TO WEAR A CHURIDAR SET

We are happily [!?!?] married for 47 years since 1974. My wife used to wear six yards saree daily and nine yards saree on Fridays, auspicious days, and on ceremony days. She is very orthodox and religious. We got our daughter married in 1997 and our son in 2008.

She was 60 when our son got married. Just a few years before the marriage of our son, I wanted her to switch over to wearing churidar also so as to go with the trend. She was not willing and rejecting my request vehemently. She said it would look odd to wear a churidar at that age and that her mother-in-law might not like it.

After a lot of persuasion, when we went to buy a saree for her, I pleaded with her to try a churidar set in the dressing room of the shop. Reluctantly she agreed. I selected a cream-coloured churidar set, beautifully embroidered with small mirror bits stitched in between.

She looked stunningly beautiful and it was also acknowledged by other people in the shop. She reluctantly agreed to the purchase. After coming home, once again she started objecting and asked me to return the churidar set. Without returning the dress [as our daughter could wear it] I was waiting for an opportune time.

After a few days, accidentally my mother visited us for a week's stay. My mother was 80 plus and she was more orthodox. She used to wear only nine yards silk saree daily from the day of her marriage. I thought it would be difficult to convince her to accept my wife wearing a churidar.

At an opportune time, when she was in good spirits and humour, I opened the subject after a good meal. I asked my wife to wear the churidar promising her that I would not insist if my mother had any objection. She dressed up in the bedroom and came shyly before our mother sitting in the hall.

Do you know what my mother said? Beautiful. You look fabulous. You look better in churidar than in the saree. I have no objection to your wearing churidar. My wife is 73 now, and she has been wearing a churidar for the last 15 years.

N.B: I have been requesting my friends to write on their own about an incident in their life. This may serve as an example.