1000+ Indian-Origin Women Attend UK Royal Ascot Race In Sarees To Support Weavers

Over 1000 Indian-Origin women turned up at the UK’s most valued Royal Ascot Ladies Race Day in traditional sarees, on Thursday.

Most of them were from NHS (National Health Service) doctors or bankers who took a day off to attend the event, which was also attended by British Queen Elizabeth II. While a majority of women were residing in the UK, some even flew in from other countries, including India.

The saree-clad women displayed India’s culture on a global platform to support Indian weavers who have suffered great losses amid the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. For the same, the ladies sported selective creative sarees that featured a variety of themes ranging from health workers to hijab. With this, the women ensured that the diversity of Indian states was at full display at Royal Ascot. It was an Indian statement of sustainability in fashion basking in its full glory at the most famous equestrian event on the English calendar at Ascot, a small town half an hour out of London.

The Royal Enclosure has the strictest Dress Code, with men wearing grey, navy or black morning dress and top hat, and women wearing formal daywear and a hat with a solid base of 4 inches or more in diameter. The origins of the Royal Ascot Dress Code can be traced back to the early 19th century when Beau Brummel, a close friend of the Prince Regent, decreed that men of elegance should wear waisted black coats and white cravats with pantaloons to the Royal Meeting.

However, there was a major deviation this year which was surprisingly welcomed by all.

Women rage in sarees at Royal Ascot

UK-based Doctor Dipti Jain, who originally hails from Kolkata came up with this idea at first. She urged women to wear sarees to Ascot in order to showcase how proud they are of their national heritage and also to celebrate the creativity of Indian weavers and support them.

“Raising awareness about sarees, raising eyebrows and raising the threshold of the fashion world, let the saree speak to you today,” said Dr Dipti Jain, Chairperson, Medico Women’s Charity to the media. Set up in 2019, the organization represents women in the medics’ profession but now extends to other British Asian women too.

Speaking about her saree, Jain said that she donned a hand-embroidered saree with London and Kolkata skylines, along with the Queen’s face, Big Ben, a red phone box and the Tower of London. The artisan behind the gorgeous ensemble was 33-year-old weaver Rupa Khatun, who hails from West Bengal. Khatun was overjoyed with the portrayal and appreciation.

“I never had any formal training in making sarees. I just learned from the other women in the village and my mother and grandmother. I am really proud. I did not know about the Queen, London or Big Ben before,” she said.

The Bengal weaver further shared that she is actually used to sewing traditional prints saree, and that the said saree was the most difficult one she has made to date. She took four whole months to bring the idea to life, with help from other women. The hardest part while sewing the saree, she said “was making the Queen’s face absolutely perfect.”

While Khatun was responsible to sew the saree, the woman behind the design was Tanima Paul. Known to promote the work of Indian artisans in the UK, Paul not only sketched the saree but also made the images of the Queen, Big Ben, and others on the fabric.

Handwoven to hand-painted and Madhubani to Kantha and Silk to Tussar, you name it and all varieties, colours and weaves of sarees made the sun shine brighter at the Royal Ascot.

More About Royal Ascot

Apart from being an annual horse-racing spectacle, Royal Ascot is quite a fashion feast, especially on the Ladies Race Day. Women dress to kill and men put their suits on. It’s formal yet fun. Held in the month of June, this equestrian event is attended by the Royal family as well.

Each of the five days of Royal Ascot begins with the Royal Procession at 2pm, when the Queen and other members of the royal family arrive down the straight mile in the Royal Landaus, accompanied by the playing of the National Anthem and the raising of the Royal Standard.

Royal Ascot is Britain’s most valuable race meeting, attracting many of the world’s finest racehorses to compete for millions of pounds in prize money. Approximately 500 horses race across the five days. Eighteen Group races, eight of them Group 1, are staged each year and are broadcast to audiences in almost 200 territories around the world.

Also read: Meet The Kerala-Origin ‘Superhero’ Dad Who Got Awarded For COVID Relief Effort In UK