At dawn, before traffic fills the roads and offices switch on their lights, a woman bends to sweep a street. Her saree is tucked at the waist, pleats secured, movement practised and sure. Across the country, similar scenes unfold every day. From sanitation workers and community health volunteers to lawyers, doctors, and homemakers, women carry out demanding work in a garment often assumed to limit them. Yet, in practice, the saree moves with them. On World Saree Day, observed on 21 December 2025, this is a look at how women across professions do extraordinary work in the most enduring symbol of Indian womanhood: the saree.

Before most cities wake up, women community workers are already on their feet. Sweepers in crisp cotton sarees clear roads at dawn, ASHA workers cycle through villages with registers tucked under their arms. Anganwadi........

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