Sonia Gomez can’t really recall when her love affair with saris began. Perhaps it was when she and her sisters played ‘dress up’ with their mom’s saris or when as a news presenter on DD Malayalam and English, she would be in and out of saris. “No other garment, I feel, flatters the Indian woman more than a sari that is worn well,” says Sonia.
So, when she quit the media field, she decided to cash in on the one thing she did well — sari draping. “I noticed how many women required assistance from family and friends or would frequent beauty parlours when they needed to wear a sari. Many women do not know how to wear a sari as there is no one to guide them. Several give up after a few tries as they feel it’s too complicated or are not satisfied with the outcome. I thought, why not empower women by teaching them how to drape one on their own.”
Sonia Gomez demonstrating how to drape a sari
Her classes teach the A to Z of sari draping with lots of little tips that help ease the process of sari draping. When she first started taking lessons on sari draping, Sonia expected to see a flood of youngsters. “Surprisingly, it was women between their late twenties and late 40s, that sought my assistance the most,” she says.
Several of her customers, according to Sonia, wore saris frequently but were not satisfied with the way they draped it. “I have government officials, doctors, techies... coming to me for lessons. Although, they wear saris on a daily basis, they are not confident about their draping skills.”
Indu S. Kumar
Indu S. Kumar, a government employee with the Education Department, recalls packing a sari in her bag and heading for Sonia’s class as soon as she saw Sonia’s advertisement on social media. “My mother found it amusing how I was spending money to gain expertise in something that came to her naturally. Mom did try teaching me, but she wasn’t a patient teacher.”
Although she has been trying to perfect the art of draping a sari for the past eight years, Seira Mariyam Thomas, a homebaker in Muscat, conquered the sari, only recently under Sonia’s guidance. “Even if I did manage to successfully tie one, the pleats would look clumsy. I tried several online sari tutorials but they did not help me; one can’t observe those minute techniques that make a difference when you drape a sari as the instructor moves through the steps real fast,” she says.
Seira Mariyam Thomas
Sonia says she is delighted when her students send pictures of themselves standing tall in saris they have draped on their own. Draping a sari, says Sonia, is an art that requires patience and she often advises her students to start off with soft cottons, soft silks and chiffons. New stiff cotton saris and cotton silk saris are a no-no for beginners as they are difficult to wear and don’t drape well. “Once you are confident about how to wear a sari, you know exactly how it’s going to wrap around your body. Your choice, while selecting a sari also improves automatically. I tell my students that only if you wear the sari right will you realise the grace and comfort it’s capable of,” says Sonia, who plans to hold classes on different drape styles soon.
Sonia holds the classes at her residence at Kumarapuram. Each session comes up to ₹500 per person. Contact: 9446558293
