I have been watching my mother drape sarees since I was a toddler. It was our ritual every morning, five days a week, as she got ready for work as a teacher. Later on, as a latchkey kid, I'd pass my time raiding her closet and getting myself into a saree, pretending to be a lady from high society. When the occasion for me did come to wear one at our school farewell, I rode my Activa to the venue and failed to land both of my feet on the ground. I somehow managed to not tumble over but did wonder how my mom did it all these years.

In hindsight, it has always been evident. The women from previous generations did everything in sarees. From homemakers who tending to rigorous house work and drive their kids to school to farmers working the fields to vendors and labourers on a construction site, India's workforce, be it paid or unpaid, has always been made up of saree-clad women.

With the turn of the century, my sarees got sidelined to special occasions like weddings and ethnic days in college. But I'd argue that it still sparks the same joy it did in young girls with sparkly eyes standing infront of their mother's wardrobes. And so we've been bringing it back. In fact, we've even begun to introduce it to spaces that aren't traditionally 'saree-appropriate'; and with it, change the way It's perceived. The saree is represents a new India that marries tradition with a more fluid and contemporary notion of a woman and femininity in general.

This Women's Day, we bring you five exceptional women who are reinventing the saree to fit their own identities in a defiant and limitless way:

For Urmila Pabale, skateboarding isn’t just a sport is an extension of who she is. Growing up in Mumbai, she found her way to the ramps and never looked back. And now, she’s doing it in a saree, proving that tradition and rebellion can coexist. Whether she’s landing tricks on the pavement or gliding down ramps, the saree flows with her movements, as effortless as her skateboarding itself.

Mariette Valsan is an actor and model who refuses to let anything, including a saree, hold her back. In a now-iconic video, she’s seen catching waves in a saree, completely at ease as the water rushes around her. The saree, instead of restricting her, becomes part of the experience — flowing with the waves, just like she does.

As a flow artist, Eshna Kutty been spinning her hoops for over a decade, but her 'Saree Flow' series is where she truly shines. Dressed in a saree with sneakers on, she twirls, flips, and grooves to desi beats, making the elaborate attire a part of her movement.

Flying over the ocean waves in a saree, Katya was seen kiteboarding in a fusion of high-adrenaline adventure with cultural roots in a way that’s both poetic and powerful. As a scuba instructor and co-founder of Ocean Nomads, she’s no stranger to the water, but seeing her gliding across the sea in a saree is a reminder that femininity and strength aren’t mutually exclusive.

Okay, so technically BombayMami isn't wearing a saree; it’s a lehenga. But when you’re shredding down the Swiss Alps with your dupatta trailing behind you like a superhero’s cape, what does it matter? BombayMami, the Indo-Swiss rapper, makes snowboarding in a lehenga look like the most natural thing in the world in her new track.

If winter weddings in India have taught us anything, it’s that women don’t sacrifice style just because it’s freezing. Our outfits is our craft and we take it seriously, whether it's a sangeet or adventure sports.

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