“Oh God, it’s so difficult to work wearing a saree”, 20 year old Meenakshi complained to her sister-in-law. She has mopped and swept the entire house, washed the dishes, cooked and packed lunch for her husband. Meenakshi finally finds a breather to have her breakfast along with her sister-in-law who is more or less her age.
With her pregnancy advancing towards final term, she is lately finding it even more difficult to move about in a saree. She is soon drenched in sweat even after a nice cold water bath!
“I feel I should start wearing Praveen’s shirt and pant. Sometime he wears shorts which are so comfortable to move around when you are working”, Meenakshi continued, not realising her mother-in-law, Savita, was sitting right behind her reading a book.
“Hmmm, not a bad idea at all, wearing your husband’s clothes”, interrupted Savita making Meenakshi jump up with a start.
“But why does a woman have to wear a saree and feel uncomfortable all the time when men are allowed to wear any outfit of their choice?” Savita’s daughter Revati rebelled with a little anger in her voice.
Savita dragged a chair closer to Revati and Meenakshi, as if to share a few life-truths with them.
“You know how convenient a saree is? It has many uses. You can mop your face with the pallu (the dangling end of a saree) when you are sweating; your kids can wipe their hands and face; when you go into the drawing room to serve coffee and breakfast to your husband and father-in-law, you can wrap your pallu around your head; when the vegetable vendor comes to the front door, you can easily carry the vegetables in your pallu and bring them inside; when your 4-year-old son wants to lie down on your lap, your saree cushions him well and makes him comfortable; when you feel tired while cooking, you can spread the pallu on the floor and take a snooze too!” Savita stopped speaking to take a breath.
“You know something else? At night, you can make your husband very happy when you wear a crisp white saree”, Savita came closer to Meenakshi and whispered in her ear as if passing down a family secret to her daughter-in-law.
Meenakshi’s face blushed when she heard her mother-in-law’s last sentence. Enlightened with the conversation, she picked up the empty plates and glasses to wash them in the backyard and clean the kitchen, all the while humming a song happily under her breath.
And Meenakshi lived happily ever after…
Savita’s commendation is good if the saree is cotton-made. Nevertheless, who wears saree at home these days? They find a nighty more comfortable.