Feeling Like a Million Dollars!

 

The awesome $100,000/- Chennai Silk Saree!

 

Am wearing a lovely pastel green saree for the first time, yet feeling like a million dollars because the Saree is given by my best friend, Amu.

 

Amu with her lovely blue saree.

 

I love the blue Punjabi suit that Amu had bought for me. It is cooler than a saree,
and I feel so rich to have a wonderful friend like Amu. Getting ready for our
2010 DWG Dinner & Dance. The gold medal is an award given by Dr. Dennis Wee to the
top 200 agents.

One of my friends, Bilora Chowdhury, a passionate toastmaster, forwarded me an email about the most expensive and beautiful saree that would probably enter the Guiness World of Records. Below is the write-up.

"How often have you come across a Rs. 40 lakh ($100,000) silk saree? Chennai Silks, a textile unit has come up with one of its kind and it is seeking an unmistakable entry into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most unique and expensive saree.

The exceptionally stunning saree is meticulously woven with 12 precious stones and metals to depict 11 of Raja Ravi Verma's popular paintings. Explicitly projected is 'Lady Musicians', one of the painter's very famous works that displays women belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds.

Besides, the border of the saree pictures 10 other paintings of the artist that pays tribute to 20th century artist.

The best part of the saree being that the women in the paintings are intricately hand-woven and beautified with jewels of gold, diamond, platinum, silver, ruby, emerald, yellow sapphire, sapphire, cat's eye, topaz, pearl and corals.

Already in the Limca Book of Records, this 40 lakh saree will be the first silk saree that required the use of 7,440 jacquard hooks and 66,794 cards during the weaving process. Moreover, a group of consummate workers took nearly 4,680 hours."

The Chennai silk saree is absolutely gorgeous and so is the price! At US100,000/-
it can buy me a three room HDB flat in the outskirts of Singapore. At US100,000/- it can also buy Pastor Richard, 7 years supply of food for the children in his orphanage in Myammar.

The Saree is very graceful and I was thrilled when my best friend, Amu, gave me a lovely pastel green saree from her collection. I wore it for our annual Dinner and Dance. During this year's Dinner and Dance in March, Amu again surprised me with another gift - this time - a lovely Punjabi suit. I like it more as it is less warm and easier to put on than a saree.

Notwithstanding the immense hard work and labour on the Chennai Silk Saree, I feel that I would never be able to bring myself to buy such an expensive saree, even if I were a millionaire. The feeling would not be comfortable. I would feel guilty about being overly lavish, when there are still so many starving people on this planet.

My best friend, Amu, who did not go to school works hard as a cleaner. Yet with the little money that she has, she is generous to buy me such lovely outfits. Even though my Saree and Punjabi suit cost less than S$100/-, I feel like a millionaire whenever I wear them, because I feel so loved and blessed to have such a thoughtful and wonderful friend.

Gan Cao