It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a woman seeking to make a sartorial statement could do a lot worse than wear a sari. NO other garment does so much to flatter. In India, however, the sari being as ubiquitous as it is, how is the woman-in-the-know to stand out? Simple - she chooses a gara: a confection of pearly luminous embroidery on luscious silk that enfolds her in a soft embrace. Extravagant? Mais, oui!

Gara embroidery made its journey from China to the shores of India hundreds of years ago. Trade plying between China and the Persians in India made the art form more visible and accessible outside its country of origin. Due to the fusion of the two cultures, the Chinese embroidery was later adapted onto saris.

The earliest garas were embroidered on all four borders, a custom which gradually gave way to two, given the draping of saris. The Persian influence made itself felt in the fruit, flower and bird motifs interspersed on a distinctly Chinese background. So intricate is the embroidery, in terms of aesthetics as well as symbolism, that legend has it that children in China would sit with their grandmothers and mothers, and listen to stories that unfolded on the gara. Tales of kings and fishermen, romance and riches, were all painstakingly rendered through the embroidery. Modern versions of the traditional gara incorporate traditional motifs with Swarovski crystal and touches of gold and silver interweaving. All this, and hand made to boot!

Traditionally, the gara was worn over the head, exposing only one ear. This is why many old sets of Parsi (the Zoroastrian Persians that migrated to India) jewelry have only one earring. Also, while original jewelry was limited to pearls, today, diamonds can be worn with them just as confidently. What a relief! Of course, there is no need to limit gara embroidery only to saris. You can find bespoke shawls, lehengas, and dupattas with traditional gara embroidery. Seeing is believing is wanting.

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