A Long Errand - My Experience with Wedding Saree shopping

‘Silk sarees!’ Pause. ‘For wedding.’ Pause. ‘For my daughter.’

The pride in the voice of the mother could not have been missed by the hundreds of salesmen on the silk sarees shop floor. The anointed salesman gave a confused grin at the family, who were looking at the thousands of sarees arranged in the tall, long shelves. He hunted for the ‘would be’ bride to gift his creepy grin but found her busy on her phone, smashing the screen with her fingers. 

‘Please take a seat,’ said the salesman politely. As the men- the cashier father, the supporting uncle and the excited grandfather took their seats, eagerly looking at the multitude of colours splashed in front of them and discussing among themselves which would best suit their pretty girl; the scrutinising mother, the analytical aunt, the ever positive grandmother, the bored sister and the worried ‘would be’ bride stood in front of their seats, eyes doing hip hop.

The salesman, who went to bring the first lot of sarees- the best of the best sarees to impress the family, to get them all interested, came back with a tall pile of sarees- his selection, his pet pile. He placed them on the soft surface of the table, picked the top saree from the pile, placed it carefully and gently like it was a new born baby, opened it with pride, and showed off the grand work of threads coiled in beautiful designs. His education on silk sarees was ready to be tested as he got ready to answer the usual questions. The creepy grin was back and he looked at the mother with great expectations. The major portion of the sales training included how to quickly find out the decision maker in the family and invariably it was the mother.  

‘Madam...this is the best quality of silk you can ever find. This colour will...’

‘Could you please take that blue saree on the top row, the one above the dull red,’ said the mother, who had already disliked the saree detailed in front of her. Her eyes and mind had already gone for hunt and was back with its first prey.’

‘Madam...that is not of the same quality as this...’ he wanted to first show off his pet pile first.

‘It’s ok...but first let me see how it is...’ the mother said calmly.

The salesman saw no other way but to oblige. Leaving his pet pile of sarees, he took out the one requested. A look of dislike and disgust emerged on the mother’s face. The salesman felt quite pleased. He began to put the saree back to where it belonged when,

‘Wait! Wait! Open and show it,’ said the mother, voice squeaky. The aunt bypassed the grandmother and stood near the mother now, both leaning forward with interest.

‘Look at the colour combination....how can someone wear a pink and an orange combination saree. Looks too bright and old fashioned, isn’t?’ asked the mother loudly, knowing the aunt would support her statement.

‘Of course. Who wears sarees like these nowadays??!! Could you please show us some new designs?’

‘Wasn’t that what I was trying to do in the first place?’ thought the salesman. ‘Sure Madam. Look at this...Pink and yellow combination is the trend today...’

‘My daughter already has a saree in that combination,’ replied the mother. ‘No pink please...’

‘Oh!’ said the salesman. ‘No problem. Look at this...orange and gold. It would look very grand and elegant on your daughter.’

‘Is there something in yellow?’ asked the mother not giving any attention.

‘What about this orange?’ wondered the salesman to himself. ‘Sure. How about this?’ He picked up a yellow from his pet pile.

‘Not this yellow,’ said the aunt. ‘It’s like headlights. Show a shade darker.’

‘Yes yes...,’ spoke the grandmother. ‘This bright yellow used to be fashion in our days only. Even we don’t wear this yellow now...’

‘Everyone should wear sunglasses to see this I guess,’ joked the aunt garnering laughter from everyone except the salesman. He managed a sheepish smile.

‘How about this green here, Madam?’ The salesman put all his training into effect. He threw open the dark green saree majestically.

Before the mother could even consider the saree, there were immediate protests from the others.

‘Didn’t our neighbour’s daughter wear the same colour for her marriage? We would look like we are copying her. No No...’ said the aunt.

‘Doesn’t matter. If this saree is good, we should go for it,’ said the mother observing the saree closely. ‘This is actually very good.’

The salesman was surprised to see the mother coming to a decision so quickly. Was a new Guinness record going to be created? He wondered.

‘Baap re!’ exclaimed the mother. ‘Rs 35,000. No No No...I asked you to show only sarees within 25, 000. Why are you showing above that? Please show within the range and bring yellow sarees now!’

‘Sorry madam. Sure...I’ll get a dark yellow.’

The salesman, still brimming with interest and excitement, ran to the other end of the floor to find the dark yellow the ladies wanted. The bored sister, slowly moved to the fancy sarees section, trying to find her saree love.

‘What’s there in these sarees? I mean- 30,000 for this one??!’ wondered the father.

‘We can get more than 40 shirts in this amount,’ said the uncle, turning the saree 360 degrees hoping to find the secret behind the atrocious pricing.

‘And these women wear it so rarely. What’s the point of spending so much when they aren’t even going to put it to full use. My wife purchased a silk saree last year for 20,000 and wore it just once,’ complained the father. He could feel his credit cards thumping in his pockets.

‘Stop chattering,’ ordered the grandfather, who sat patiently looking at the displayed sarees.

The salesman was back with 5 dark yellow sarees which he opened and displayed in front of the ladies one by one.

‘This colour will suit the girl very nicely,’ said the salesman as a compliment.

‘This is amazing,’ said the mother. The grandmother immediately pulled that saree towards her to have a closer look. The aunt touched the saree feeling the quality of the material and gave a nod of approval.

‘This will look very good on my girl,’ said the grandmother with a proud smile.

The father and the uncle gave a wide smile.

‘Please no yellow!’ said the girl suddenly, her sunk head floated above the phone for the first time. ‘I don’t like yellow. Get anything but yellow.’

The mother and aunt glanced at each other. The grandmother put the saree nearer to the salesman with disappointment. The smile drained from the father and the uncle’s face. It’s going to be a long day, they thought.

‘As you heard, no yellow then,’ said the mother to the eager salesman.

‘You didn’t even know your daughter hates yellow?’ the salesman spoke to himself.

‘No pink and no yellow,’ said the mother.

‘No red. Red is too common,’ said the aunt.

‘No black or white. It’s inauspicious,’ said the grandmother.

‘I am getting something in green. So please don’t get green...’ shouted the sister from the other section.

‘No big borders. No stones or any other type of embroidery stuff. Pure traditional saree,’ added the mother.

The salesman looked at the ladies, bewildered. ‘Sarees have to be only customized for these ladies. It’s not a recipe to add whatever they like. It’s a saree....’ But all he could manage to say was,

‘Of course,’ he said leaving on his hunt again, repeating the requirements like a mantra in his head.

‘Not a great collection, is it?’ said the worried mother.

‘And who asked the salesman’s opinion?’ commented the aunt.

‘Shall we go to some other store?’ asked the mother looking at the father. ‘JK Silks?’

‘Parking would be a pain there,’ said the father with a strong nod from the uncle. ‘What’s wrong with this yellow one?’

‘Saree has to be a saree, not dumbbells. Just look at the weight,’ said the mother pushing the saree towards her husband. The father had already accepted defeat.

‘What do you think of this peach colour one?’ asked the mother pointing at a saree.

‘Very nice,’ replied the father curtly.

‘Not as good as this violet one, right?’ continued the mother.

‘Yes. If you say so...,’ replied the father, slowly pulling out his mobile praying someone should call him to save him from this risky conversation.

‘Pink?’ asked the mother, understanding the father’s attitude.

‘Very nice,’ replied the father.

‘I didn’t even show the saree,’ said the mother with anger. ‘From next time, I am not going to come with you. You are of no use here.’

The father shrugged helplessly. He had never dared disagree to his wife’s choice, but agreeing had also become a sin.    

‘Be patient. Your daughter will get the best saree that you would have never imagined. Just look at her- she is smart, intelligent, independent...how could she not get the best saree? Don’t be hasty in choosing. Wait...analyse...think if your daughter will be happy and then decide. Her happiness is the first priority. If she doesn’t like the saree, then there is no point in forcing it on her. It would be a loss to both her and the saree,’ advised the grandmother.

‘Exactly. There are so many sarees here...I am sure she will like at least one of them,’ said the aunt.

‘I really hope so,’ said the mother with a silent prayer.  

Another salesman hearing their conversation wondered if they were talking about a saree or a boy for the girl.

The father and the uncle slowly got up to let the ladies do their job. They knew they would be summoned at the cash counter at the right time.

The mother and the aunt took a walk around the floor to find the best choice for their daughter.

‘What are you doing?’ asked the grandmother seeing the daughter still busy on the phone. ‘Focus here.’

‘I am just looking at sarees online to see if something attracts me. I’ll ask these people here if they have the same one. Problem solved!’

‘Brilliant,’ appreciated the grandfather.

‘What brilliant?! Nothing like looking at sarees in real and buying it. These online wonline will just put good pictures. When you see them in reality, it would be worse than the worst.’

Silence descended as the daughter saw the point.

The salesman was back with the requested colours. He looked around to find the leading ladies.

‘You show us,’ said the daughter, taking interest for the first time.

After all the sarees were displayed, the girl pointed her finger at a orange and green one with blue borders and looked at her grandparents for their opinion.

‘This will look so beautiful on you,’ said the grandmother very impressed. More impressed was the salesman. At the same time, there was a growing fear in him, and his fear came true the next second.

‘Beautiful? She will look like our national flag. No...no...something else...,’ said the mother, arriving back in station.

The next 2 hours was pure parliamentary stuff. One side picked a saree while the other rejected on the first look. The table was covered by silk sarees instead of table cloth. The mountain on the table was growing while the sarees on the shelves were drastically reducing.

While the mother shortlisted three sarees, the aunt had one, the grandmother had two and the daughter had three on their shorlists.

‘Take away all these sarees...and keep only the shortlisted ones,’ commanded the mother, her eyes and neck still revolving and rotating around the shopfloor.

The salesman, with relief that at least the ladies had arrived at a shortlist, slowly moved the tower of sarees aside...

‘One minute,’ said the mother pulling out an orange saree from under the mounted pile. ‘Wow! This looks so beautiful....’

The daughter was immediately beside the mother...so was the aunt and the grandmother. The bored sister was back with her selection in hand.

‘This saree is like made for each other,’ said the grandmother.

‘I am sure you will look like a princess in this,’ said the grandfather.

‘This has all the qualities that would suit you,’ said the aunt to the daughter with immense happiness.

‘Orange and gold combination- you are going to rock!’ said the sister.

The daughter looked lovingly at the saree, imagining herself in it. The mother was overwhelmed for words.

The salesman clenched his teeth with a frown look. The orange saree was from his pet pile, one of the firsts which he had shown the family, which no one had even noticed then but now...

The salesman smiled sharing the happiness. At least the family had found what they had come for.

The daughter stood in front of the mirror, adorning the saree, with the family looking at her in awe.

‘You are looking so beautiful...’ said the mother standing beside her daughter, looking at the mirror.

‘Great! Call your father...and let’s finalise it...,’ said the grandfather briskly.

A missed call, and the men were back. The daughter showed the saree with excitement and a slight shyness.

A voice erupted from a little distance. ‘What about this blue one?’ asked the mother pointing at a blue saree being displayed for another family.

‘That looks even better,’ said the daughter, running to her mother, leaving the orange saree behind. The ladies were back in business.

The father and the uncle went back to have their 7^th coffee.

The frustrated salesman put himself together. He could feel it. The family was definitely going to zero down on the orange one at the end again.  The number of sarees they were going to see was immaterial. What they needed was just another 2 hours to revert to that decision, satisfaction that no other saree was better than their orange one. Controlling himself from not banging his head, he walked to the place where the ladies stood looking at his fellow salesman’s pet pile.

A family might even allow a girl to choose the boy of her life, but never her wedding saree.