classy-street-things-blog

[classy-street-things-blog]

Handloom clothes – the reason behind all those enigmatic radiant smiles!

“I am not talking with you!”

“Why?”

“Just like that!”

“I was thinking of you today!”

“Why?”

“No reason at all!”

These are the kind of messages that my cousin and I exchange over Whatsapp whenever we feel like it.

Why should there ever be a reason for anything and everything in life – is my only question. I just feel happy today. I should re frame it and say – I decided to make myself happy today.

Why?

No reason again.

There is no need for us to localize (Yeah – I just coined that word now – for absolutely no reason at all!), rationalize and analyse everything and anything that we feel. I personally feel women have a higher emotional quotient compared to men.

Why – yesterday – a lovely woman my age wearing a flowing anarkali handloom cotton kurta and with her hair framing her makeup less fresh face simply smiled widely at me when we crossed each other on the road.

I still feel nice and good and warm about this wonderful moment that we shared.

‘Eclectic’ is another word that I love – for no reason at all.

It sounds nice and the meaning is beautiful. It means a beautiful collection that is put together from assorted styles and concepts.

A woman’s wardrobe is eclectic. She carefully creates her wardrobe with clothes that she loves seeing, touching and feeling every time she opens her cupboard. Her wardrobe reflects the essence of her personality.

That lovely mauve Benarasi saree, that block printed handloom sarees, that lovely rustic patchwork bag with real shells on it, those chunky bangles, that pattachitra saree, that piece of tribal jewellery, that oh so exquisitely embroidered tussar silk saree, that cute applique work purse etc. all tucked away neatly in their respective places in the cupboard.

A woman may lay out her Pattachitra saree for a candle light dinner with her husband. And even as she caresses this lovely saree - a host of memories will flood her.

I bought it when I went to Odisha with my husband from that small shop in the corner of a busy dusty street. It was a quaint shop - almost nondescript. But we were drawn to it because a dignified old man wearing a beaded turban was hanging up other such wondrous sarees with reverence.

This old man scrutinized us with his piercing eyes. He was selling a part of his soul – his handiwork. It had taken him 8 days to create that saree. This was the price. No haggling here. Take it or leave it he said brusquely.

Why was he so abrupt? We wondered. No reason at all – was a perfectly acceptable answer.

A young man from classystreet.com is coming over to buy my handiwork now. I opened this shop for him. He is going to sell our handiwork on his computer. He brought his small computer here and showed it to me.

He smiled suddenly (no reason at all?). He takes photos of our sarees and shows them to me on his computer. He taught me to pronounce the words – classystreet.com.

It took me two days to learn that name. But that man from classystreet.com is a good businessman. He appreciates skill and labour and passion and honesty and quality. These are the things that we value too. This skill we have learned from our ancestors. My children and grandchildren are learning it from me. My granddaughter made that lovely applique work purse that you see over there.

So buy what you want quickly without wasting my time. No haggling or bargaining or discounts okay – he was back to his brusque self again.

I made a mental note of the website. It looked like a good ecommerce portal where the thrust was on exclusive quality work with fair pricing. Classsystreet.com – cool name.

We bought a whole lot of assorted stuff from that cute old man’s quaint little shop. He even allowed us to take some pictures with him wearing that superb beaded turban.

A trip down memory lane – every time we touch a piece of our eclectic collection in our wardrobe – the lovely memories are bound to resurface.

Nothing can ever really beat the experience of a real life shopping expedition. We can shop to our heart’s content when we take those rare breaks to enjoy a holiday. But given the hectic pace of our modern lives – we simply cannot afford to put off all our shopping needs to a vague distant date that may never dawn.

Classystreet.com extends that help to us. Classystreet.com cannot be summarily dismissed as just another –ecommerce portal out to make a quick buck at our expense.

Classystreet.com projects and portrays the art and the craft and the skill and the toil of these tribal rural people who simply will never ever compromise on the quality of their work.

Not a single thread will be out of place in their handiwork. These craftsmen are so keen about maintaining the quality of their skill and the intricacy of their designs – that believe us when we say this – it requires a huge huge dose of patience to do so.

Such craftsmen don’t simply sell their handiwork to any Tom, Dick and Harry. Like that cute old dignified man in that quaint old shop – they can gauge your personality with their piercing eyes that sear through your soul.

They recognize the inherent set of ethics in their buyers and it took classystreet.com two interactions to break the ice with these rural skilled tribesmen.

Small wonder then, that we urbanites will rarely find such exquisite pieces of jewellery and hand loom clothes elsewhere in any real or virtual market.

And mind you – the women working behind those looms are as sassy and trendy as us urbanites. Their designs and colour combinations convey the message to all of us who eagerly buy their exquisite exclusive stuff on portals like classystreet.com.

The applique work purse beckons us from our wardrobe.

That tussar silk saree tugs at our heartstrings today.

Tomorrow it will be that Kancheevaram saree.

And on a moody Monday – a lovely handloom Kurta will lift our spirits.

And we urbanites naively think – we are selecting our clothes according to our moods and whims and fancies!

Why do we feel happy when we wear that handloom kurta?

Because some tribal woman was singing her folk song while weaving that material for us.

Her baby was sleeping peacefully by her side as she gently worked on the pedals to work that well-oiled loom of hers along with her husband whom she loved with her whole heart.

Why did that lady wearing that handloom anarkali kurta smile at me out of the blue yesterday?

Was it really for no reason at all?

Or is it because we urbanites could not decipher the reason?

Was it because some lovely dark handsome woman was happy that her life was finally turning around thanks to ecommerce portals like classystreet.com?

Was the lady who smiled at me on the street yesterday just reflecting the smile of her rural sister? Was that rural woman happy that this urban lady had bought the kurta she made via classystreet.com?

Was the smile being passed on through classystreet.com?

I don’t truly think classystreet.com is simply selling great quality handloom clothes. I think classystreet.com is creating a channel of positive vibes and vibrations between the rural and urban people.

That is why perhaps women wearing the clothes that classystreet.com sells seem to be smiling for no reason at all. For people like my cousin who always seem to need a reason for anything that we women do – that statement above is sure to bring a smile on his face too.