Its time to give thanks.

Thanksgiving is not a Indian tradition and unlike christmas, easter or new year it does not stem from a religious doctrine hence it has never caught my eye. Today as people wished each other on facebook  the word hooked me.

Thanksgiving...how many times are we actually thankful...there are a million moments when we have sighed a relief and thanked the all mighty...like the moment you find your expensive mobile phone when lost, you pass your exams or when you get that job you had pinned your hopes on.

The thankfulness is so fleeting its here a moment and gone the next. Maybe thats the reason why we are so unhappy in todays day and age we want things....which are here now and gone tomorrow. There was a time when we wanted relationships valued them respected them and we were actually shit scared of losing them...hence perhaps the concept of fear of "what people will say " a reality embedded in our Indian culture..Somewhere the purity of relationships got twisted into fear which like all evils got destroyed into "we live for ourselves and not the world "

Why is it that all good things have to be messed up by us......we lost out on one of the most important things of our life...the one thing that we have to be most thankful for...our loved ones...people who have invested in us and have held our hand through the storm.

They are what we need to be most thankful for because if it was not for them a lot of things that today we are thankful for would perhaps not be a part of our life.

 For every important occasion in my life with every important person I have worn a Sari...each one bought or gifted with love hence making it more special

I am thankful to have Badi Ma ( Aunt) in my life, I am what I am because of her she taught me the value of selfless love the teaching is a huge part of who I am today...  Wearing a net yellow Lehenga Sari

I  am thankful to have Appa in my life its not often that you are blessed with a father in law who erases the in law part and becomes your father...... Wearing a tomato red georgette with bead work

I am thankful for my husband, when you have no words to describe  a relationship thats when you know that the joy has transcended  to a level where the smile says all...I am wearing a chiffon bandhni

There are some friends who stand by you like a rock in times when the wind is so strong that without their support you would be blown over...Thankful for these  kind of friends......Wearing a Sea Green georgette

wearing a Kanjvaram

Then there are friends who are a reflection of who you are, they find time for you when its absolutely impossible so that you can find time to be you after you are absolutely exhausted of pretending to be somebody you are not...Thankful for their companionship.

wearing a green leheriya.

When the world has stopped turning and the lights are dim,  its your people who will hold your hand and say, there is nothing to worry as long as you have me....

Varnanggal - A brand that weaves bold with beautiful

Bold is beautiful this sentence has been interpreted by many over the years in various shapes, sizes and colors. The thing about art is that it is always open to interpretation. When it comes to us women the word bold has never been used in any positive sense, hence bold and beautiful are two words that share a  relationship which has never been as easy as it sounds.

The individual who looked at a woman and said that bold is beautiful was in the truest sense a feminist because beautiful to the largest part in its existence has never been associated with anything that has stood out for its attention grabbing character, be it as shock or  as awe, bold has always been a very misunderstood personality often getting lost in the definition that a particular society of a particular period bestowed on it.

When I came across this brand Varnanggall the relationship between bold and beautiful was truly well defined. A woman is bold yet beautiful because she is the only one who can stand tall with her values, her beliefs and yet not make another feel small if they are not in sync with her's.

Somehow in the cacophony of male sounds of pride, ego, selfishness, insecurity the boldness of the woman got lost in wanting to be one up on the man in the loudness, insensitivity and pettiness that already has polluted our social and professional atmosphere.

We have somehow forgotten that we are women and not men, blessed with our unique abilities to nurture, to create, to liberate, boldness comes from standing for your values, to fight for your loved ones and create a life which is productive not only for your self but for those around you.

Varnanggall to me is the very embodiment of this a genius coming together of various styles, fabrics and colors stitched together to create a unique single element that can be nobody but just you.

Our identity always lies in our roots

Local artisans create magic with kalmakari, lambani and Ikal

Bold colors revive the essence of the Woman in you

Every creative person knows that when art is created it lives on for a lifetime

Each piece is handcrafted to suit only you. The very definition of customization

Bold is Beautiful and nobody can embody it more perfectly than a Woman

You can own a unique Varananggal Saree here : varnanggall@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/lavanyaakr/

The 500 & 1000 INR Saree...because its just not a number..

The whole nation is reeling from the move by the government to discontinue Rupees 500 and 1000 from the system there are mixed responses to the decision which is the case in most major decisions. While my political views on the decision have been made amply clear by me on facebook. As I sat down to write this post It was surely on my mind.... I couldn't seem to make up my mind whether the demonition was high or low.....

If it was low could It buy me a saree and if it was high could it buy me a good enough saree.. something that I could wear for a casual occasion and not think twice...As I looked back at my purchases I realized that the demonition both 500 and 1000 have bought me some  lovely memories in some lovely sarees....each buy has been memorable because I was able to buy a saree which was great in quality and great in style. The wonder of finding something amazing at such a low price made the saree even more valuable to me....

Money can never have a definition despite all the economics of the world it will always be relative...what matters is the joy and peace that it brings you.... sometimes in the form of a saree worth Rs 500 that looks and feels like its worth a 1000...the rest is just ones and zeros'.

All the saree's below either cost 500 or 1000 INR

A cotton kasavu saree 

This is my first kasavu saree worn by me in my new house on the occasion of vishu, this saree is deemed auspicious, a classic example of  good things dont need a label.

A beautiful Kalmakari cotton Saree

An exhibition is where I found this lovely beauty at a stall nestled in a corner when I heard how much it was for, I said to myself the most beautiful things in life are undervalued.

A subtle bandhni 

This saree was a gift hence cant comment on the fabric, It was my anniversary and a surprise dinner caught me off guard, she was sitting in my closet brand new and made my evening more special. Sometimes now is the only thing that matters.

A simple kerala cotton

She is the reminder of a wonderful time in gods own country, and now sits in the wardrobe of my maid she loved the color. Hence I feel this saree turned out to be the most valuable because it brought happiness twice over.

The tale of a Saree in Bangkok

Its been a great Diwali because I got to spend it in Bangkok ! the break was most welcome and the Thailand trip was absolutely awesome. Most of you would be thinking where is this  going....

The festival of lights is the perfect opportunity for me to drape my five yards to my heart's fullest. This year thou I was going to miss the opportunity.

As I was packing my bag for  travel, cautiously weighing each adventure I was going to embark on,  eliminating adding and again eliminating dresses I stopped for a second. The last day was going to be a dinner cruise on the Chaophraya river and the dress of choice was a strappy short dress.
It was the last day of Diwali and the New Year. What was stopping me from draping a sari.
Why had I not asked myself this question ?
Was there a unsung rule that one cannot wear a Sari on a international Trip...or was I afraid of falling into the aunty category as only elderly women were expected to wear a sari. Nothing is more beautiful, classy and sophisticated than a saree, and as I was wondering which one to carry with me to  its first international destination. A dual tone green and pink pure silk with flower motifs looked at me....I had saved this saree for a special occasion as it was a gift from my loving aunt.
Just like that it was decided, I was going to wear a Saree for the cruise.

The husband was not very excited about the fact that I was going to wear a saree but then as most husbands knew better than to argue :) I wont deny that my heart did flutter, thinking whether I would draw stares or a comment or two...Then I looked at myself draped in this surreal weave and nothing else mattered except the fact that I finally got an opportunity to wear it...

Nothing makes a Woman look beautiful as a Saree and the smile on the husband's face is all I needed to know that I couldn't have looked more beautiful than now.

The night was beautiful with the moon shining bright, as the ship cruised through the calm waters of the river the lit monuments just created the perfect backdrop for memorable pictures and a stunning selfie.

 I often wonder why do we downplay are own strengths, the saree is the ultimate symbol of our identity why is it normal for us to wear a gown or a dress for a formal event and not a saree. 

Dinner was wonderful because it was accompanied by compliments for my saree and my look. 

If I had walked into a bar in  India in a saree I would have probably got disapproving looks but there everybody understood and appreciated that the dress was your identity it represented the culture and craftsmanship of that wonderful country I call home...