Of all the arts that have flourished in India, draping cloth to dress the body is the most unique, yet the least studied, cultural treasure. It is also an ephemeral art -- as soon as a woman's sari or a man's dhoti is taken off, the particular style in which it encircled the body is lost, and the garment reverts to its flat rectangular form. If a particular style of draping becomes and remains unfashionable until all its wearers have died, the artistry of that style is permanently lost.