First-ever Saree Walkathon in London on Aug 6 to raise awareness about handlooms of India

worldnrinews January 9, 2018

By A Staff Reporter

LONDON July 23: A first-ever Saree Walkathon will be held in London on August 6, 2023 with an intent to raise awareness about the handlooms of India.

The Walkathon is being held a day before the ‘National Handloom Day’ in India on 7th August to voice solidarity with the Swadeshi movement which has been an integral part of the Indian Freedom movement and which started from the Town Hall in Calcutta (presently Kolkata).

Around 500 women representing different states of India and draping different handloom weaves from their states are expected to walk past the iconic and historical London monuments, beginning from Trafalgar Square to the historic Parliament Square in Westminster, London, via 10 Downing Street.

The event is hosted by British Women In Sarees under Dr Dipti Jain’s leadership supported by Inspiring IIW (INSPIRING INDIAN WOMEN) Global Harrow Care Plus Beautiful women of India.

Anyone can turn up in saree attire at 10 Downing Street on August 6 and join in the walkathon as form of support to the cause. The concept is to use saree as a means of providing support to the ones who most need it.

Speaking to this website Dr Deepti Jain said: “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.

Dr Dipti Jain was instrumental in organising the very first and immensely successful event at the Ladies Day Royal Ascot Races on 16th June 2022. It was pathbreaking to see around 1,000 ladies from the Indian subcontinent striking a fine balance between their sarees and fascinators, bridging the cultural ties between the UK and India.

“The Ascot is a symbol of fine British pageantry and elegance. As residents of UK, 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”, Deepti said.

The Kerala team is coordinated by Dr Deepa Hegde, Dr Hema Santhosh and Shirley Gibson alongwith around thirty members. The Kerala team will be showcasing handloom settu mundu and sarees bought directly from the weavers to support them. They will also do a traditional Kerala dance at the Parliament Square before finishing off with a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

Speaking to this website, Dr Hema Santhosh said: “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”.

When asked further to explain how Kerala will be represented Dr Hema said: “Around 30 of us are representing Kerala in our settu mundu from our handloom weavers. We will be showcasing handloom settu mundu and sarees bought directly from the weavers to support them. For example our members we will be wearing sarees from Karipuzha kaithari, Kuthumpully handloom, Chendamangalam kaithari, Balaramapuram kaithari, Kuthumpully kaithari, Karimpuzha kaithari. We will also do a traditional Kerala dance at the Parliament square before finishing off with a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Please join and support the weavers of Kerala and other states by turning up at 10 Downing Street and cheering on in your handloom sarees”.