If you head to a sari exhibition in the city this weekend and happen to spot a man wearing a sari and greeting people with the salutation ‘Jai Saree’, don’t be surprised. Himanshu Verma is only doing his bit to promote saris. And the man has been at it, relentlessly, since over a decade now.
Popularly known as the ‘Saree Man’, Himanshu says, “I have been wearing saris for the last 11 years and somehow people started writing about it and that’s how the name ‘Saree Man’ became associated with me. I am wearing saris as a man, I am not cross-dressing. I am very comfortable as a man. These are garments that even men can wear. I wear saris in an androgynous manner. It’s just a drape and if you look at the culture of India, drapes have always been a part of it — sometimes it’s called dhoti and sometimes sari. So that’s the whole idea — the drapes are gender fluid.”
When Himanshu sported a sari for the first time, instead of ridiculing him, his family and friends supported the idea, which added to his confidence. “When my family and friends saw me in a sari for the first time, their response was positive. Even if people would have discouraged me, I would have gone forward. I believe you have to make your own decision and it’s your life. They understood what I am trying to promote and found the idea interesting.”
Himanshu Verma believes that sari adds a lot of beauty to our lives
He will be in Hyderabad this weekend to host an exhibition as a part of The Saree Festival, which he has been organising since the last few years. “I am an art curator and run an organisation called Red Earth, where we curate different kinds of projects. I organise festivals around the idea of Indian aesthetics, using different mediums like visual arts, textile etc.”
Himanshu further adds, “I am very excited about coming to Hyderabad. Since this is my first time in the city, I am excited to see what is their sari culture like.”
“We will be bringing an interesting collection of saris — Kanjeevaram, Banarasi and Paithani among others — associated with the festival. We also present experimental saris along with the usual traditional ones. I hope we come back to the city more often.”
For someone who has been promoting saris for almost 11 years now, we ask Himanshu what change does he feel he has contributed to. “I always wish that more men would wear saris. Slowly in the last few years, I’ve seen that more men are experimenting with drapes. As an experiment, men are trying saris and reclaiming it as a male piece of garment. A huge user base is carrying the idea now and it is encouraging to see them do that,” he replies.
However, he also agrees with the fact that the percentage of people sporting a sari has come down. “A lesser number of people wear saris these days. People are giving up different forms of Indian clothing for Western clothes. We are just making a small difference by promoting the sari,” he states.
Notably, Himanshu is so passionate about the cause of furthering the traditional Indian garment that he wants to write a book on the subject. He has even started putting his research work together for the book. He says, “Sari adds a lot of beauty to your life and it represents Indian aesthetics. When you wear a sari, it adds decorum — you walk in a different manner and you carry yourself in a different way.”
Talking about his favourite saris, Himanshu says “It keeps changing. One of my personal favourites is the Ilkal sari from Karnataka. I generally like saris that are not festive; I prefer something that is comfortable to wear every day. Saris with newer weaves, which we don’t usually get in cities are my usual pick.”
