Designer Sandhya Raman Designs Costumes For The Vande Bharatam Cultural Extravagenza For The 73rd Republic Day Parade

The world watched as India celebrated its 73rd Republic Day this year with colours as vibrant as the rainbow and as rich as India's heritage owing to Ministry of Culture's out of the box thinking of bringing on board creative visualiser designer Sandhya Raman to design the segment for the world to take home a big message from - the message of accepting and respecting one another despite diverse community bubbles we live in.

As almost 500 artists sashayed through Rajpath depicting cultures and folk performances across the length and breadth of India, they showcased unity and diversity with an undertone and pride of being this young nation with a potential to make its mark on the globe. This was the first time the Ministry of Culture had appointed experts in their respective fields to bring about a cultural potpourri out in play in the most contemporary outlook ever. While Sandhya Raman designed the whole segment and the attires worn by the performers, eminent choreographers like Rani Khanum (Classical), Santosh Nair (Fusion and contemporary), Maitrryee Pahari (Folk) and Tejaswini Sathe (Fusion and contemporary) worked relentlessly to choreograph these pieces. The music and melodies were composed by Ricky Kej and Bickram Ghosh and the soul of the poetry recited by Ashok Chakradhar.

How colours can speak the language of heart could evidently be seen by the beautiful display culled out by Raman. In her vivacious mind she made the colours of the rainbow as lively as they could be; playing dutifully the role of portraying different cultures that decorate India's platter, yet are together holding hands across every border that divides the country geographically just like the hues that bind VIBGYOR together. As she sculpted the giant peacock - a symbol of India's pride and honour, she made it carry the message loud and clear that India holds its head high and wears all its different communities, religions, cultures and diversity as a crown on its head.

Weaving into one sequence after another in a reverse order of the colours of the rainbow, every performers on Rajpath seamlessly fit into the jigsaw completing the whole spectrum into a marvellous display not just showcasing unity, culture and tradition but also the zeal that the new generation binds itself closely and spiritually to a sentiment called 'India'. When asked why Sandhya Raman chose to use the colours of the rainbow, she said, "The rainbow is exactly what we are! We are diverse, different in every way yet we hold each other close to our hearts across all our customs and religions. At this moment in our lives this very message needs to be made evident that no matter what, when the term Secular and Sovereign were added to the constitution, it was done so for a reason. And that very reason is why we celebrate Republic Day, the day that gave us our precious constitution which has the best elements of all the countries put together."

The attempt made by the Government of India stays true to their goal of bringing out indigenous talent - fresh and seasoned - out on every satellite screen and makes the message loud and clear that India is a promising and emerging nation way beyond the wordly ranks.

Through the years, Sandhya Raman has proven herself to be attached with designs that serve the society in the most responsible way possible. She has been a textile revivalist, visualiser and cultural curator Nationally and Internationally. Sandhya Raman has won many awards and adulations.

This is a wonderful step by the Ministry of Culture to collaborate with professionals of creative fields. This is a great help to the artists across India.

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