Himanshu Verma of Red Earth is at his elegant best at Creative Bee, Banjara Hills. Dressed in a olive green Begumpuri sari with a long ikat blouse, his face glows as he walks around wearing an ethnic neck chain from Karnataka and matching nose and ear studs. On his first visit to Hyderabad, the sari man celebrates the new contemporary India with a blend of classics like Kanjeevaramas and Banaras to new interpretations of kantha and jamdani which are on display. “Hyderabad is a great place to be in; both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have a rich tradition of textiles so it has been a learning experience. People wear saris on a regular basis here,” he enthuses.
Sari story
Himanshu curates and collects saris from designers and weavers and has travelled across India with the display. His Great Indian Sari story began 11 years ago when the team was working for a project on redefining notions of masculinity. “It was at one of our openings and it happened by accident,” he recalls. “There was a spread of art on the theme of masculinity at this art exhibition and when we wondered what can we do to show how an Indian man can reclaim gender identity, I said, ‘OK, let me try a sari.” Since then the sari moments have been many. “Every sari has to share a story,” he points out. “The way I collect and curate saris, there has to be a personal relationship with them. Sometimes you look at a sari and don’t want to buy it; but you go back to get it. A sari has to speak to you for you to pick it up — it can be even simple but has to have some emotive connection.”
While he began wearing saris regularly, his fascination grew as he moved away from bling to handloom. “Now I am in that phase also because I am growing grey,” he laughs. Since he is not trained so much in textiles, he states he still doesn’t understand the technical aspects of weaving. “I am still evolving; I approach it from the point of aesthetic, beauty, or as a curator.”
Urban, working women, who feel the sari is ‘tough to manage on some occasions’ will be surprised to know that Himanshu doesn’t share that notion. In fact, he asserts, “Difficulty and sari doesn’t fit into the same box for me, Some women say, ‘I can’t wear a sari because I have to go to three places or it is difficult to carry a baby or it is too hot or raining.’ But none of the reasons fit in. I empathise with those reasons but what is more important is that when you wear a sari you connect to a great tradition of beauty and what it brings is far more bigger than these small, little so-called disadvantages.”
Fun approach
The sari lover says he is not creating any brand but enjoys the whole process. “We want to spread this ‘love for sari’ message with fun but not with any activist kind of approach. The problem is that the mainstream culture makes you think that any form of traditional clothing is uncool. Uss se ladna bahut mushkil hai .”
Travelling across the country is among his future plans. “I want to understand the beauty of the sari even more. Every city has a sari culture and I am looking forward to learn more. I want to understand the organic landscape of the sari. I have been wearing sari as a man, not as a cross dresser; maybe it is a first but small contribution. It is inspiring to see many people doing it.”
