Sari Love - Sadiya Kazmi and the soul of her sari style

Hello Sari-istas! I’m back with another sari love guest, and am happy to introduce Sadiya Kazmi, a social activist, fellow service wife and a friend. I love her casual chic sari style and the way she carries of her handwoven saris with elan. Like any fauji wife, Sadiya, lives and works from all across, and is currently based in Abu Dhabi.

 Sadiya, please tell us a bit about yourself.

Whatever I tell about myself has to be related to my love for sarees because whatever I do ,who I am and what I think is connected with my soul. And the word saree is just as much part of my soul and wraps up within its folds, everything I am and everything I do.

I take great pride in what I do - I am a social activist by profession. I chose this because staying true to oneself is very important for me in order to keep my sanity and honesty intact in my life. I work mostly with children and women, and take theatre workshops because that's what I am by nature and profession - a street theatre artist. My work allows me to share my belief and sentiments with. I choose social issues to portray in my theatre, something which I strongly feel about and love to spread this social awareness. It gives me immense pride when the concept is embraced enthusiastically by the people I work with .

And when I use words like enthusiasm, embrace, believe and soul, I feel like it's important to mention that I associate these with my love for sarees. I am married to an Air force Officer and I should give a lot of credit to my life as being a part of this organization that helped me build my confidence in wearing the saree the way I do today. I have been married for almost 19 years now and cannot imagine having embarked on this journey without tirelessly trying to prove that I can carry a saree and I love it.

 What does the sari mean to you, and what’s your sari style all about?

I stay connected with every saree I own because every time I drape it, every fold is an effort towards perfection and elegance that one needs to acquire as a proud Indian woman. It's the tradition, it's the history, it’s decades old of said and unsaid stories of women of all ages within the folds and weave of sarees. It's a part of our upbringing.

For me it's a part of motherhood , marriage, work and the people I spend most of my time with. The word ‘saree’ is confidence for me, which means when I drape it, the saree knows I will do justice to it. Which is why sometimes I like to wear it in an unconventional style and know my saree won't mind that. Although my favourite style of wearing it is the good old simple Indian style, where sometimes I can casually take the pallu and keep it on my shoulders in many folds.

 How do you accessorize your saris?

I am a silver jewellery freak so I love to accessorize my sarees with long silver earrings or a big pendant. But to let out a big secret and to be honest, till date the only thing I like to wear with a saree is a huge Red bindi. That's it. Let's stay true to the character of our 6 or 9 yards. I love wearing silks, mostly jute ,Tusshar ,Banarasi, Sambhalpuri , Bengal silk, Assam and Pochampally silk and Bhagal puri silk, which are part of my proud collection. Another favourite is a simple cotton saree, crisp and breezy, perfect for everyday wear.

 And I must mention the women who inspire me everyday with their saree style: Malini Muddappa, who runs studio Krsnah and Shobana Shanker , Sonal Sardesai Gautham ,Chandana Banerjee (thanks Sadiya) and most of all, Asma Raza my mother .

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