History Repeats

Nighat looking sideways while Tutu walks by Nina's side

For her wedding, Nina wore a beautiful deep pink Banarsi brocade sari with a matching gold tissue blouse. Capes were the rage that year, and she had one made from the same  material as the blouse, so everything matched perfectly and she looked an absolute dream.

After that special day, the bridal ensemble was carefully packed away, and would only be taken out once a year to be aired and refolded, before being stored away again. I remember as a child, begging to be allowed to play with the shimmering length of fabric and thinking it was the most beautiful material I had ever seen. I was always admonished to wash my hands before touching and was extra careful not to handle it roughly. I made up my mind all those years ago, that this is what I wanted to wear at my own wedding, whenever that would be.

In 1983 I married Sandip Sud, a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force. My childhood dream came true when I wore the same gorgeous sari at my wedding, twenty nine years after it had first been draped by my mother on hers. Down the years the  blouse had somehow been misplaced and capes were no more in fashion, so the original cloak was cut up and stitched to make one for me.

After all the ceremonies were over and my husband and I got home, I went to change out of my wedding finery and was shocked to find my underarms were stained a bright pink. The color of  the fabric had run badly and it made for a rather peculiar sight!

I telephoned my mother the next morning, and told her about my brightly tinted armpits and she began to laugh uncontrollably.

She told me the same thing had happened to her all those years ago. She and Victor retired for the night and when she woke up the next morning she was horrified to see pink underarms looking back at her from the bathroom mirror! Mortified and embarrassed, she asked Victor why he had not told her that her armpits were strangely discolored. Victor looked very sheepish and answered that since he had never seen pink armpits before, he presumed it was some alien Indian wedding custom, and  did not want to appear tactless and stupid by remarking on the bizarre spectacle!

Eva and Sandip