Kirthi Sri Karunaratne

For a woman, few garments will have as much sentiment and emotion attached to them as the saree that she chooses to wear as a bride. Immortalised in photos taken in studios then, or on smartphones now, the saree’s beauty and value often have a lifespan far beyond the wedding day. In some cases, this lifespan can run as long as half a century.

This is the story of one such saree – made of delicate brocade and georgette, covered in an intricate mass of silver flowers – that has been worn by the women of one family for three generations, over 56 years.

 

Nirmal Perera nee Samarasekara 1963

Nirmal, 1963
Before she got married, Nirmal Perera (then, Samarasekara) hardly wore saree. Choosing one for  her wedding was a meticulous task, as it had to be perfect in every way. It was her cousin, renowned couturier, designer, actor and singer Kirthi Sri Karunaratne who brought the saree to her.

Kirthi presented Nirmal with a range of sarees that he had acquired on a visit to India. She remembers there being two gold sarees and one in silver, and it was the latter that caught her eye. As for the jacket design and draping, she left it all in Kirthi’s knowing and experienced hands.

It was Kirthi who dressed Nirmal at her home on Sri Wickrama Road in Wellawatte on the morning of her wedding. Nirmal was barefoot, and wore a pair of anklets that matched the silver of the saree. Though she had loved  it from the moment she saw it, she wondered right throughout how she would carry the saree when it was draped on her. 

The ceremony took place at what is now called the Old Town Hall, located on Green Path. She felt and looked beautiful that day. Donalds, where her wedding photos were taken, displayed a life-sized photograph of her at the studio in Maradana.

Nirmal took great care to wrap its layers in blue paper, and store it carefully at her home. She went on to have two daughters, and she knew she wanted to keep the saree safe and preserved for the next generation.

 

Roshi Anthonisz nee Perera 1990

Roshi, 1990
It was on her wedding day that Roshi Anthonisz (then, Perera) would wear saree for the first time. Her mother Nirmal’s saree was brought out of its careful storage and handed over to Kirthi, to once again work his magic. He added a layer of net over the delicate saree, and because she was marrying a tall gentleman, created a veil for Roshi to wear in her hair, for some extra height.

Nirmal watched her daughter being dressed at the Ramada Hotel – what is now the Cinnamon Lakeside – that day, and until that moment, she hadn’t realized just how beautiful the saree was. Nirmal wistfully recalled how people gathering at the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour looked in awe as the bride arrived for the ceremony.
After this wedding, Roshi and Nirmal once again put the saree in blue paper packed it away in a suitcase, for further safekeeping. At that moment in time, neither knew if anyone else would wear it again.

 

Natalie Anthonisz 2019

 

Natalie, 2019
Nirmal remembers when her granddaughter Natalie was young; the two would talk about her possibly wearing the saree to her own wedding, and Natalie hoped her grandmother would be able to dress her in it.

When the time came, Nirmal brought the saree out of its suitcase once again, and placed it in the capable hands of Nilanka Silva, a seamstress and designer. When presented with the saree, Nirmal recalls Nilanka being in awe at how well the delicate material had stood the test of time, and how carefully it had been handled over the years. Nilanka created a new saree jacket for Natalie, and draped the saree with slim pleats so that it could be easily worn on the big day. 

 

Nilanka Silva

The wedding took place at the Centara Ceysands in Bentota on an overcast day, with  the silver of the saree setting off the grey clouds above. Natalie was dressed by veteran makeup artist and stylist Cornell Beekemeier, director at Rumours. Like her grandmother, Natalie walked down the aisle in anklets, barefoot. She carried a bouquet dotted with orange crab claw flowers. The fall of the saree, made of delicate white lace, fanned out like a train behind her. A loop at the end of the train would allow for it to be carried on her finger with ease during the reception that would later take place on a sandy beach. 

Under an arch laden with tropical blooms of all shades, the saree played a part in history for a third time.

As the festivities for this wedding have drawn to a close, the saree will once more be placed in careful storage in the family home in Colombo. Whether it will be worn again, and by whom, remains to be seen. It has gone far beyond its original call of duty, now having been part of the lives of these three women over the span of 56 years, and in the memories of their stories into the future.