(Clockwise from prime left) Air India’s air hostesses; sari-clad scientists; air hostesses welcoming friends; a 1950s advert for a ‘trendy’ lady; and designer Manish Malhotra with Katrina Kaif.
| Picture Credit score: Getty Pictures and Particular Association
No extra saris? Air India could herald new search for flight crew” was the headline. The article continued, “For six many years now, Air India’s flight attendants have worn the entire 9 yards whereas negotiating long-haul flights and demanding passengers… The brand new look, anticipated to be unveiled in November, will embody churidars for ladies and fits for males”. As somebody identified to be a sari aficionado, my cellphone started to ring. Everybody wished my views.
My preliminary response was disappointment. Since I put on saris even when using a camel or climbing onto the higher berth in a practice, I can vouch for his or her consolation and ease in all conditions (besides presumably a hurricane or snow storm!). To provide “negotiating long-haul flights and demanding prospects” as a purpose to desert the sari is nonsense. Girls throughout India cycle, work on constructing websites, run companies, and ship infants carrying saris. And the ladies scientists who labored tirelessly to make our profitable mission to the moon occur, all wore saris. Saris epitomise a timeless female aesthetic and are exquisitely turning into, making all sizes and shapes look stunning.
Splendidly modern
Nonetheless, change and innovation are inevitable. Each period and new administration desires to impose its personal stamp. Neither is all change a foul factor; it usually brings with it freshness and vitality. Giving up the normal sari drape could also be a chance for creativity and our identified jugaad. India has many costumes that let simple motion, whereas the sari itself has over a 100 draping types, together with knee-length, calf-length and divided skirt variations, in addition to extra up to date stitched variations.
An all-women Air India crew to have a good time Worldwide Girls’s Day
| Picture Credit score:
A. Muralitharan
I bear in mind a splendidly modern Tarun Tahiliani sari costume that might maintain its personal on any 21st century style ramp, not to mention the aisle of an airline. Air India itself as soon as had a chic printed silk tunic and an Aligarh pyjama ensemble with an extended scarf connected to at least one shoulder. There are lots of of thrilling choices. Simply so long as they don’t put Air India cabin employees into the tight jackets, mini skirts, neck scarves, little caps, and stockings that make flight attendants of most of our Indian airways look so dowdy, imitative, and dated.
I collect that designer Manish Malhotra has been entrusted with the duty. He’s definitely each versatile and skilled, having designed not simply the Swarovski and zardozi-encrusted lehengas, ghagras and sherwanis that characteristic at each Bollywood and socialite marriage ceremony, but additionally costumes for actually lots of of movies in each style from gangster to sci-fi. His repertoire consists of jewelry, dwelling decor, and sweetness merchandise. Wikipedia describes Malhotra’s model as “timeless, related and inspirational for each technology” and what may very well be a greater transient for this explicit problem.
Air India crew pose with trays of meals.
| Picture Credit score:
A. Roy Chowdhury
Shopping for on the rise
Nor do I believe Air India altering its uniforms spells the tip of the sari! Ever since I can bear in mind, individuals have been predicting its demise. Fortunately, it hasn’t occurred but. A sari is just too turning into to desert altogether. Actually, our Dastkar weaver teams say sari shopping for is definitely on the rise. It’s true that the younger put on them much less, and so do city office-goers. However virtually all nonetheless put on saris as effectively. I don’t suppose it’s a lot a difficulty of truly draping and carrying it, because the hassle of laundering and ironing. Each the old school dhobis and areas to hold and dry a sari are briefly provide in our high-rise metro cities. I want some sensible IIT graduate would invent a machine that might starch, dry and roller-press saris. It could be a sell-out. In any other case, working-class sari wearers will find yourself solely carrying synthetics, and others will reserve theirs for formal and festive put on, dropping many great handloom cotton traditions within the course of.
And, again to newspaper studies, why do reporters at all times consult with the sari because the ‘entire 9 yards’? The sari is six yards or five-and-a-half metres, until it’s the just about extinct Maharashtrian or Tamil Brahmin model. To name it “the 9 yard drape” is as foolish and inaccurate as calling the proposed churidars a change to “extra up to date apparel”. Actually the Nivi sari model present at this time originated in Kolkata within the late 19th century, whereas churidars are from Mughal occasions.
I believe it’s important that Air India does have uniforms which might be distinctive, and uniquely Indian: it’s what distinguishes us from the myriad different airways that criss-cross the worldwide skies. Even when Air India had misplaced its earlier fame in virtually each division (together with its trademark Maharaja), individuals raved about (and remembered) its welcoming air crew of their ravishing costumes. Placing them in western put on can be like substituting our namaste greeting with a gum-chewing hello!
The author is chairperson-founder member of Dastkar, Society for Crafts & Craftspeople