Rajkot: Vishwagram Trust will organise a special cultural and fashion festival, ‘Bande Mein Hai Dum: Gandhi 158 Not Out!’, in Rajkot as part of celebrations marking Mahatma Gandhi’s 158th birth anniversary. The event will be held at Hemu Gadhvi hall on Saturday and will feature a fashion show themed ‘Khushboo Khadi Ki, Geet Gandhi Ke’ (The fragrance of khadi, the songs of Gandhi).The programme will bring together fashion, music and Gandhian values, with the ‘Khadi Fragrance Show’, a fashion presentation and a musical performance of Gandhian songs by well-known Bollywood playback singer Megha Dalton.The outfits showcased during the fashion presentation have been designed by emerging fashion design students of NIFD, Rajkot. Giving traditional khadi a contemporary makeover, the students will also walk the ramp in their own creations, highlighting themes of self-reliance, creativity and innovation.The khadi fabric used for the garments has been provided by Udyog Bharati-Gondal, an organisation associated with the promotion of khadi. Gram Swaraj Mandal-Pardi has extended financial support for the fashion show, while Badheka Trust for Education, Culture, Science and Humanities and the Jentibhai Kalariya Family Foundation, both based in the city, have also supported the initiative.According to the organisers, a special round of the ramp walk will feature prominent citizens of Rajkot. Those expected to participate include Rajkot mayor Nehal Shukla, municipal commissioner Tushar Sumer, managing director of Mahatma Gandhi Charitable Trust Alpana Trivedi and Gujarati film actor Harshal Mankad.The event will also carry a strong message of inclusion. Children with disabilities from Paramarth Education Trust will participate in the ramp walk, along with children living with thalassemia. Organisers said the initiative is aimed at providing children from underprivileged and specially-abled communities a platform to participate in a mainstream cultural event.Adding a traditional Gandhian element to the programme, students will demonstrate live spinning on the charkha on stage, recalling Mahatma Gandhi’s association with the spinning wheel and its symbolism of self-reliance.Through a combination of fashion, music and cultural expression, the programme seeks to highlight the continuing relevance of khadi, self-reliance and inclusion in contemporary society.
