S1E20: Sari, she’s gotta run! Indian women flex their cores and smash stereotypes: Letter from the Bureau

Asian Insider

Find out what a '1-minute' sari is, and the best ways to drape a sari for running.

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.

They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.

In this episode, she chats with ST's India correspondent Debarshi Dasgupta.

Some Indian women are choosing saris over shorts as they go jogging along busy streets. But as they transform the traditional wear into activewear of choice, they encounter taboos. Are saris and sneakers not a fit combo?

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:19 So, what is a sari run?

5:06 Is it truly comfortable to run in a sari? The best ways to drape the sari for running?

7:40 The fastest marathoner in a sari

9:31 Are saris more popular today? Heard of a '1-minute' sari, sari over jeans?

12:23 As India becomes the world’s most populous nation, are women becoming healthier?

Read Debarshi Dasgupta’s article here: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/nine-yards-of-freedom-indian-women-take-to-running-in-saris-to-break-taboos

Produced by: Bhagyashree Garekar ([e-mail]), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim and Fa’izah Sani

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim and Fa’izah Sani

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Chapters

1. Sari, she’s gotta run! Indian women flex their cores and smash stereotypes: Letter from the Bureau (00:00:00)

2. What is a sari run? (00:01:19)

3. Best way to drape a sari for running (00:05:06)

4. Fastest marathoner in a sari (00:07:40)

5. Saris more popular today? A '1-min' sari? (00:09:31)

6. Are women in India becoming healthier? (00:12:23)