Long before brides started wearing heirloom bridalwear as a fashion trend, Sonia Gandhi set a noteworthy example for emotional dressing in a light pink khadi saree on her wedding day to Rajiv Gandhi in 1968. Imagine if your wedding saree came with an interesting tale that kicked off in prison and changed hands between three generations of one of the most prominent families in India.
The power of pink and the weight of history
For her wedding to Feroze Gandhi in 1942, Indira wore a pink khadi saree featuring a beautiful silver design.This saree had a unique story to share. Long before Indira Gandhi became India’s first and, so far, only woman Prime Minister, her love affair with the saree had begun. The thread for the saree was spun by her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, during his British imprisonment. She chose to wear minimal jewellery and allowed the attention to go to the intricately woven saree she wore. At the time when khadi was becoming a widely used symbol for the Indian freedom struggle and Swadeshi movement, this couple’s choice of outfit spoke of the connection they shared with the country’s fight for liberty. (Image Credits: Instagram)
Indira’s approach to her wedding was different from the elaborate bridal looks we normally see at Indian weddings today.
And then came the next generation
When her son Rajiv Gandhi married Sonia Gandhi on February 25, 1968, Indira gave the same pink khadi saree to her daughter-in-law. Eventually, the saree would have a purpose of its own beyond the wedding of Indira. Sonia had come to India from Italy to marry Rajiv. She had a simple yet traditional Hindu wedding ceremony. For the wedding, Indira presented the saree to Sonia, who decided to wear the heirloom saree as her wedding dress. The saree’s value lay not in the cost of the fabric or the decorations but in the history behind it. (Image Credits: Pinterest) Sonia began her association with the saree as her family heirloom, implying that the saree belonged to Indira as her bridal attire, however, the saree also symbolised the relationship between Sonia and Priyanka, and it is believed that Priyanka also wore the saree on her wedding day. Indira was known for her association with khadi, which was made popular by Mahatma Gandhi as representing self-reliance, and became part of the independence struggle. Hence, in the Gandhi family, khadi took on additional meaning as a connection to their legacy, which added an intimate touch to the ritual of marriage. (Image Credits: Pinterest)
