Festival of India Details

September 15, 2012 

Looking through old papers, I found the text of the script I used for the Festival of India that took place on Thursday, May 25, 1967 at the auditorium of St. Mary’s Academy.

The programme handout showed that there were two parts to the evening, first the Costumes Show and then after an intermission were dances and music:

Dance: Bharata Natyam Alarippu by Harinakshi Singh

Dance: Bharata Natyam Abhinya by Ganga Dakshinamurti

Song:  (in Bengali) by Jharna Sen Gupta

Song: (in Hindi) by Santosh Paul and Sneh Nigam

Instrumental Music:  Veena by Ganga Dakshinamurti

The full script of the Fashion Show is here.

About forty different costumes were modelled by 4 children and 24 adults, of whom eleven were non-Indians.

This entry has parts of my script, and one can fill in the gaps left by what actually took place, e.g. that every person who entered the auditorium was given a traditional Hindu welcome, and that there were slides on the screen, that are described.

The list of names of those who modelled the costumes  reminds us there were not many Indians who were in Winnipeg at the time. Since the event was organized under the aegis of Altrusa Club, many of its members also modelled.  Almost half the models were non-Indians.
More interesting, as I now read the full script I wrote 45 years ago, is how I had to talk a lot in order to make sure the models had enough time to tear one cosutme off and get into another.  It must have been bedlam backstage in the dressing rooms!

Excerpts from my script:  (I was the emcee)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the Festival of India! 

We have given you the traditional Indian welcome at the door with sweets, sandalwood, rose water and kumkum.  India is rich in symbolic rituals and I would like to explain the significance of the welcoming ritual.

All happy occasions are celebrated with what we call “sweetening of the mouth.” Both receiver and giver of good news distribute sweets.  We are happy to receive the pleasure of your company and glad to give you an evening of Indian dresses and music.

The sweet-smelling sandal-paste and sprinkling of rose-water signify the host’s good wishes for your health and prosperity.  The red powder given to you needs a more detailed description for I know that the red mark on our forehead intrigues almost every Canadian who sees it.

It is not a caste-mark – every Hindu woman, rich or poor, born in a palace or a slum – wears it. It is NOT blood or an indelible tattoo.  It is a paste or powder that, like lipstick, can be wiped off.

It is of great significance for it is a sign of well-being, a symbol of happiness, a reminder that life is a joyful experience, that womanhood is beautiful, wifehood ecstatic, motherhood divine.  So strong are the sentiments associated with it that all Hindu women wear it at all times except when in mourning.  Those of us who choose to be westernized do not wear it.

This evening you will see many different ways of draping the saree, and several adaptations of Indian fabrics and costumes for Canadian gowns.  With the help of coloured slides and through our modelling of the regional costumes, we hope to give you a glimpse of the remarkable unity which underlies the endless variety that composes the world’s oldest living culture.

Before we proceed to the models, I would like to introduce you to the saree!  And I assure you, one can wax lyrical here.  It needs no sewing or fitting.  Any light fabric that catches your fancy and is between 45 and 54 inches wide can be cut to a six yard length and be made into a saree by merely hemming the edges! It needs no hangers and occupies very little space – you can stack about 25 sarees in an average sized suitcase.  You never outgrow it, and most wonderful of all, the saree can bring out the most attractive contours and camouflage the most embarrassing bulges with equal elegance.