Indira Gandhi was a politician, a prime minister in my growing up years. She announced the Emergency and everyone spoke in hushed tones of her wrong doings. In a world where television had just come into our homes and Doordarshan was an evening family get together for three hours around the idiot box. My earliest memory of seeing her live was an interaction with Margaret Thatcher. Both distinguished and erudite women parried questions on economics, politics, culture. Indira Gandhi was self-assured, spoke with authority and clarity on all issues and clearly Margaret Thatcher the iron woman was outshone by IG.

I became a fan for life of a woman who wielded such power over men. One of the few women at the helm in the world in those days of the sixties and seventies, a trend setter in all ways. She was a beautiful woman who carried her looks with casual elan. Her sarees were stunning handwoven yardage of the Indian diaspora. No jewellery, a simple high necked blouse, she was a style icon in my heart and head. I have always wanted to emulate her effortless fashion sense, her simple demeanour yet the power she wielded and her unabashed love for the sari. The six yards notwithstanding she was the smartest, cleverest, most stylish and powerful women in the world. She is a testimony to the fact that the Cool Quotient does not happen with clothes, the outward demeanour but courage and conviction from within.  I dare anyone to say that the sari is uncool! I flaunt the six yards everywhere and am proud of my attire and Indianness?!

Symbols of swadeshi in post Independent India, a fine representation of handwoven textiles which she wore with powerful elegance. She was perhaps  the first female leader to challenge political patriarchy, some believe that she caused the downfall of Indian democracy and most unanimously find glamour in the handloom sari and her legendary persona. A style diva forever!