My Dress and Jewellery

My first month in India people would comment on what I wore. You see, I did not have a Saree and I was more comfortable in my traditional attire and jewellery that I wore. But in order to fit in, I had to give that up and I started wearing a Saree. Every time, I returned home to the village, I would take out my village clothes and jewellery, clean them and wear it.

Published15 June 2017

Reading Time 2 mins

Author Stories of Nepal

Location Nepal

"My husband was in the Indian Army, so I went along with him so that I could take care of him. Leaving behind home was very difficult for me. In India, I did not know the language and friends were hard to find. So mostly, I would stay in and wait all day for my husband to return home after his duty. The days were long. After a few years, I learned the language and could converse with my neighbours and at the nearby shops. It was better than nothing but the longing for home was very powerful. My first month in India people would comment on what I wore. You see, I did not have a Saree and I was more comfortable in my traditional attire and jewellery that I wore. But in order to fit in, I had to give that up and I started wearing a Saree. Every time, I returned home to the village, I would take out my village clothes and jewellery, clean them and wear it. Changing into my clothes and putting on my jewellery gave me immense pleasure. Before returning to India, I would clean and wash them again and carefully pack it back in the same place. We returned to Nepal after 12 long years. That was probably the best day in my life. That day, I packed away all my Sarees and took out the clothes that I always wanted to wear. I let then dry in the sun. I was happy knowing that I was going to wear them from then onwards."

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