ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD

It’s hard work being a tourist attraction, but the big event of the day was putting on my sari. Have you ever tried to wear one? It's a complicated task involving a team of three or four people, one to ravel, another to pleat and pin, another to tuck and another (preferably a doting grandmother) to say how wonderful you look. But this ordeal is nothing compared to the buying of a sari. That’s another matter altogether which involves an entire family - father, mother, grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and family pets. Many times I’ve seen four generations huddled around a teenage girl seated under a tower of fabric in a sari shop. There’s the weave, the colour, the pattern, the embroidery, the sequins, the occasion, the family, oh, and the girl to consider, and absolutely everyone, including the shopkeepers and passing cows must have a say in the matter. So while it may look like I am fluttering carelessly around Bodhgaya in this glittering gold, pink and orange sari, it’s the labour of love of an entire Indian family that's holding me together. I'll tell you about the shoes and bindi's another time.