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Article: Saris And Pride: A Conversation With Divya Pillai

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Saris And Pride: A Conversation With Divya Pillai

Saris And Pride: A Conversation With Divya Pillai

Every Thursday, an office in Dubai witnesses a woman stride in wearing a kurta — an unprecedented splash of color in a sea of black, white, and gray blazers and pants. At work ceremonies and gatherings, she takes it a step further and stands out as the only sari-clad attendee. Her colleagues say, “Oh yes, she’s the one who wears the sari,” and she feels glowing pride on being associated with her national garment.
Divya Pillai is out to redefine Indian wear in the context of the workplace.
Pillai is a personification of corporate meets civic: she brings to our meeting equal glimpses of the high-powered working woman and passionate environmentalist she is through a suaveness that defines every C-suite and purposeful conversation characteristic of every responsible citizen. 
A chief specialist who deals in crisis management, she tells me more of her decision to start wearing Indian clothes to a workplace where no one did. “I am the kind of person who loves to wear ethnic clothes,” she confesses. “I was really testing the waters when I started wearing Indian clothes.” It was a leap laced with uncertainty, but Pillai — a biotechnology major who steered her career towards an entirely different direction when she discovered that things weren’t panning out the way she’d hoped — is no stranger to them. “I started off with muted colors to reflect the seriousness of the job and the responsibility that comes with it.” In a workplace that valued modesty, she made sure to incorporate high collars and long sleeves into her outfits. The response was overwhelmingly welcoming. When Pillai wanted to wear a sari to work functions, she encountered a surprising notion among her colleagues: that saris are only associated with Bollywood. “I asked my director one day, ‘Can I wear a sari?’ She asked, ‘Like Priyanka Chopra?’ I said, ‘No, no, that’s just one way of wearing a sari. There are a hundred other ways.’” 
Pillai’s desire to represent Indian clothing so fiercely stems from her own upbringing and her tryst with the Ambassadors of Heritage and Crafts Foundation. 
While other children were occupied with toys, she was reveling in the opulent world of the six-yard drape. She remembers feeling in awe of her mother, who could effortlessly drape a sari without using a single safety pin.
Pillai would go on to follow in her footsteps and become the quintessential sari expert her school and college mates would turn to during every six-yard crisis. Throughout high school and college, she draped her own saris and, like her mother, never felt the need for a safety pin. The heady, glittery feeling of falling in love with a garment was very much alive. 
But, like all love stories, this one, too, faced a rocky road. Right after her wedding, the drapes were put in the closet…and stayed there, with the exception of temple visits and special occasions. Jeans and tops were the convenient replacement, and Pillai admits that her wardrobe underwent a radical change. Soon, she realized this wasn’t making her happy. “I missed feeling good about myself.” That was when she made the decision to join the-then Gulf Sari Pact (renamed as the Ambassadors of Heritage and Crafts Foundation) in 2015. 
Needless to say, she was instantly hooked. “I started going to every meeting. I started buying saris again.” It was as if she had rediscovered the delightful companionship of an old friend she had long forgotten. The glittery feelings returned, and her entire worldview was transformed. Because of the Foundation, she can see a sari in the way it is meant to be seen. She can, for instance, look beyond the shimmery folds of the drape and see the hands that made it and the materials that shaped it. This newfound knowledge impacted her - an already cautious consumer - tremendously. Environmentally sound habits were followed religiously in her childhood home. No cloth was termed obsolete and thrown away after a few wears. Saris were upcycled into skirts or salwar kameezes, while silk varieties were converted into bedspreads. 
Even as an adult, she always strived to buy local, but it was at the Foundation that she truly understood the sheer power she held as a consumer.  “I learned that I shouldn’t buy anything and everything that comes my way.” Her learning extended beyond saris. “Even if it is a wooden chair, I try to understand what type of wood is used to make it, where the wood comes from and how it is being treated.” Pillai now looks at handloom weavers with a new pair of eyes. She falls short of words to describe the high esteem she holds them to. “To me, now, the weaver is divine. The weaver is so truly gifted; he can make something that I will never be able to make.” 
Besides a source of life-altering knowledge, the Foundation means a range of diverse things to Pillai. It is a meaningful expression of her patriotism… “When I now think of the national anthem or the national day, I’m not able to convey my emotions”…and an outlet for contributing to an entire community…“It’s all about giving because somewhere down the line, the people you’re giving to are giving back.”
Most importantly, it is an uninhibited celebration of sisterhood and an answer to the notion that women cannot work together. Pillai is happy to note the deep bonds she has forged with the other women, and stresses on the reason why the Foundation is able to foster a cohesive environment: every Ambassador puts the cause first. “Each one of us supports the Foundation in different ways. Someone sets the direction for the Foundation, someone writes for the Foundation, someone talks to the weavers for the Foundation, someone makes it a point to share the Foundation’s products with others.”
Pillai passionately throws herself into every Foundation venture and has emerged as one of its forerunners. Being an Ambassador is a substantial part of who she is. “[An Ambassador is] Someone who is very proud of our legacy and culture. If you aren’t proud of something, you won’t fight for it.” I wonder out loud why she keeps fighting, why she chooses to remain an Ambassador after all these years. She smiles. “You don’t abandon your child, because there’s an emotional connection there. I feel that same connection with a fabric, and with a weaver. This is why I remain in AHC.”

It is particularly interesting to note just how successful Pillai has been in taking along her almost-male household (her husband and two sons) for the ride. What could have been (wrongly) scoffed at as a “women’s issue” is responsibly taken up by both her sons. The fair trade concept - that the Foundation so vigorously espouses - is not lost on them. Grocery purchases - undertaken by her older son - are brought back home in linen bags and not plastic ones. Pillai’s saris are treated with utmost reverence by them. The Foundation’s youth programs are attended enthusiastically. Pillai believes that this is a result of the blurring of the strict patriarchal lines segregating gender roles in her home. 
Outside of all this, Pillai is an active patron herself. Her enviable collection boasts an alluring set of drapes in vivid colors. One sari that will always remain close to her heart is a recreation of the Papli Checks or the Madras High Court Checks.

The black-and-white checks are kissed by a stunning red. They come together to shape a subtly bold handwoven Korvai Kanchipuram sari. Pillai, who experienced its making from start to finish, describes it as a “spiritual journey.” She adds, “This amazing sari which is a testament to the willpower, grit, and journey from a dream to drape will forever hold a special place in my life!” 
But her collection isn’t just limited to drapes. A magnificent array of old jewelry, urns, diaries and more occupy a special place. Breathing a million stories, they are priceless heirlooms passed down by generations. Pillai’s love for them is rivaled by no one else in her family. She talks about how she has always been fascinated by the old paalakka mala and maanga mala, while others preferred newer, machine-made stuff. “I started collecting old things - things that no one particularly wanted.” Among them is a red ruby nose ring left for her by her grandmother, with whom she shared a special relationship. 

Pillai’s priceless collection is alive, thriving and growing by the day. For us, she has equally priceless advice: never forget your roots, your past and where you came from. The impact of an entire generation of future Ambassadors depends on this remembrance, she says. Not every journey means going forward.

Sometimes, the real journey involves looking back…

 

About the author: Malavika Rajesh is a sixteen-year-old author and student from India, currently living in Dubai. Writing from the age of five, she firmly believes that a pen is the most powerful weapon to bring about oceans of change. Her book "Watch Out!," a cybercrime thriller, has garnered praise in several media outlets as well at in a plethora of events. Rajesh uses her platform as an author to spread the simple message of using words to one's advantage, to inspire change and to give a voice to those rendered voiceless. She is a feminist and an advocate of gender equality, writing pieces in her blog and speaking extensively on the issue. Journalism has been her passion since she was nine; she has written for the national newspaper and anchored on national radio stations. She has won major literary and academic awards and also engages in community work.

Written by Ambassadors of Heritage & Crafts

6 comments

One rarely comes across a genuine soul who is always on the lookout for what is that she can do more. That’s our Divya for you. Her enthusiasm and dedication towards every little task she takes up is proof enough that it’s gonna see good days ahead. Glad to know her and see her as a source of inspiration to one and all.

Kavitha Srikanth

A very enthusiastic and energetic AHC-Ian. So glad to meet her through AHC . Very happy of the journey with her so far and looking forward . Malavika 👏

Anu

Splendid work again Malavika.Every word written about Divya Pillai is to the T. Her bubbly nature is contradictory to the seriousness in preserving our culture not forgetting our roots by being a true ambassador of AHC. She’s one gorgeous woman I know who not only walks her talk about saris yet represents our heritage and culture on a foreign land with elan by wearing them with elegance

Neelima Gurana

Splendid work again Malavika.Every word written about Divya Pillai is to the T. Her bubbly nature is contradictory to the seriousness in preserving our culture not forgetting our roots by being a true ambassador of AHC. She’s one gorgeous woman I know who not only walks her talk about saris yet represents our heritage and culture on a foreign land with elan by wearing them with elegance

Neelima Gurana

Well written Malavika as always…
Divya is our charming and enthuaiastic AHCian..
Her dedication to each work she involved is remarkable..
She carries her sarees so gracefully..

Sheefa KrishnaKumar

Divya is a true Ambassador of AHC and ensures her 100% involvement in whatever she does. A very genuine soul. I love the way she carries the 6 yard so beautifully with elegance and poise. This is a beautiful dedication to her commitment and her essence has been well captured by Malavika. Divya is a true Ambassador of AHC and ensures her 100% involvement in whatever she does. A very genuine soul. I love the way she carries the 6 yard so beautifully with elegance and poise. Her dedication and her true essence has been well captured by Malavika in this write up very beautifully.

Rita Sunil

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