At the reception for the Indian delegation to launch the UK-India Year of Culture, the Queen tries her hands at some mudras and comes to a practical conclusion; Indian glitterati excited at developing partnership between countries
Queen along with Prince William and Duchess Catherine greeting the Indian delegation led by Finance minister Arun Jaitley
The peacock with Indian dancing motifs in its colourful plumes came to life on Buckingham Palace's façade on Monday evening as Queen Elizabeth II officially inaugurated the UK-India Year of Culture with a reception for the Indian dignitaries.
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But the outside paled in comparison to the glittering reception inside at the White Dining Room that saw 250 prominent members from both British and Indian community who have contributed to arts and culture. The year has been marked as a celebration of India's 70 years of independence and the growing partnership between the two countries.
The dance mudra that the Queen attempted
India proud
"It's incredible. I'm an Indian student and I feel like I saw a historic event," said Vandana Mhatre. Another Indian living in London, Arvind Singh echoed, "So proud of our heritage. Who would have thought that the British, who we fought against till 70 years ago, would now give us so much respect."
The facade of Buckingham Palace sports a peacock with dancers
The event kicked off at 5.30 pm and saw guests being treated to a specially created dance called Ekum — a confluence of five dance styles from India — on music composed by both Indian and Western composers right at the entrance steps. The Royal Family then joined the guests at 6 pm and graciously mingled around over drinks and canapes for the next hour-and-a-half.
Dancing Queen
In fact, later in the evening, the Queen even tried her hands at some dance mudras. "I was surprised when the Queen asked me to show her how to do a mudra and sportingly attempted it. She then smilingly shrugged 'I don't think my fingers are made for this'. But she was perfect," said Kuchipudi dancer Arunima Kumar, who choreographed the event. "I even saw her twiddling her fingers as she went to meet the other guests."
The Queen also appeared charmed by the Indian attire. "India has such beautiful textiles, such wonderful colours and patterns. The saree looks so elegant, especially wonderful in the way it is draped," she was heard telling a guest.
The Indian glitterati
Leading the Indian delegation at the event was finance minister Arun Jaitley, who said, "The two countries share a long history and it's an honour to attend the reception hosted by the Queen to acknowledge this relationship and further strengthen our ties."
Also present at the gala were actor Ayesha Dharker, Indian sitar player Anoushka Shankar in a pastel hue, Aloka Mitra in a rich handwoven jacket over saree, along with Kapil Dev, chef Vikas Khanna and Kamal Haasan in classic suits. Even British Indian actors Kunal Nayyar and Nina Wadia were in attendance.
As Khanna presented a book on Indian food and culture to the Queen, Dharker noted that UK and India share a "long complicated relationship…like any great love story".
Meanwhile, director Gurinder Chaddha of Bend It Like Beckham fame agrees that there is a "need for greater collaboration between the two countries and British Indians keep Indian art alive in UK".
British minister Priti Patel said, "It's amazing to see the depth of the UK-India relationship. I've been able to have discussions with minister Jaitley on the political situations in both our countries and the incredible trade opportunities that we have."
Glimpses into history
The reception also saw a number of artefacts from the Royal Collection on display in the picture gallery, prominent among them being a shawl with Jai Hind woven by Mahatma Gandhi, which was given to the Queen as a wedding gift in 1947. The shawl was given to Lord Mountbatten with a note that read: 'Please give the bride and the bridegroom this with my blessing with the wish that they would have a log and happy life of service of man. Yours sincerely, MK'
Clothes took the cake
In the star-studded reception, the royal family left no stone unturned to make a sartorial statement. While the Queen wore a deep purple Stewart Parvin dress sewn with gold thread, the Duchess of Cambridge donned a Erdem mid-length Rhonda lace dress with silver details with opulent pearl drop earrings by Indian designer Anita Dongre.
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