The opportunity to showcase India’s finest weaves, textiles and styles was missed at the world's biggest sporting spectacle
The proximity of the dates made for an uncanny coincidence. In the early hours of August 6, we, like many of others, sat glued to our TV sets, as we waited for the Indian contingent to step into the Maracana stadium for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. And then it happened. Deja vu. Four years on, and the debacle at London 2012 was being replayed. This time around, our sportswomen draped in Chanderi saris with marigold yellow and indigo blue and block border, were barely noticed, courtesy the drab blue blazer.
Badminton stars, PV Sindhu, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa, decided to show off their saris, resting their folded blazers on their arms. Pic/PTI
The following day, August 7, had been heavily publicised as National Handloom Day. This newspaper carried a feature on lesser-known weaves and textiles of Maharashtra. The discoveries about weavers, and unknown saviours of nearly-forgotten weaves, were jaw-dropping – from intricate handloom techniques to artistic influences from the landscape of the Deccan – it was an education, and an eye-opener.
And then, the images of our sportswomen at the opening ceremony returned in a flash. The sari – that glorious tribute to the Indian woman and our rich legacy of textiles – had missed a fabulous opportunity of being showcased at one of the largest world stages. In fact, we noticed that the three badminton stars, PV Sindhu, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa, decided to show off their saris during the march, resting their folded blazers on their arms. We recall similar scenes being played out at London 2012 by Sania Mirza and tennis compatriot Rushmi Chakravarthy, not allowing ill-fitting blazers to mar the appeal of their canary yellow saris. And with the sportsmen, the national attire wasn’t even on display. Crisp bandhgalas or Nehru jackets would have made for a fitting, classy representation.
Great Britain had Stella McCartney; the US team was sporting Ralph Lauren’s designs while Italy’s kits were styled by Emporio Armani. All these labels were revealed well in advance. Around the time of this uncoordinated showing in Rio, we also read reports that kits hadn’t reached members of the Indian contingent on time (déjà vu, again).
Social media went in for the kill of how any Indian wear designer would have given an arm or leg to if they were bestowed with the honour of creating designs for the contingent. On a lighter note, some went to the extent of suggesting that the attire resembled that of our suburban ticket collectors. Worse, we learnt that a retailer giant from Delhi was given the contract, and that despite having thousands of designs to pick from, this particular combination was given the go-ahead by the powers that be.
So much for Make in India. Indian's textile wealth should have got its due. Mrs Irani, are you listening?
mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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