Saree Stories: She ran a marathon in a saree, meet Amrutha Joshi Amdekar

It seems that for most women, their love for the looms comes from their mothers. Parents influence kids far more than they imagine, and sarees are a sense of comfort and a reminder of home and of mom.  Amrutha Joshi Amdekar is a serious saree aficionado, she tells us that her love for sarees came at a young age when she used to watch her mom (in sarees) read the news on TV. Her mom was a newsreader for Doordarshan, and seeing her mom dress up for work in a beautiful and elegant saree every day inspired Amrutha.

Amrutha is not just a saree aficionado, but also a polyglot and linguist. This means that she knows and can speak in 27 different languages! She is also a health freak, artist, food and travel blogger, public speaker and philanthropist. She says that she is very comfortable wearing sarees and would wear it on any occasion; so much so that she took part in last year's Pinkathon in Mumbai (A marathon to raise awareness about breast cancer) and she ran for 5 km, in a saree! Bet you've never heard of a marathon runner in a saree. She says, "I can run, exercise and even do surya namaskars in a saree. I love sarees that much".

She organises a run in Mumbai during Navratri every year which is aimed at women getting fit. Amrutha adds, "I have been running during Navratri wearing each colour saree at Shivaji park. That is just my small initiative and many friends join me on and off during Navratri." Her motto for the initiative is, "Let's pray for a healthy mind, body and soul - this doesn't happen by standing in long queues of temples. It happens when you take care of your own health and that of your loved ones"

Starting a new series, The Saree Stories. In conversations with some wonderful women who believe in the power of looms #SareeStories

When we asked her about a special saree that she loves, she told us that most of the sarees that have a lot of meaning to her have been passed down from generation to generation. One of the sarees she talks about has been passed down to her from her maternal grandmother and it is a traditional red Maharashtrian Paithani nine yard saree with real gold work on its pallu. The saree's body is cotton and the pallu is silk. She says, "There are many such sarees which have been passed on to me from my mother, which were passed to my mom by her mother. So, these sarees are extremely precious to me. I even have the saree that my mother wore for my first birthday. I wear that saree even today!"

Amrutha says that she is a learner for life. We can see that with all the talents she has collected over the years. She wears her sarees at most events and flaunts them as she believes that all women look gorgeous in sarees. We can see her love for sarees as she even chooses to run in them! A wonderful example of how comfortable our national dress can be, and that it can be worn on just about any occasion and not just a special one.

SheThePeople.TV is meeting with women who love their sarees, and believe in the power of looms. Have a story? Share it with us – write a note in the comments, and we will be right in touch.

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