Saree diplomacy dawns in South Asia

Can at least the first chapter of the foreign policy foray endeavours of the Narendra Modi government in the South Asian region be called saree diplomacy? With India signalling that it is willing to go the whole nine yards when it comes to neighbours — as the invitation to Saarc leaders for the swearing in of the NDA government underlined — the saree is a brilliant choice.

First the Pakistan prime minister sent one over for his Indian counterpart’s mother, marking what is probably the first high-level Pakistani endorsement of the saree since the late Nusrat Bhutto. And now the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj have also gifted sarees to each other. Of course, the everyday saree is only six yards, but that should suffice as an adroit tie to bind much of the subcontinent, especially as it has the ineffable quality of fitting itself to every form and exigency, as any good official policy should do too.

Lest India be later accused of saree hegemony, though, the ripple effect of two important agencies of India’s soft power in the region must also be factored in: Bollywood and the Indian fashion industry. Both have been endorsing a revival of the saree quite independently and their efforts will tie in very well with India’s broader regional objectives.