CHENNAI: Not many know that the popular Navarathri nine-day colour code began as a marketing campaign by a prominent Marathi newspaper in 2003. Since then, the trend has caught on across the country, with women choosing sarees and outfits in a designated colour for each day of the festival.
What began as a promotional idea has grown into a festive ritual that brings together colour, textiles, personal expression and community.
For designer Rema Kumar, the tradition has become an annual celebration of sarees and the women who wear them. She began following the colour code in 2014, after a friend introduced her to it on Facebook. As a textile designer, she was drawn to the possibilities of colour and the way a saree comes alive when draped.
“I started sharing my daily Navarathri looks on Instagram because, as a textile designer, colour, textiles and the way a saree comes alive when draped have always fascinated me,” she says.
What started as sharing her outfits gradually grew into #navrangnavratriwithrk, an annual initiative on her Instagram page, @remakumarofficial. Rema invites women to share their looks and features their photographs on her Stories, celebrating the different ways they interpret the same colour.
For her, the exercise is also about making the most of what is already in the wardrobe rather than shopping for nine new outfits. She begins with the prescribed colour and builds her look around a saree, blouse, dupatta or accessory that fits the theme.
“I love looking at colours in different ways and discovering combinations that I may not have considered before. Every textile has a story and Navarathri gives me nine wonderful opportunities to bring those stories back to life.”
When putting together an outfit, Rema considers the interplay of colour, texture, pattern and proportion. She often lets the saree take centre stage, using jewellery and accessories to complement rather than compete with it.
Traditional styling and contemporary combinations both find a place in her looks. She believes dressing for the nine days should be an enjoyable exercise rather than a set of rules.
Malini Shankar has taken a different approach, choosing ‘Shaktis of India’ as her theme. Through her sarees, she is paying tribute to women from different regions and fields who have inspired her, drawing on the textile traditions of the states associated with them.
“I have chosen nine strong women from across the country who appealed to me. I don't claim to do justice to all of them, especially when there are only nine days and 28 states to consider. But I have tried to cover different geographical regions,” shares Malini.
Her series looks beyond the idols worshipped during Navarathri to the women whose lives reflect the many dimensions of Shakti. “During the nine nights, we worship the different dimensions of the Mother Goddess.
But to truly understand Shakti, we must also look at the women who walked the earth with that same fire,” she adds.
Malini began the series on Sunday with Rani Lakshmibai, wearing a Banarasi silk saree draped in the Nauvari dhoti style to honour the queen remembered for her role in the 1857 uprising against British rule. Each day's saree, drape and accessories are chosen to reflect the woman she is featuring.
For Ahilyabai Holkar, she plans to wear a white Maheshwari saree, drawing from the textile traditions of Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh, where the queen ruled and supported the region's cultural and religious life.
Rani Rashmoni of West Bengal is another figure in the series, represented through the colour red. The series will also feature women such as Rukmini Devi Arundale, Indira Gandhi and Amrita Pritam, bringing together figures from politics, the arts and social reform. The sarees and jewellery will be selected to complement each woman's story and regional associations.
For textile researcher and entrepreneur Dr Sridevi Seshabhattar, the colour code offers a simple way to connect with the festival while rediscovering sarees that might otherwise remain tucked away in cupboards.
She has been following the tradition for nearly nine years, seeing it as both a personal choice and an opportunity to build camaraderie. “It is entirely up to an individual to follow the colour code. But it is also a nice way to bring out the sarees lying in your cupboard and a lovely way to build camaraderie,” she says.
For her, the practice is about more than dressing in a particular colour. It offers a sense of belonging, whether through a shared cultural tradition or a personal connection to the divine.
“As humans, we have always wanted to belong. Some of us look for a sense of divinity around us. It allows us to feel connected to something larger than ourselves,” she says.