Sydney

exponent of this dance form, Sneha Rao. The grace of the performance blended the magic of music and the precise movements, enthralled the audience.

We were very fortunate to have Chris Thomas, CEO of Transplant Australia share his insights on Organ Transplant and the vision he has to combat the scarcity of resources in this field. His motivating address to the ‘decision makers’ of the family about Organ donation and the statistics around it was very impressive and held the audience spellbound. He also took questions from the audience and patiently answered them. We are very grateful for this as it ties up very aptly with our charity in focus Rotary Club of Organ Donation’s “Lift Up Project.” However, one can’t go by without mentioning the sartorial splendour of Chris’ beautiful men’s shawl.

This year we also welcomed Charishma Kaliyanda the MP for Liverpool into the fold. It was wonderful to have her and Jodi face the impromptu rapid-fire questions. It was fascinating to get an insight into the composition of their Saree collection, and the importance of the threads that connect them to each one of them. The responses were candid and it was sheer joy to see them carry the six yards with such aplomb. The agenda was clear; an afternoon filled with fun, an opportunity to showcase our beloved six yards of fabric and connect with the Saree sisterhood. Nothing pays tribute to a Saree like a ‘Sashaying in your Saree’ to a foot-tapping score and do it with your mum is priceless! That’s what happened as a’ Flash’ Parade took place with the mum-daughter duo Gabby and Bubbles Garewal, Jasneet and Harinder in that vein. Swinging to the beat of the music were ladies in a pair: Baisakhi and Medha, Abhilasha and Deepti, Sujata and Pooja, Julini and Suzy, Urvashi and Sonali, Nita and Razia, Punita and Deepali and it ended with Shirley, Ma(Beenu) and I dancing down the ‘runway’. The tone was set for the ladies to get on that floor, and they danced to their heart’s content.

In midst of all this, we also cut the cake. Now this was no ordinary cake! Shirley created a perfect cake for the event. The stage setting was perfectly designed by Harika Alapati of Ishi, where fantastic memories were created with the wispy and dreamy background. Will let the photos speak for itself.

The Raffle was a great hit as there were about 65 prizes to win and some people won it five times!! The smiles and the cheering by the tables was heart-warming. Nita Vaarwerk, the expert was absolutely amazing as the Raffle Salesperson.

A big thank you to the sponsors, in no particular order: O’Bombay Restaurant,

Atria Dental, APLUS Tax Solutions, Visa and Travel Services (VTS), Maxwell’s Services Pty Ltd, Mr Nitin Kumar(U.S) and Shishir Verma (U.S), Stall holdersPunjaban Diva, Kritha, Dagina, Style up with Ratan, House of Krishathi, XENO, who made shopping an exciting and convenient experience.

Raffle prizes- Ishita Bose, Gabby Garewal-Aurora, Madhu, Gili Bagwe and Royal India Catering

Thank you to Parravilla Function Centre for the excellent service. The food and ambience were perfect. Adding to the afternoon was the music by DJ Dimple’s Team who had everybody dancing, and capturing these moments were Ribin Joseph of The Money Shot Weddings, Rudy Kalele of Rudy Graphics and our very own Ewan Jacob. Adding to the excitement was the 360 Photo Booth where Ribin Joseph and his team patiently got us to navigate that space. Yes, after the last event we realised we would need to have five photographers to satiate the Saree Enthusiasts to be photographed!!

Last but not the least a heartfelt gratitude to all the Saree Enthusiasts who stood by us and had faith that the event would eventually happen and happen it did and what a happening event it was! You all rocked and looked absolutely gorgeous in your favourite Saree for the afternoon. The profusion of colours and the range of weaves on display were a delight. It was lovely to have Sujata Patel volunteer to display 11 of her prized handloom sarees from different states of India. Abhilasha and Usha stepped in to regulate the traffic going past to fill in the sheet with the correct names of the weave in a set time frame. It was heartwarming to hear the conversations where the weaves and fabrics of the sarees came from. Interestingly nobody was hitting the google button but more interested in asking each other and validating their understanding of these.

We are most humbled and flattered by all the positive feedback that we are looking forward to our 2024 Saree Enthusiasts’ Annual Meet and it is exciting to know that tables are already being planned and we hope to see more of you join us next year.

Ladies who love their sarees and reading this please join our Saree Enthusiasts Group on Facebook.