Andal's Kili

The green for the day is inspired by Andal's parrot, celebrating Thiru Aadi Pooram today. To me she is the best lady poet, with none to match the beauty of her verses. This is a Saree my sister in law gifted this summer, and we are proud daughters in law of Sri Villiputhur, Andal's birth place.

The way my mother in law and her sisters would converse, it was clear Andal was like a favourite daughter, one they all celebrated as their own in the town. Is this colour too bright to wear? Am I over dressed going first to Andal Kalyanam and then to a concert? 

For long I used to go in whatever dress, dull or bright to temples till I heard a Prema Pandurang's Mahabharat lecture. For the last day, to celebrate Dharmaraja Pattabhishekam she asked us to come dressed in our finest and best. It was so overwhelming to hear her call for celebrating the Pattabhishekam.

A side story. When we were kids the annual Mahabharata upanyasam at the neighbourhood Draupadi ammal temple was a very exciting affair. The 18-day festival would have 10-days of Theru Koothu and the festival atmosphere and stories were too good to miss. My grandmother's elder sister would generally come home for Bharatham and stay on till the 18th day Theemidhi festival. The crowds would disapper after 18th day fest though there would be Shanti parvam story for four more days after that ending in Dharmaraja Pattabishekam. Only Lakshmi Amma as we called her used to sincerely attend that. My paatti sarcastically would say "Dharmaraja pattam kattinda azhagukku needaam poganum", it is not that she belittled Yudhishtira's ascent to throne after war. But, the deaths and futility of the post after losing everyone affected her. But, that perspective totally changed after listening to Prema Pandurangan. 

I have been a convert to fine dressing since then whenever I went to temples or any celebration. Look at the textile tradition too...red, magenta, green, jamun colour, mango colour and what bright hues dominate the looms. So why feel shy to wear a bright parrot colour?
This Saree of the #100SareePact is a new trend of light weight silks with no real zari. It is not exactly a glorious Kanjivaram. But the weavers need to keep running their looms and they have to make something easier on the pursue and also easy to carry.