by Wahi S

Created on: April 18, 2008   Last Updated: September 17, 2009

Sari refers to the type of clothing that encompass a long cloth of anything between four to nine meters long. This cloth is not stitched. You will be able to find embroidery and designer works. You will be bale to find a sari from fifty rupees to fifty lakh rupees. From weddings to burial, Indian have a sentiment towards sari. This is the traditional dress for the Indian women; the traditional and the modern.

Sari is very popular amongst Indians and is catching up with many in the western civilizations as well. In fact, anyone who visits India will try the sari at least once.

The history of Indian sari can be traced to very long back. It is hard to pinpoint to a certain tribe or civilization that brought it into practice. In tales depicting the way of lives, we see the women portrayed wearing saris. The Hindu goddesses are seen to wear saris. If we go according to movies, it has been there from the very beginning. Classical dancers wear sari for their performances. In modern India, where women have come out to the labor market, you will not find them wearing modern suits but saris.

Sari is such a flexible form of dress that it can be worn in so many different forms. It consists of the long cloth and it is normally worn with a matching underskirt and blouse. Saris can be very modest and decent while it can be worn to be utterly sexy ad sensuous. The way the sari is worn used to identify and it still does in certain parts signify the status, body language and possibly the state or tribe they belong to.

In the olden times, in rural areas, if you are lucky you could still witness this, women used to wear Sari minus the underskirt and blouse. Thy wear the sari knee length wile draping it to perfectly fit their body shape. Gujaratis wear the sari from back to front while in the southern parts of India such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu, they wear it from front to back. Brahmins wear the sari in such a way that it seems that they are wearing a stepped pant coupled with a top, just like the classical dancers wear.

In the very early times in Kerala, females used to wear dhoti and sari blouse with they covered with a cloth. This makes the sari as a three piece costume popularly known as "Mundum- neriyathum." Today, saris come in lots of textures and styles. There are so many names given to them. Previously, the well-known work were known as "Kancheepuram" and most of the population opted for the cotton saris.

They used to be the must-haves in weddings for the bride and even the people attending the weddings. Nowadays, the new designer saris are invented day in day out. The most popular venue for the designers is the television. They tie up with the best serials and sitcoms to showcase their work. The shimmer and dazzle of the sari business is here to stay. Especially so with the flexibility of Sari. It can be made to make you look out of this world or you could well choose to opt for the more humble and modest look.

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