It was a cold yet crisp and sunny Saturday morning in London. Millenium Tower Pier was buzzing with tourists, but among them stood women from ‘British Women in Sarees’ and spouses from the diaspora in their beautiful traditional Indian attires, chatting with each other eagerly about their day together. Some even discussed how they put together their outfits, source and inspirations, while others appreciated simply the efforts, by cheering for the participants.
The group was gathered on London’s bank to board a boat for a catwalk, showcasing India’s heritage and culture through its royal weaves and traditional outfits, woven by the weavers and artisans, especially from the rural India.
This time the organisation’s women were joined by their enthusiastic spouses, also in traditional attires with props that too were made by Indian artisans. Walking mostly as couples, participants made grand entrance on the boat’s upper deck, dancing to popular and local film or folk songs, representing their own States in India.
Before boarding the boat Erasmus, some of them even posed enthusiastically against the majestic Tower of London, without a coat or even a shawl, showing off their gorgeous Indian sarees, ghagras, sherwanis and dhotis. Among them was organiser Dr Dipti Jain in a green and red saree- draped in traditional Bengali style, red bindi and royal jewellery, running around energetically, gathering groups State wise to queue up for the official photos.
As the boat sailed down River Thames, around 1pm, through London’s iconic landmarks, participants representing States viz. West Bengal, Rajasthan, UP, Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Assam, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, showcased their talents through choreographed dance-drama. While a lot of the efforts were to raise awareness about India’s culture and handloom, ultimately the day was converted into a huge party, with people enjoying time with friends and family over food and drinks.
Organiser Dr Dipti Jain told Asian Voice, “At the Royal Heritage Walk on Thames Cruise, against the iconic Skyline of London, you could feel the excitement of the participants, who braved the chilly weather to come on a Saturday. So much effort has gone behind each State presentation - be it the way they have draped their weaves or given the flavour of their state through dances on folk songs. We truly brought our styles, colours, Indian values and our ‘mitti ki khushboo’ to the ‘soils’ of Great Britain!”
The organisation has previously hosted a walkathon in handloom sarees through the Whitehall to celebrate India’s Handloom Day and attended the Royal Ascot in saree and fascinators. Next year they are taking their Walkathon initiative to New York on 4 May.
