New Delhi, 27th July, 2023: India as a nation takes immense pride in her age-old traditions, homegrown craftsmanship and art. The most beautiful amalgamation of the aforementioned is perhaps found in the garment chosen by Indian women through centuries - the saree. The history of saree is ancient and can be traced back to the Indus Valley civilisation. If we ask ourselves about the things which come to our mind when we think of India and Indian women- the imagery is always about her tremendous grace, humility, timeless beauty, intelligence and most definitely the saree.
Over the course of thousands of years of history, the saree has evolved into a phenomenal art form with myriads of regional variations in fabric, stitches, designs, prints, embroideries, embellishments and styles of draping. Saree is an emblem of our pride, a symbol of our artistic versatility, an insignia of our brilliant culture.
On 6th August 2023, we are going to witness history in making when around 500 women of Indian origin will walk peacefully through the streets of London, the global city. In this opportune moment, let us take you through the story that shaped this movement.
Origin and Aspirations
The modern Indian woman of today believes in traversing the world beyond her cocoon and she does all that and more, in a saree while redefining the codes of power dressing.
The British Women in Sarees group was formed out of this idea. It is a group of empowered women who take pride in flaunting handloom sarees and representing the unique cultural melting pot that is India. It is a not-for-profit organisation which likes to organise events to promote our National Heritage and make everyone around the world aware of the toil, handwork and artistry which goes behind weaving each of these masterpieces.
Our Objectives and Outcomes achieved
Our President Dr. Dipti Jain was instrumental in organizing our very first and immensely successful event at the Ladies Day Royal Ascot Races on 16th June 2022. It was pathbreaking to see around 1000 ladies from the Indian subcontinent striking a fine balance between their sarees and fascinators, bridging the cultural ties between the United Kingdom and India. The Ascot is a symbol of fine British pageantry and elegance. As residents of United Kingdom, we felt elated and proud of the inclusivity that the stage provided us to pay homage to our roots, India. The world watched us but the limelight that our sarees fetched provided us the platform to raise awareness about the plight of artisans and weavers who need support to continue and pass on their craft to the next generation.
The proceeds from the event were given to a K(n)atha weaving artist residing in Nanoor, a small village in West Bengal, India.
As we grow bigger, we intend to reach out, grow and connect with more artisans and weavers who need support. This will be our way of preserving ancient handicrafts.
The world is watching us!
Our saree movement which started out on the British soil has already grabbed eyeballs from all over the world. After the successful Ascot event, our tribe traveled to the celebrated Venice Masquerade Carnival in Italy and to the fragrant and world-famous Tulip gardens of the Netherlands, Keukenhof.
The world watched us, the cameras could not stop clicking us and the compliments did not stop while we proudly saw the saree - the beautiful, handwoven fabric bearing the hallmark of thousands of years of fine craftsmanship and art taking the coveted center stage in the fashion world.
The way forward…
As ambassadors of this movement, we feel grateful that we have gained immense success with our early efforts in bringing the limelight for the artists and weavers and put their wearable art on a pedestal where everyone is curious to know more about them. But we intend to achieve more. We intend to identify handlooms clusters in India, in need of help and lend them our support. We intend to raise awareness among all about our handlooms, their history and the art behind it. This peaceful Saree Walkathon of ours is another initiative to make this possible.
Sarees are a part of our history and cultural heritage. Handlooms and handwoven textiles have been at the core of the Swadeshi movement in India which was an integral part of the Indian freedom movement. The movement which started on 7th August 1905 from the Town Hall at Calcutta (now Kolkata) is now commemorated every year by celebrating the National Handloom Day in India. It is a day of celebrating our handlooms and everything that is handmade. From there to here, from Town Hall in Calcutta of 1905 to the London of today, our handlooms have come a long way and we are proud of the saree sisterhood that this movement has propagated.
So, we have today, to just name a few, the Jamdani from West Bengal, Ilkal from Karnataka, Paithani from Maharashtra, Bandhni from Rajasthan, Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh, Bomkai from Odisha, Patola from Gujarat, Muga Silk from Assam walking hand in hand, in sisterhood and in solidarity on the streets of London, to represent India and her hand woven traditions.
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