Credits : Sandhya Lakshmi

Model : Actress Anita Hasanandhini

Hi, I am Arjun, Arjun Kumar. That’s what my company ID says. But, I prefer to call me Anita. Nice name, isn’t it? I want to share a secret with you, that only me and another special person in my life knows. I was crazy about sarees from childhood, but I couldn’t manage such a long piece of cloth at that age. Every single time, that I see my mother’s saree, I think of wrapping it around me, but how can I deal with it, will I be able to fold it perfectly and keep it back? Will I get caught? That fear kept me away from attempting it.
But, at last when my elder sister was old enough to wear sarees, I managed to open her wardrobe and take one of her saree to my room. Little by little I learned the art of draping a saree. I was happy.Very Happy.Then one day as I took a blue silk saree from her wardrobe and turned back. My sister was standing there. She was strict. And also stronger than me. I always thought there had been some mistake in our birth, she should have been the boy, and me the girl.
She slapped me hard on the left cheek and said. “I saw what you did with my saree yesterday night, I don’t to see you in my room again, if I saw you again in my room, I will tell mom and dad about this.” I walked out of the room silently, tears came out of my eyes. I thought that was the end of my desires. But I was wrong. Then my day came after two years. well, two years and three months to be precise. It was unexpected, in fact by then I had suppressed my like for sarees to the extent that I no more searched for sarees.But on that day, my mother said that our maid had left the job and she had appointed a new maid. She also added that the maid’s daughter had also come. I saw the maid on that day, but not her daughter. From the maid’s talk I deduced the girl’s age. The girl’s age should be some where around mine.The very next day I saw, and my desire returned, no I didn’t see the girl but her saree, bright red, which she had put out to dry under the sun. It should be hers.I looked around to make sure no one is there, especially my sister. I slowly walked there and moved my fingers through the fabric. Wow what a sensation.I heard someone laugh from behind. I shouldn’t be my sister. I slowly turned back.Oh, thank god it’s not my sister, it should be the girl I had been searching. She was beautiful, not that she was fair, but something was different in her, I don’t know how to explain it. But she was beautiful. Maybe you will not agree with me if you see her. That doesn’t matter.Still I was afraid, what will she think of me? Will she think that I am after her? All sorts of questions ran in my mind. I covered my embarrassment with a small smile. She returned a smile. That attracted me, I slowly walked towards her.“I… I…” I tried to explain myself. She stopped me by gesturing with her hand and introduced herself. “I am Janavi. You are interested in my saree, aren’t you? I understood it by the way you moved you hand across my saree. I can help you. I like boys like you. Meet me in the evening and I will tell you what to do.”I was flying in the air, this can’t be happening, I must be dreaming. I thought. Just then I heard my mother calling me, I was not dreaming. She went into her room, I walked back happily.By 4 pm that evening I went to Janavi’s room. She was waiting outside, she gave me a sheet of paper and said. “That’s my friend’s place, she goes to work and returns by eight at night. So we can make use of the evening. I am going there now, be there by six o’clock.”I was exited, it took me some time finding the place. It was a second floor flat in an old apartment. I knocked on the door. Janavi opened with a smile, she grabbed my left hand and pulled me in and closed the door behind.
She took me to the small bed room and showed an orange silk saree which she has placed on the bed. “We will be trying this today.” she said. I was a bit shy, I haven’t been in a room alone with a girl before, and now I am supposed to dress in front of her.She took the orange petticoat and said. “Here, tie this and drape the saree, you can’t use the blouse, so you will have to manage with your t-shirt. I’ll get your measurements and get a blouse ready by next time.call me after you have done, I’ll wait outside.” I removed my trousers and changed into the petticoat and draped the saree. Then called her.She came in and walked around me and said. “Not bad for a boy.” She then took the pallu from my shoulder and folded and arranged it neatly and brought it to the front from the right side and asked me to hold it with my left hand. Then she turned me around by holding my shoulders and took me to the mirror. “There you are.” She said with a smile. Not a teasing smile, but a caring smile.

To be continued……