Pride of India

The country's diverse bridal trouseau on show in Sharjah

The Sharjah Indian Ladies Association (Sila) last week hosted the Brides of India fashion show for its members at the Lou'Lou'a Beach Resort, Sharjah. The show offered a glimpse of bridal trousseau of the various Indian states.

Weddings in India are an elaborate affair. On the big day, the groom and bride are dressed to the hilt. Unlike western brides who choose the most elegant and simplest of ensembles, the Indian wedding dress is lavish and the jewellery ornate.

"Bridal trousseau in India reflects the diversity in the country. Every state and community has a distinct wedding attire," said Seema Naik, Sila member who organised the event. "It was this diversity that inspired us to do the show."

The fashion show capitalised on in-house talent. Sila members and their daughters combined their efforts to make the show successful.

"It was our endeavour to give the audience an opportunity to appreciate the regal bridal dresses of India. Indian wedding costumes have undergone minor transformation from ancient times. For us, as NRIs, it was an enlightening experience, as we got to know more about our country and its rich heritage," said Naik.

The costumes varied from the salwar kameez of Kashmir and Punjab to the lahenga choli of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The dresses were exquisitely embroidered with gold thread (zardozi).

The programme showcased the different versions of the elegant Indian saree - The Gujarati bride draped her pallu in the front while the Coorgi bride tucked the pleats at the back. The Bengali bodhu wore a pleatless saree while the Maharashtrian navari wore a nine-yard trouser-style saree.

The Parsi bride draped an off-white embroidered saree; the bride from Karnataka wore a Bangalore silk saree with a matching shaila and the bride from Tamil Nadu was dressed in a yellow and red Kanchipuram saree.

The show boasted of some of India's finest jewellery designs in gold, silver, diamonds, pearls, kundan and precious stones.

In the words of Jennifer Mendosa, member of the audience, "As the brides walked down the ramp, we walked down the memory lane. It was a nostalgic feeling as I remembered my wedding day. The music and the setting made us feel that we were invited to a marriage ceremony. The show was also very informative. Sila has members from different states. From this show I learned about the culture of my fellow members," she said.

At the end of the evening the members were treated to a lavish wedding-like feast. There was also a quiz contest, the prizes for which were sponsored by Lacnor.