UKHCA 2022 - Annual Brochure

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Sharodiya Durga Puja 2022শারদীয়া দুর্গোৎসব ১৪২৯Royal Ascot in Sarees - The UKHCA Experience (Roshmi Kumar)At one of our afternoon tea and adda sessions during our Durga Puja last year , our very own Dipti ,spoke about her dream of organising a group of women who would attend the Ladies day at Royal Ascotshowcasing our sarees, a symbol of India and a representative traditional clothing of the Indian subcontinent.The term ‘Ladies Day’ seems to have been first used in 1823, when an anonymous poet describedthe Thursday of the five day Royal event as when “the women, like angels, look sweetly divine”. Eachday at Royal Ascot begins with a Royal Procession, and six races throughout the day, with Ladies’ Dayhaving the renowned Gold Cup race.Dipti had already set her idea in motion with several other ladies’ groups but the plans were in the embryonicstages at that point. The idea was to raise awareness about the artisans in India, showcase theirbrilliant weaves and raise funds to support them as many had suffered setbacks during the pandemic.Enthused and encouraged by the idea and the noble cause, the UKHCA ladies decided to join the eventand so began the months of planning and discussions! The ladies discussed what weaves they weregoing to wear, organisation of travel, seating, picnics and most importantly, unique to this event, thechoice of a fascinator, hatinator or a hat to match their sarees. There is adherence to a strict dress codeat Ascot which has to be considered and wearing headgear is traditional. In the days leading up to theevent Dipti and the organisers had asked ladies to form colour-coded groups in the hues of the Rainbowand women would join specific groups in the colour of their sarees. The idea was to display the sareesand their pallus in their colour coded groups.There were ladies attending from various parts of the UK in groups, with an estimated number of 1000women in total ,including some attending from India, America and the Middle east.The thursday 16th June 2022 was a beautiful, warm summer’s day, absolutely perfect for our trip to Ascot.Our extended group from Kent , including our UKHCA ladies, all travelled up together on a coach.It was a very enjoyable experience with chitter chatter, singing songs and singalongs and laughter allthe way, as if we were all on a school trip.When we arrived at the Windsor enclosure, it was absolutely amazing to see a vast expanse of colourwhich arose from the hundreds of ladies all in their colourful Sarees and Fascinators. There wereweaves on display from various corners of India and each one had a story to tell! The atmosphere waselectrifying with live bands playing music, food stalls everywhere, the delightful aroma of the barbequesand the buzz of the crowds. It was great to witness the Royal procession prior to the races commencingand finally the races. Some amongst us went on to bet on their favourite horses whilst othersrelaxed, soaked up the atmosphere, picnicked and enjoyed the company of friends. All the ladies lookedvery glamorous and it was truly a historical day for our beloved sarees to be recognised and appreciatedat a truly quintessential British event! So much so that, we caught the attention of the media and thestory was featured on several news channels and newspapers, both in the UK and overseas. The mainUK Hindu Cultural Association28www.ukhca.communityukhca.info@gmail.comRegistered UK Charity No. 1069932
Sharodiya Durga Puja 2022শারদীয়া দুর্গোৎসব ১৪২৯From (L - R)Arunima Saha,Subarna Sen, SampaNag, Roshmi Kumar,Bithi Purkayastha,Sumita Mukherjee,Meenakshi Dutta,Paromita Pandit,Jharna Sil Verma,Rama Karmakar,Pearly Banerjeeorganisers were interviewed enabling them to share the ethos behind this group, which was the supportof Artisans who weave magic into our beautiful sarees.The hours went by very quickly and soon it was time to board the coach back home. It was indeed a daywell spent, supporting a great cause, wearing our favourite sarees, enjoying the company of our friends,making many new friends and creating so many lovely cherished memories. I am sure all of us UKHCAladies will look back on this day with nostalgia, I know that I certainly will. A day when we createdhistory - when our sarees took over the Windsor enclosure at Ascot in style!From (L - R)Roshmi Kumar, Sumita Mukherjee, Paromita Pandit, Rama Karmokar, Bithi Purkayastha, MousumiKumar, Riya Das, Sonali Guha, Meenakshi DuttaUK Hindu Cultural Association29www.ukhca.communityukhca.info@gmail.comRegistered UK Charity No. 1069932
Page 1: Sharodiya Durga Puja 2022শার
Page 4 and 5: Sharodiya Durga Puja 2022শার
Page 58: + 44 (0)1322 761 076www.TrendyBlock

UKHCA 2022 - Annual Brochure

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?