By: SATISVELAAN LINGAM & DR AHMAD SAUFFIYAN BIN ABU HASAN
(21-year-old student entrepreneur Jegadeesha Pannir Selvam)
Tanjong Malim - Saree pleating and draping is an art that reflects elegance, tradition, and cultural identity. A saree, when properly pleated and draped, enhances a person’s appearance by creating a neat, graceful silhouette. The process involves carefully folding the fabric into even pleats and arranging it around the body in a secure and stylish manner. Although it may seem simple, achieving a perfect drape requires skill, patience, and attention to detail, especially for special occasions such as cultural events, weddings, or performances.
A saree pleater is a skilled individual who specializes in neatly arranging and draping sarees to suit different body types and occasions. In this case, the saree pleater, Jegadeesha Pannir Selvam, is a 21-year-old university student who has turned his talent into a small business on campus. He offers affordable and reasonable pricing, making his service accessible to fellow students who may struggle with draping sarees on their own. Known for his precision and attention to detail, he ensures that each pleat is evenly aligned and securely tucked, giving his clients a polished and confident look. Despite balancing his academic responsibilities, he manages his time effectively to provide reliable service, especially during campus events and cultural programs where sarees are commonly worn.
A satisfied customer, Nisshantany Thinagaran, a 22-year-old university student, is one of the regular clients who frequently relies on the saree pleating service. She shares that as a student with a busy schedule, she often finds it challenging to neatly drape a saree on her
own, especially when rushing for events or classes. With the help of the pleater, she is able to achieve a clean, elegant look without any stress. She particularly appreciates the attention to detail, the perfectly aligned pleats, and the secure draping that lasts throughout the day. According to her, the service is not only affordable but also highly dependable, making it a convenient option for students on campus. Because of her consistently positive experiences, she strongly recommends this saree pleating service to others who want to look presentable and confident with minimal effort.
Draping and pleating a saree represents skills in elegance, culture and identity. When done correctly, draping and pleating a saree gives the wearer a neat, elegant silhouette. This involves taking the saree material, folding it into even folds, and wrapping it around the body in a stylish way that allows the saree to remain intact. Although it appears simple, achieving the perfect draping of a saree requires time, skill, and patience. There are many instances where it's important to drape a saree, like at weddings, cultural functions and theatrical performances. Additionally, there are many students who have very busy schedules and look to professional assistance to help them with saree draping because of the time constraints they face. Therefore, they are turning to people like Jegadeesha Pannir Selvam, a 21-year-old university student who has been able to turn this traditional skill into a business.
Jegadeesha is a student and has a passion for clothing and Indian culture; as a student, he focuses on saree pleating and draping as a service for his peers at the university he attends. He chose to pursue this business once he realised many of his friends struggle with the way in which they want to wear their sarees; he created a service that meets the needs and budgets of his fellow students at the university by providing affordable service. The initial idea Jegadeesha had for this business came about while he was helping friends prepare for cultural type events.