Elephant Parade India to The India Story in Kolkata

ANNI DESK

KOLKATA I IND

The city of Kolkata recently met the gorgeous elephants from Elephant Parade India during the 2017 edition of The India Art Story from 21 - 24 December 2017 at Swabhumi Heritage, Kolkata, as part of the Elephant Parade India Kolkata preview.

Launched in 2015, The India Story is an initiative from the Neotia Arts Trust and brings together a blend of the country’s leading designers, brands, producers, master craftsmen, artists, performers, and leading culinary brands under one roof under in the cultural and intellectual hub of India - Kolkata.

Part of the 2017 UK India Year of Culture, the India edition of the Elephant Parade is organised by Elephant Family and is supported by the luxury diamond jewellery brand, NIRAV MODI. Ms. Poonam Mahajan, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and National President of the Bhartiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha​​ is the Parade Ambassador. Following 23 successful Elephant Parades worldwide, Elephant Parade India has engaged leading Indian artists, fashion designers, design institutes, tribal painters & celebrities ​to transform​ ​101 elephant sculptures into unique painted masterpieces.

Elephants have been displayed at special preview events in Jaipur and New Delhi before coming to Kolkata and the full herd will be presented in Mumbai in February 2018.  After the public displays throughout India, the elephants will be sold to raise funds for their endangered wild cousins and their forest homes.

The Kolkata preview of the parade saw a selection of elephants by the leading designers who are part of both the initiatives including Abu Jani  Sandeep Khosla, Ashiesh Shah, Chittrovanu Mazumdar, Good Earth,Marie Anne Oudejans, Masaba Gupta, Prabhakar Pachpute & Rupali Patil, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Shroffleon & Rooshad Shroff and Suhasini Kejriwal.

Elephant Parade India is an awareness raising campaign aimed at drawing attention to the plight of the endangered Asian elephant whose numbers have fallen by 90% in the last 100 years.