For a self-proclaimed sari lover who
was always intrigued by the fact that although the sari is worn predominantly
by women, men have a large role to play in its weaving, manufacture, and sale;
he has made many films documenting the lives of the sari weavers and
makers. This time, the short film ‘Sari Men’ and the corresponding
challenge on social media is all the more compelling given the tough situation
that the lockdown has imposed on handloom weavers whose earning capacities have
been hit hard.
The online challenge focuses on
getting participants (especially men) to shoot videos of them draping a sari,
and donate money towards an artisan support fund run by Dastkar (an NGO for
Indian crafts and craftspeople) and then challenge friends to participate and
do the same, in a bid to highlight the cause of these artisans.
Says filmmaker Qaushiq Mukherjee
universally known as Q, “Almost all of us have grown up watching our mothers
draped in a sari. We all have slept on the sari, been comforted, smothered, and
even cleaned by the sari. This time of lockdown has been especially tough on
the handloom weavers and artisans in India. To support and broadcast them, we
recently released SARI MEN, a short film, about the men behind the making and
selling of this ancient garment. We have also started an online LOCKDOWN SARI
CHALLENGE to raise awareness about these craftsmen.”
The film’s opening shot depicts a
Theru Koothu recital, an ancient Tamil Nadu dance form performed by men who
also don female roles draped in a sari. The film goes on to showcase the
many roles that men play in the creation and sale of this feminine garment,
bringing to focus gender fluidity and perhaps while working within the folds of
this garment, making men question the very idea of masculinity.
As he rightly points out in the
film, “In the complex world of the sari, nothing is black and white.”
Here’s your chance to up the ordinary
sari challenge doing the rounds on social media. But more importantly, spare a
thought and some finds if you wish towards helping these handloom weavers, who
weave now just saris but memories