Mukherjee could not have chosen a better time for his stern rebuke to errant Indian women. Coming as it did on the heels of Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar's shock and horror at girls drinking beer and Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury's loud laugh in Parliament being lampooned as the cackle of a demoness in the Ramayana, Mukherjee's comment made up a perfect triptych of male conviction that they have the right to tell us how we should or should not comport ourselves.
Shaming us for drinking beer and shaming us for not knowing how to wear (and hence not wearing) a saree spring from the same dark place.
Sure, the saree is a part of Indian culture. The infinite variety of its weaves and motifs, honed and handed down by generations of artisans, is a dazzling facet of our cultural heritage. Whether it is a butter soft Banarasi or a shimmering Kanjeevaram, sarees are the many-splendoured fruits of India's looms.