New Delhi
The Colors of Sari Shopping
When you walk into a sari shop you will most likely be a bit confused. Even in the tiniest of shops there are always wall to wall salesmen. They all look up at you and stare first. Eventually after checking you out thoroughly, they'll ask "yes madam". If what you are looking for is available they'll point to a couch for you to sit on. The couches face the sari "bed", usually a long cushioned platform covered with white sheets, where the salesmen dramatically unfurl sari after sari. They pad around on this platform in stockinged or bare feet.
 Usually there are two guys working in sync, one calling out in ferociously quick hindi, the other tossing sarees at him from somewhere in the shop. Sarees are flying, the salesman is unravelling sari after sari, madly gesticulating and touting the sari's obvious beauty and good price.
The variety of textile goods, the colors, the textures make for a blinding experience. Here at the end of a long day, everything has to be carefully refolded and put away.
These guys receive a small salary for a 6 day workweek that begins at 10am and lasts till 8pm. They get no lunch break, but eat quickly in the shop. Most receive a small commission for the goods they sell. This is one reason why one has to bargain fiercely.
 Chamanlal refolding the 52 sarees I bought. They will be sent to a tailor to get falls put in, and have their edges finished. These are all silk handlooms in the Kanchipuram style. I love this shop, and we've established a great relationship - I've bought over 150 sarees from them!
The sari salesmen will go to great lengths to show you how beautiful a sari is. This guy, Parvin, expresses a special eagerness to drape sarees around himself, shows off a beautiful rajastani bandhni style sari. I told him the moustache must go, or he should at least wear some lipstick!
Now that I've made the owner of this shop even richer than he was, I seem to be enjoying a VIP status. When I'm hungry I just go in the shop and they feed me lunch and all the tea I can drink, wonderful chai brewed strong and sweet and with tons of ginger. The chai wallah is a kind of nutty old guy nicknamed "Swami", who by the end of the day is so enebriated that you probably shouldn't drink his chai!
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