Sari, (All) Saree, Sorry………

🪷 Sari, (All) Saree, Sorry…

When “smart casuals” clash with cultural identity — a reflection on modern discrimination wrapped in colonial hangover.

 “We only allow smart casuals, and saree does not come under smart casuals.”

A brown girl in a posh restaurant in New Delhi prohibits the entrance of a brown lady.
Yes — not a scene from the British Raj, but from our very own state capital, in free India, that attained independence at midnight on 15th August 1947.

Unknowingly, my mind wandered and started flipping the pages of India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra. I recalled the Swadeshi and Non-Cooperation Movements — potent tools to drive away the colonial yoke.

But now, it seems, that phrase has turned into a twisted modern version:
“Non-Swadeshi (attire), Non-Entrance.”

🕰️ History Continues — It Doesn’t Repeat

Ah, how easily we forget. “Time is the best healer,” they say.
How long can we remember those “crazy guys” who sacrificed their lives for this country?
We must “Forget and Forgive” — “Let Go.”

After all, we have Brown Munde and Brown Kudiyan now — let’s clap for them!
They’ve ensured that we don’t forget the days when signs read “Dogs and Indians not allowed.”

Because, as historian E.H. Carr said — “History does not repeat itself, it continues…”

🧵 The Meaning of ‘Smart Casual’

Being old-school, I reached for the dictionary.
“Smart” means having a clean and tidy appearance, suitable for formal occasions.
“Casual” means not formal.

So, how does a saree, India’s most elegant and timeless garment, fail the “smart casual” test?

When we walk into a saree shop, the salesman always asks —
“Casual chahiye ya kisi occasion ke liye?”

But perhaps, Brown Kudi found the saree “too dressy” — too formal, too traditional, too… Indian.

💭 Who Decides What’s Smart?

As they say, “Smartness lies in the eyes of the beholder.”
Maybe the lady at the restaurant door didn’t find the guest “smart enough” to let in.

And after all, she was simply performing her “duty” — filtering guests as per the rulebook.
She should be commended for doing her job so well — for maintaining the invisible line between what’s “acceptable” and what’s “too Indian.”

🪷 The Saree — Thread of Indianness

Let’s correct a misconception.
A saree is not just a garment; it is a tapestry of heritage, culture, and diversity.

From the drapes of Bengal to the weaves of Assam, from the silks of Kanchipuram to the cottons of Gujarat — every saree speaks of its land, its people, its art.

And yet, one thread runs through them all — “Indian-ness.”

Are we not the nation that proudly proclaims “Unity in Diversity” in our Constitution?
Or have we begun to measure our identity by the labels of Western “smartness”?

⚖️ Conclusion

The saree has survived centuries — empires have fallen, rulers have changed, but this six-yard elegance endures.

Perhaps the real question is not about dress codes, but about mindsets — whether we have truly decolonized our thinking, or just changed the colour of the gatekeepers.

So, Sari… Saree… Sorry —
the apology isn’t ours to make.

✍️ Author’s Note

By Adv. Mamta Singh Shukla
Advocate, Supreme Court of India | Legal Researcher | PoSH Trainer

Follow for insights on Cyber Law, Digital Evidence, and Legal Awareness.

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