The Everyday Heirloom

There is a particular kind of woman who never seems to be waiting for an occasion. You have seen her — at the vegetable market, at a morning meeting, dropping her child at school. She is wearing a cotton saree the colour of a quiet morning. No jewellery that announces itself. No particular reason. She just got dressed.

This woman understands something the rest of us keep forgetting: the saree was never meant to be saved.