Foreign editorial targets Saree; gives nationalism spin

The New York Times has triggered a heated debate by trying to give the 'saree' a political-communal agenda; something that quickly invited sharp and lucid reactions from Indians across all platforms defending not just the identity but also the plurality of an attire which is perhaps as old as Indian civilization itself. The saree in India is a binding factor for all women from almost all regions who dorn the saree according to their regional style and take pride in the thousand different weaves associated with diverse regions spread across the country. 

In its recently published article, the NYT claimed to have reason to believe that the revival of the traditional textile cottage industry has everything to do with propagating the political agenda of 'Hindu nationalism' where only Hindu women are seen as patrons of the age-old saree. 

The article states, 

''Since the Bharatiya Janata Party formed a national government in 2014, the Indian fashion industry has been pressed to aggressively promote traditional attire and bypass Western styles. The effort aligns with the party’s broader political program: to project multi-faith India, a country of more than 1.3 billion, as a Hindu nation.''

It further adds that while the country was postured to script its own growth story, the new government has only weakened that resolve; this despite the fact that a recent report released by Bank of America Merrill Lynch backs India to surpass Japan as the third largest economy globally in a decade's time. The article, which goes on to elaborate that the revival of weaves has only helped in furthering the cause of Hindu nationalism, failed to take into account with its example of Banarasi Weaves that nearly 90% of weavers profiting from the revival of looms are Muslim Momin Ansari weavers — the traditional backbone of the famous Banarasi silk weave which has an extended global market as well. 

Specific to the Banarasi saree, the article says, 

"The exhibition, which brought together the work of some of the country’s leading fashion designers including Anita Dongre and Manish Malhotra, was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles and intended to promote the Banarasi sari, the traditional garment known for its fine silk and opulent embroidery — and primarily worn by Hindu women. Since then, there have been frequent state-sponsored fashion shows and exhibitions, most recently the “Symphony of Weaves,” a fashion showcase for the country’s textiles, held in July in Gujarat, all with the aim of promoting traditional Indian clothing styles."

The article goes on to lampoon the revival of traditional attire by linking it to the political ideology of the ruling party despite the fact that the saree is a very popular workwear attire for almost all women parliamentarians as well, despite their different ideological leanings or religious identities. The writer, perhaps, did not take into account that even women from the minority sections including the now anointed Saint Mother Teresa too wore her solemn white saree with a blue border without once putting a communal agenda on her choice of clothing. 

"India’s leaders have always made political use of traditional clothing, from Mohandas K. Gandhi’s adoption of the dhoti to Jawaharlal Nehru’s jacket. But active state intervention and patronage of the fashion industry have never before reached this scale."

As pointed out by various Indian celebrities, the saree is a quintessential piece of art which when worn with love espouses elegance and grace. It is a timeless piece of art and sometimes an essential heirloom which represents the rich diversity of our nation no matter who wears it.