Namrata Upadhyaya – Mechanical Engineer by profession, saree aficianado and dance lover in my free time

My love for sarees began while I was very young, tiny enough that I was unable to drape any of my mother’s or my grandmother’s sarees as they would envelope me completely. But I never gave up, I started using my mother’s dupatta to drape as sarees.

At 18, I bought my first saree, for my graduation ceremony at college. And walking around in that saree is when I realized how elegant I felt wearing it. Ever since, I have spent numerous afternoons casually scouring my mother’s saree collection and draping them without any occasion all while confirming that I would be inheriting all her gorgeous sarees. She’d reply with, “All these are yours, wear whichever ones you want” and had a wide smile across her face while saying it. I always thought she was joking cause who would give up on such a beautiful collection until it was time for me to move to the US.
She opened her closet and asked me to take whichever one I wanted with me and I was just taken aback.

My love for sarees grew exponentially with that move from my mother.