Petaling Jaya, Sunday, 5th December 2021- One hundred and thirty female delegates from all ages, ethnicities and walks of life were crowned Saree Icon Malaysia 2021 in a grand coronation ceremony which was held at the MPPJ Civic Centre Auditorium. The 3-hour long record-breaking event was organised by multiple award-winning organiser Harry International Talents.
Their record breaking effort was recognised and certified by the Cholan Book of World Records (CBWR), an international standards organization headquartered in Tamil Nadu, India with 27 representative offices worldwide, including in Malaysia.
On hand to present the certification award to HITs Founder & CEO Dr Barnikumar Balakrishnan @ Harry for the “Most Models Participating On The Catwalk, Adorning Indian Traditional Saree, Sash & Crown for Saree Icon Malaysia 2021”, was Dr Murugan Periannai, General President of CBWR Malaysia, making Harry Talent Agency the first talent agency in Malaysia to be awarded a world record achievement.
In an unexpected addtion to the night, a surprised Barnikumar was also presented with an Honorary Doctorate Award for Social Work & Humanities which carries the title “Dr”, by the Malaysia South Indian Chamber of Commerce.The award was presented by its President Ybhg Dato Seri Dr S. Venugopal .
Among the VIP guests who graced the event included Guest of Honour Wanita MIC Chief Dato’ Mohana Muniandy, Datin’ Sri Dr. Vasantha Theethar Thevar, MSICC Deputy President Dato Dr Kamaleswaran Jo and MPPJ Exco Member Tuan Sugumaran.
The highly anticipated event saw 110 multiracial models being awarded the Saree Icon Malaysia 2021 title while 20 other recognised personalities were appointed as Saree Icon Malaysia 2021 Ambassadors. All recipents received a sash and crown from Harry International Talents, and a certificate of recognition from the Cholan Book of Recirds.
The saree is a traditional women’s garment which originates from the Indian continent and consists of an unstitched drape varying from 4.5 to 9 metres (15 to 30 feet) in length and 600 to 1,200 millimetres (24 to 47 inches) in breadth that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, partly baring the midriff. It is traditionally worn in the countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, and of course among Malaysians. There are various styles of sari manufacture and draping, the most common being the Nivi style. The sari is worn with a fitted bodice commonly called choli (ravike or kuppasa in southern India, and cholo in Nepal) and a petticoat called ghagra, parkar, or ul-pavadai. In the modern Indian subcontinent, the sari is considered a cultural icon. One can either wear it in traditional way or in a modern way. Its significance in Indian culture has deep meaning from the way it is worn and colours utilised.
“The key objective of Saree Icon Malaysia 2021 was to introduce, create exposure and encourage the usage of the saree by all Malaysians of Indian descent and also all other races in the country, as well as other nationalities,” expressed Dr Barnikumar during a press conference held prior to the event.
“We are trying to foster unity among all Malaysians as amplified by our Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob with his #KeluargaMalaysia initiative,” added Cholan Malaysia’s Dr Murugan.
“The event was originally planned to take place in July 2021, but had to be postponed, after MCO 3.0 was declared but this gave us the opportunity and more time to train and prepare the recipients through various virtual programs and workshops,” continued Dr Barnikumar.
According Dr Barnikumar, despite being an experienced events organiser, they had to face a lot of challenges during the pandemic, especially the difficulty in getting sponsors, finding participants, and also from the various restrictions imposed on them, but they still had to soldier on.
“We were inspired to do this event as we wanted to break a world record after so many years in the events industry. By participating, every delegate involved is contributing and is part of the process, and is a winner,” concluded Dr Barnikumar.
Held simultaneously with Saree Icon Malaysia were HITs Fashion Wave 2021, Simply Kids Fashion Wave 2021 and HITs Supermodels Fashion Wave 2021.
Harry International Talents is hoping to organise the same event again next year with the aim of breaking their own world record, this time with 500 delegates
