 crore goal on Kickstarter, and the November 13 deadline looms close.
Kashyap says, “We’ve been trying to raise funds for months, but philanthropy is still at a nascent stage in India, especially when it comes to projects like these.”
She adds that those who aren’t sure about contributing on Kickstarter can also reach our directly to Border&Fall through their website or social media channels.
While there is no monetary
benefit, contributors will, depending on the amount donated, receive thank-yous in the form of rewards, including saris from top Indian designers such as Raw Mango, Rahul Mishra and Anavila (in pics, left and top), dinners in New York and New Delhi hosted by fashion industry creatives, or associate-producer credit on the films, among others.
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