Wishing Indians on the country’s 72nd Independence Day, U.S. envoy MaryKay Carlson took to Twitter to share her love for saris.
The U.S. embassy in India posted a video on its official Twitter handle, showing Carlson, the country’s Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi, as saying that she loves Indian saris, with their rich textile heritage and vibrant colors, as they represent the diversity of the country.
Carlson had become popular with Indian social media users last year, after she asked them to vote for the best sari for her to wear during the Independence Day celebrations.
A year after #SareeSearch, DCM Carlson is celebrating Indian #IndependenceDay with her collection of 16 sarees. She loves them all, esp #Khadi & #Handloom– fabric that feels like freedom! To her, sarees represent the rich diversity of #IncredibleIndia. #WeWearCulture @smritiirani pic.twitter.com/O7bSLbwZHH
— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) August 10, 2018
“I love Indian saris, especially around Independence Day. They represent the vast culture, color and diversity of this great country,” Carlson said, and ended the video, saying, “Happy Independence Day.”
She also tells people that her love for the sari is not limited to special occasions and that she has been wearing them at workplace almost every day of the week before the Independence Day. She drapes them herself, she said.
“Most people are pleased to see their rich culture, Khadi culture, which is linked to independence, being celebrated by all types of people,” Carlson said in the video, which has gathered over 9,600 views so far.
The 1 minute 35 second video shows various snapshots of her wearing different saris while carrying out official duties indoors as well outdoors. She is also seen wearing a bindi a few times.
Carlson’s personal Twitter page too contains several images showing her wearing saris, and posts and retweets related to the garment.
“Love the rich texture, colors, patterns, styles of Indian textiles. Happy to help celebrate,” she had posted on National Handloom Day on Aug. 7.
Love the rich texture, colors, patterns, styles of Indian textiles. Happy to help celebrate #NationalHandloomDay! #WeWearCulture pic.twitter.com/vSSL53JoRQ
— MaryKay Carlson (@MaryKayCarlson) August 7, 2018
In her Independence Day video this year, she also revealed what prompted her to involve the netizens in her efforts last year. She said that she wanted to wear a sari on Aug. 15 last year but was afraid to end up with a wrong choice. This prompted her to start the hashtag #SareeSearch on Twitter, and ask people to help her in selecting the best one for the occasion.
The sari that got maximum votes was a red Kanjeevaram silk piece with a green blouse. A picture that showed her wearing the sari was liked by 3,300 people on Twitter last year.
#SareeSearch success! Excited to attend #IndependenceDayIndia celebration wearing the voters’ choice – Kanjeevaram. #WeWearCulture pic.twitter.com/l7pIXm4UmT
— Ken Juster (@USAmbIndia) August 15, 2017