Ipswich's first saree walk for South Asian Heritage Month

The IHS celebrate Gudi Padwa in 2023

A town is showcasing its heritage by hosting its first ever saree walk for South Asian Heritage month (SAHM).

The walk is from Ipswich Town Hall Cornhill to Neptune Marina Quay and back on 3 September, with 60 women taking part.

SAHM first took place in 2020 and seeks to commemorate, mark and celebrate South Asian cultures, histories and communities.

Organiser Mayuri Patel said: "Wearing sarees connects us to home."

The walk has been organised by Ipswich Hindu Samaj (IHS).

It starts at 13:00 BST and is expected to take 30-40 minutes.

Ms Patel said people have been very excited to take part.

"Walking to the waterfront and back, we will be able to show off our culture and heritage," she said.

The IHS celebrate the flower festival Bathukamma in 2022

'People are so excited'

Sunday's event has been limited to 60 women on the walk, plus spectators, and will feature a speech from the Mayor of Ipswich beforehand.

Ms Patel hopes that in future, it can showcase even more.

"We would like to have dancing and things, showing off our individual states while wearing the sarees," she said.

"We'll see how this year goes, and if it's a manageable number, we'd love to have more participants."

SAHM 2023 took place between 18 July and 17 August. Ms Patel said in future she wants an Ipswich saree walk to take place during the official heritage month but for this year planning started too late.

"India is such a huge country, with all different states. They show how they're all different, with variety of material and dress for the people there," she said.

"Women are sewing the sarees by hand, so to keep that going, to get that opportunity, it's nice to show off these things.

"People from all over the world have settled in the UK, and the Indian sarees are a cultural garment to preserve our Indian tradition."