A peek-a-boo inside writer Manju Kapur’s Saree closet

Every Indian woman has saree in her wardrobe but only a few among them comes across as truly exceptional and that is mainly due to the way they restore the glory of the nine yards they own. Their saree collection speaks volumes of their personality. Her love for sarees has been so endearing that the graceful nine yards have made their way to her bed sheet and curtain collection as well. Yes, you have read it right. Writer Manju Kapur shares such an overwhelming bond with the sarees she owns that even when they become old and unwearable, she refuses to put her hands off them. Instead she lets these sarees to get stitched into beautiful kholis and dohars. That’s the beauty behind loving the elegant nine yards so much.

Manju Kapur’s tailor visits her home on a regular basis and the colour of her blouse is purposely designed in different shades from that of the saree she chooses to wear.

The acclaimed novelist resides in Durga Bhawan on Akbar Road. Thousands of books continue gracing her dark wood shelves at the corridor.   It is just not the array of books she has published but also her exquisite collection of sarees that makes her one of a kind. She owns more than a hundred handloom sarees and her saree collection is truly a treasure trove of delicateness and magnificence.

Her drawer is the place where she has arranged all her blouses in a four-colour scheme. There is a separate section for her white and beige, red and maroon, green and most certainly the elegant black and blue.

The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize winning novelist has a cupboard that remains beautifully stacked with a large plethora of elegant sarees. The other sarees are kept in steel trunks. She takes intense care of each one of her sarees and restores the beauty of the nine yards by putting Neem leaves in them. The leaves come straight from the trees in her garden. She used to wear these sarees more often when she used to teach English literature on Miranda House College. Every saree depicts a significant tale and she treasures each one of the sarees that she owns.

She is married to businessman and writer Gun Nidhi Dalmia and has three children and three grand children.

Having a height of five feet eight inches often creates a sartorial distress that annoys her at times as most of the sarees are not created with extra length to suit a tall woman like her. This is why her tailor has to add an extra length of fabric to every saree she purchases.

By admin On July 31, 2017